Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Simple Hunter on January 20, 2010, 08:52:16 pm
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I hav ejust about finished a hickory self bow and I have noticed a crack on the belly of the lower limb.I have heat treated the belly and the crack is where it bends the most.It is about a half inch long.I have made a number of hickory self bows and have never had this happen.If anyone has had this same problem, some suggestions would be welcome.Or should I even be concerned,I know hickory is forgiving. Thanks for any help.
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Pictures always help. Is it a fret in a hingy spot?
Tell
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I've had Hickory do that in the bending area if you heated it too much. I've also had Hickory fold over like a candle when I put too much heat to it while trying to bend in some curves.
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Picture please. Jawge
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Sorry no pictures, it starts at the edge and runs towards the middle.I don't think it is a hinge.
Thanks
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Mullet,
when you heated it to much and that happened to you, did couse any problems?
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Yes, the crack was too deep. The bow is sticking up in the garden, now.
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Not good.Mine doesn't look to deep I hope it wont end the life of my bow.
Thanks
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From your description it sounds like a compression fracture, i.e. a fret. It may or may not survive - it's hard to know.
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If it's just one isolated fret, there is a way to fix it that was in the magazine a few years back, if I remember correctly. you need to get a hole saw, and a sanding drum with matching diameters, so the drum could nearly fit inside the hole saw. The sanding drum is used to grind out the fret, and the hole saw is used to cut a plug of new wood to fill the hole, splitting off what you need to fill, then whittling it to flush with the bow. I think the author used Resorcinol, but Urac or smooth on should work. When finished, the repair looks like a bite was taken out of the belly, and replaced. I used a similar method on a black locust bow I built in Afghanistan. I pulled up splinters when I was in too much hurry steaming in recurves. I didn't have the tools, so I hand carved the repair, and used fiberglass repair epoxy to set it, and it seemed to be working. I was able to full draw the bow, and the recurves held. Unfortunately, the back failed at that point, so I never got to see how it would hold up long term. If it all sounds like too much trouble, and it most likely is if the bow is only partway finished, you're probably better off just grabbing another piece of wood. ;)
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If it was just running down the belly and not near the edge, I'd say put some super glue in it and forget it. If it's coming off the edge that could be a little more serious. Without any pictures to look at, I'd say super glue the crack and wrap around the bow with sinew.
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Simple - go here and see what Jude is talking about.
bowyersedge.com/patch.html
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Cool, that was the exact article I read six or seven years ago. Of course my "memory" only retained a small portion of the information, and modified that heavily as well. I forgot all about the toothing iron, and the hole saw part came completely out of my imagination.
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Thanks for the information, I think Ill look it over real good and if it doesn't look to bad I may just chance it and go forward with it.
thanks again
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It is real simple to find out how bad it is unless you are going to wrap or repair it. Take a rasp and keep rasping till you are through the damage. Personally, I'll chunk one in the garden before I wrap it. Everytime I look at someones bow that has decorative, colored thread on the limbs, the first thing I think of is a broken bow hiding.JMPO
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Glue on a piece of rawhide. Check tiller. You may have to retiller but not likely. Remember the reason why you got the chrysal or fret is the limb is bending too much in that spot. Perhaps it is hinging. jawge
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Not good.Mine doesn't look to deep I hope it wont end the life of my bow.
Thanks
a bows life is never over just start calling it an experiment ;D ;)