Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: samuraiwarrior on August 02, 2009, 10:34:20 pm
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I posted a little update about this bow earlier this year. I finally had the time to finish it:
Stats:
Tip to tip length-just under 60”
Widest point-1-7/16”
Mass-18.9oz
Draw weight-~55#
Draw length-29” from belly of handle
Holds 3” of reflex after resting,
2” immediately after unstringing
Finished with Polyurethane and paste wax
Two Osage billets, with boiled in recurves, were glued together into about 4” of deflex. A piece of white oak was shaped to fit in the handle, and another layer of osage was glued on top of that. The belly was heat treated to a deep golden-brown color and the bow was reflexed. More reflex was pulled in with the addition of sinew on the back. In total it was probably just over 4” of reflex after drying.
Pads were glued to the base of the recurve to help with string tracking. They are probably not totally necessary, but I also enjoy the look of them. They are 3 layers of latigo leather, saturated in super glue and pressed together. This hardened the leather and made it easy to shape with carving knives, files and sandpaper.
Nearly the entire bow was covered with black fabric glued with hide glue after being tillered. On top of this, motifs were painted on with 10-60 micron bronze powder in a hide glue (unflavored gelatin) suspension. I used a 3/0 watercolor brush with natural bristles to do this.
The handle is wrapped with a piece of vegetable tanned cowhide, distressed with India ink and imprinted on the edges. It is laced with black goat-skin leather using a baseball stitch.
Unstrung:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4290.jpg)
Strung:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4291.jpg)
Handle:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4292.jpg)
Recurve Back:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4295.jpg)
Recurve Belly
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4298.jpg)
Recurve Side:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4297-1.jpg)
Back:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4294.jpg)
Full Draw:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4302.jpg)
Me with bow:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4301.jpg)
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sweeeet!
tiller looks perfect. good job! :o
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I second that "sweeeet". Wow thats a spectacular bow. Looks like it will fling a arrow pretty fast! :o
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Very nice bow with beautiful tiller. I really like your art work on the back. 8) Well done.
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Outstanding tiller on that bow. Very nice work. You should be proud of that one. ;)
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SWEET!!!!! Awesome Bow Man!
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Beautiful job.I like that one a lot.Bet it's a sweet shooter. :)
Pappy
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Beautiful job! The painting is awesome, you're definitely an artist! :)
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Very nice bow, excellent tiller and beautiful finish as well. Congratulations. Keenan
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Looks like you poured your soul into this bow, tiller and finish details are all awesome :)
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Beautiful bow! I've been admirering this one since your last post 8) ....but I do have to say I like the natural look of the wood more than the painted...but your artwork is awesome! ;D
Ky
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That's a fine looking weapon-great tiller, nice curves, and outstanding artwork. That's one to be proud of, great job.
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Very,Very, Nice. It would be hard to improve on that one.
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I loved the look of this bow undecorated, but this is incredible. I don't even want to think of the hours spent painting the turkish designs on the back.
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yep all the above.
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ZanderPommo, Sulphur, Pat B, Timo, JustAim, Pappy, Greg B, Dana M, thank you all so much for the kind words. :D
I really appreciate it. I'm glad you all like this bow. I know I do 8)
kylerprochaska, I loved the look of the natural wood as well, especially with the darkened wood on the belly from the treatment.
But I really wanted something to cover up the sinew and make it a little less 'ordinary.' Once I thought of the designs I had seen
on those Turkish hornbows, I really wanted to try them out. Glad you like it though. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn
out, I'm glad I didn't ruin it :P
Hillbilly, thanks. It shoots like a dream. The handle is maybe a bit large compared to the longbow I was shooting before this,
but it isn't too hard to get used to.
Mullet, as an artist, I can find sooo many things to improve. I know I'll be doing things quite differently on my next bow (doubtfully
something similar to this, but probably just hornbows). I would have liked to do some fancy horn/bone inlayed overlays on the nocks.
The string pads could use a lot of work. The thing that bothers me the most is that the fabric strips overlap along the entire length of
the belly and I think it looks really sloppy. I think it might look better to leave a strip of exposed wood down the center. Both for the
contrast, and to eliminate that overlap of covering the entire limb. I also think on my next one, I'll probably use a very, very fine
silk fabric that gives a very smooth finish after being glued down. A gold ink and calligraphy nib pen would do the designs a lot finer
and more consistent than pigment in hide glue with a brush.
I'm happy with the handle though!
Dauntless, it was only about 3 hours of painting for each limb. Maybe a bit more, but I got faster with the design the more I painted it.
Thanks woodstick ;)
Here's another shot next to some old bamboo arrows:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/Samuraiwarrior2/Osage%20Recurve/IMG_4322.jpg)
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I really liked this bow before when you posted it and you did a great job on the finishing. Nice work. 8)
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Very nice...a turkish style bow with no horn!
Great decoration job! - what did you use for paint?
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:o !!!!!!!!!NICE!!!!!!!NICE!!!!!!!!!!NICE :o
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Thanks aesedai and Jesse.
medicinewheel, I used 10-60micron bronze powder. You can buy it at fine art stores, it is sold with other powdered pigments to make artist oil paints out of.
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Wow, lotta work on the finishing. Looks great. Amazing actually. :o
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ditto everybody else...What a fine bow for consideration of August BOM.