That has very classic look to me. I love it. I bet it performs quite nicely. Very unique stitching pattern. Masterfully crafted.
Have you tried heat treating coarse grain yew? I find a good shellacking and tempering gives it qualities of denser yew.
Yeah, I have tried that - not on that stick but on a small splinter of yew. Got an increase of weight of about 10#. I think taht bow is still in my possession, will try to find and post. It is a nice simple stick.
Do you really first shellack the wood and then applying heat? No problems with shellack burning?
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I almost always shellac the belly as well as the back before heat-treating or even heat adjusting. I have had no problems with shellac burning. I apply an oil, such as bear or pig fat over the shellac when thoroughly heat tempering. The oil helps to keep the surface from scorching while allowing the heat to really drive in. The shellac fills the empty spaces in the less dense woods and plasticizes at about 450 degrees F. In the US, you can buy premixed liquid shellac or even aerosol shellac, which is not a high quality shellac product. I use pure, fresh, dewaxed shellac flakes that I dissolve in pure 180 proof alcohol.
Love looking at this bow again. Simply perfect.
