Fred Arnold 2017 Bow Trade, Pictures Please, housekeeping issues

[stuckinthemud]

Looks like some of you are keen to get on with it. Most bows are between 40 and 50 at 26 and R/h but not all.... please make sure you've signed up in the sign up thread. Names will be drawn out of a hat on March 11. Have fun everyone !

[stuckinthemud]

Provisional rules

Names will be drawn from a hat so a completely random draw.
We all help everyone
Building or not, all participants must post something on this thread at least once a fortnight after March 17th. Participants not checking in will be contacted by pm. If participants disappear for a month this will be taken as a resignation and their victim reassigned.
Missing participants can rejoin as a reserve
Reserves have the right to build a bow at any time
Participants can build any number of bows but may only dispatch one to their victim
Bows must be the best the bowyer can make but must reach a minimum standard demonstrated by unstrung, braced and full draw photos

Any bow not safe (hinged, or fretted, for instance) can be sent to one of the reserves for adjudication
At the end of the trade any unused bows can be put into a random draw if the builder wishes. The draw will only be of contributors to that draw
Trade will conclude (bows dispatched by) Sept 29th

So what do you all think? Will be glad to modify them before we all get going

[Swamp Thang]

Sounds great!

[tattoo dave]

Sounds good to me. It's looking like it may be a smaller trade this year, which might work out good.

Stuck, is there anyone who has signed up that is willing to ship overseas? I'd hate to see you organize this and not get a bow.

I'll be getting started on my bow in the next couple weeks. That's the plan anyway.


Tattoo Dave

[stuckinthemud]

No-one has said they can't ship overseas yet and, last year, the trade offered crowd-funding if anyone needed help, so that option stands for this year if needed.

[stuckinthemud]

There's one major element that I can't/won't sort out and that is the monthly draw for 'incentives' that happened last year. If you remember, Fred put up a few trade items and drew them out of a hat every now and then, but, I don't have his skill set or resources, and since I can't contribute I don't feel I can ask anyone else to either.

Small and friendly is no bad thing but it would be nice if we had another few participants. There is a week and a half left to sign up so I may get trampled in a last minute rush

[stuckinthemud]

Probably time we started using this thread. All participants have asked for right hand and nearly all are between 45 and 55 at 28" so if you want to get a head-start you shouldn't go too far wrong.

[Swamp Thang]

Already did hehe I went for the highest poundage I could with a particular stave. Didn't want to be more than a 30lb bow though. Might try backing with boo if anyone wants to chime in.

[Swamp Thang]

It's 3.5" around in the handle 66" long and about an inch across. I would like to hear some opinions on if I may back it.   (may pike I saw a couple long draws so I comp. For that)  I know it may not be a trade bow for my guy but I would be happy to gift it to anyone that doesn't receive! So I might as well make the most of it 

[stuckinthemud]

Any photos?

[Swamp Thang]

Yeah....also wondering about the knots..... if possible to back shape the bamboo around the knots or shave down the knots a bit?

[stuckinthemud]

Never done a backed bow but they look nasty. Sinew might be a better option?

[Swamp Thang]

I was hoping to 8n crease the poundage by a little bit. I know sinew would but I imagine boo would do more....what if I added sinew in with the glue then clamped on the boo?

[Dakota Kid]

From my understanding a bamboo backing allows you to flatten the back. From a mechanical properties standpoint boo is more similar to sinew than most woods or even any backings for that matter.  I've read de-crowning and boo backing often go hand in hand. I've never done it so consider this semi-reliable hearsay at best.

[stuckinthemud]

A recent post on backing ipe also said the bottom laminate needed to be perfect or failure was inevitable, sorry