Getting down to the nitty gritty now. I started with 2 applications of Tru-Oil on the handle area. I usually do the handle area first so when I put Tru-Oil on the limbs I can balance the bow on the handle so the finish can dry. Once the handle has dried for a day it's time to add the handle wrap. I decided to go with brain tanned leather for this.
This is a technique I learned somewhere(?). I make 3 or 4 wraps of masking tape around the area where the handle will go then cut down the center of the back...
This will be the pattern for the handle wrap. I lay the tape on the brain tanned leather and mark it out, leaving some extra at the top for a rolled arrow shelf...
I added glue to the inside of the upper handle and rolled it 2 times. I also did a single roll at the bottom to finish that off neatly. I used an awl to put stitching holes on the wrap at the center of the back and stitched it with hemp cord...
...and here is the finished handle wrap with her name, ELG BUE, written in the rune alphabet...
