Human hair for bow belly

[Ryan Jacob]

The problem with hair isn’t really the oils fromwhat I look up, it’s the outer layer that gives it it’s strength. This outer layer is made up of a bunch of twisted bundles. That’s what is making it so slick. I wonder if using pine pitch instead of hide glue would work 

[timmyd]

 where would you get it?

[Morgan]

I bet it will glue. Bubblegum don’t have a lick of problem sticking and staying stuck

[Hamish]

Gees, What have you guys been smoking?

[JWMALONE]

I'm with Morgan, my sister and my two daughters had long hair, glue it with whatever is in bubble gum.

[sleek]

I bet it will glue. Bubblegum don’t have a lick of problem sticking and staying stuck

What is the binding agent? Xanthym gum? Its a natural glue. Mix that binder with a drying agent, and call it a day

[willie]

When used as a bow string it has a lot of stretch,

but in the the paper you posted it seemed a lot better in compression than tension. although it was in a matrix so you would have to factor that In

[sleek]

Ok, gum is natural rubber fron tree sap. I dont think that can be hardened.

[Morgan]

I meant if bubblegum sticks and stay stuck, surely a glue will as well? Maybe not, but if it’s something you want to try, it’s be worth putting a dob of whatever glue on a board and sticking some hair in it and see if you can pull it out once cured.

[sleek]

I just remembered a milk based glue called casein. I recall it gets really hard. Im gonna buy some horse hair for experiment. Seems to me, being hair is a protein, a protein based glue like casein would bind it.

 Im thinking to soak the hair for a period of time, then put the strands in a welded metal box, then compress it with a hydraulic press until dry. I want to match as close as i can the density of horn. Then use the density ratio of hair to horn, and build a bow with that percentage in mind, like say its 75% of horn density, i would build the bow 25% larger than a horn bow of equal weight.

[Del the cat]

Surely it should be used in tension on the back?
Medieval siege engines used sinew for the ropes twisted up in torsion, but in emergencies (if your town was besieged) human hair was used (according to Ralph Payne Galwey's book The crossbow )
Del

[sleek]

Well del, I read its very stretchy. It will go to 1.5 times its length without breaking. That would be like putting rubberbands on the back, without the spring back,  because it has a point of no return where it wont spring back. I think a back is supposed to resist tension, not go willingly.

[Del the cat]

Well del, I read its very stretchy. It will go to 1.5 times its length without breaking. That would be like putting rubberbands on the back, without the spring back,  because it has a point of no return where it wont spring back. I think a back is supposed to resist tension, not go willingly.

But isn't sinew similarly stretchy? ...
Quote from the Wiki page on siege engines:-
... The skein that comprised the spring, on the other hand, has been cited specifically as made of both animal sinew and hair, either women’s and horse.[40] Heron and Vegetius consider sinew to be better, but Vitruvius cites women’s hair as preferable.[41] The preferred type of sinews came from the feet of deer (assumedly achilles tendons because they were longest) and the necks of oxen (strong from constant yoking).[42] How it was made into a rope is not known...
Del

[sleek]

Without any experiance, i can say for certain. Its strong for certain. I dont know how stretchy is too stretchy though.

[sleek]

So, i wonder, who here has experience with casein glue aka milk glue?