First time sinew help/advice

[RedBear1313]

Hey all.

Need advice/opinions.

This is my first time laying down sinew. 

2 layers.

been sitting/drying in my garage that stays in the mid to upper 60's.

there are a  few areas where the sinew strands are pulling themselves apart as they are drying.

I don't see any delam just that the strands are pulling apart horizontally.

I sized the wood with several coats hide glue.

[Pat B]

I'd bring it in the house. Keeping it cool is slowing the curing.

[osage outlaw]

Did you clean the back of the stave before applying the sinew?

[RedBear1313]

clean?

yes, down to one ring.

slightly scarified it with a hacksaw and wiped down with an acetone rag. 

let dry profusely then began sizing it with increasingly thicker coats of hide glue.

will this be detrimental?

[osage outlaw]

Acetone is what I clean them with before backing.  I think Pat uses boiling soapy water.  My first attempt at sinew backing came off in one big sheet.  I used oil to do some heat corrections on the bow and I didn't get the oil cleaned up good enough.   Next time try 1 layer at a time or try PatM's method of wrapping a sinew backing to get it smooth and squeeze out excess glue.  Here is a link.  Photobucket is holding the pictures hostage.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,43246.0.html

[PatM]

That's pretty typical for most sinew jobs. The matrix shrinks in width too but unless the wood can either shrink or cup slightly  something else has to give.  It's just like a log checking on the surface.

 There are various methods to either prevent this from happening or cleaning it up after.

[hoosierf]

I just go back and use sinew pieces and hide glue to fill in the gaps that appear during drying.  I always overlap them with the sinew already down on the bow. When the hide glue starts to tack up wet your finger and smooth it out. You won’t even see it when The sinew cures. One thing i like to do is run a coat of TBIII or Elmer’s Maxx over the whole length of the bow with a wet finger after about 45 days and then finish over that. I don’t assume that water proofs it, although it may help, it just makes a nice smooth appearance and dries in about a day in the house. Maybe I’m a bad sinewer but i think what your seeing is very typical. What till you draw it the first time and it crackles a little bit. You’ll swear it’s going to blow.

[RedBear1313]

This one is getting backed with this skin, and I'll be using titebond 3 for that.

so just wait until the sinew is completely cured to fill in those cracks and gaps.

How sandable is it?

Specifically when it's ready how much can I sand to smooth it over?

[osage outlaw]

Beautiful skin.  What kind of snake is that?

[bjrogg]

That is a cool skin.
Bjrogg

[RedBear1313]

viper.

specific type I'm not sure of, I asked the supplier.

[osage outlaw]

Is it a Russell's viper?

[RedBear1313]

yes it is russel's viper.

it is a good looking skin but not quite what the picture represented.