Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 07:51:19 pm

Title: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 07:51:19 pm
today i strung up my new hickory bow i just made, it is unfisnished, but i strung it and heard a small crack and quickly unstrung it. its not that bad but im afraid to restring it untill i fix it. any suggestions on how to fix it?
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: RBLusthaus on February 15, 2012, 07:59:45 pm
can you see where the cracking sound came from or is it still a mystery?

Russ
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: Slackbunny on February 15, 2012, 08:01:36 pm
something i recently did was wrap the crack tightly in serving string and then soak the serving string with superglue. I havn't tested it yet, so I don't know if it actually worked or not, only time will tell.

But a lot of people will suggest that you wrap it in either rawhide or sinew. I have never tried those things, so I can't comment.
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 08:01:49 pm
i can see the crack, its horizontal on the front of the bow. i kept the back on because i heard it would help prevent cracks on the front. what can i do?
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 08:02:56 pm
and i have no rawhide or sinew so i cant really do that
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: Bevan R. on February 15, 2012, 08:03:40 pm
can you post a photo of it?
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 08:08:11 pm
i can but i just tried and its not really noticable unless i flex it which i dont reall want to do
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: sharpend60 on February 15, 2012, 08:09:31 pm
What do ya mean, " I kept the back on"?

If you left bark or cambium it could be that.

 
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 08:11:20 pm
ya sorry that was just a typo. i left the back on
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: Youngboyer2(billyf) on February 15, 2012, 08:18:01 pm
If it cracked while stringing it may be because of your stringing style. I once blew up a fiberglass recurve because I had been twisting it a little bit when doing the step through stringing style, the bow was also over 40 years old but that's beside the point >:D
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 08:18:10 pm
i cant beleve i keep spelling BARK wrong. i left the BARK on. sorry
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: sharpend60 on February 15, 2012, 08:23:09 pm
I bet ya cracked the bark.

I'm not sure about hickory but with other 'thin skinned' woods. You have to sand the bark so that it is thin and more flexible.

However, once I left the bark on a vine Maple static recurve at 20" I cracked the bark, it took a piece of the back with it. End of story.
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackhawk on February 15, 2012, 08:26:05 pm
scrape the bark off man...you can leave thin traces of cambium if you wish...but make it thin and well sanded down before proceeding to bend it again

and for future ref. its not a bow until it flings an arra
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 08:26:37 pm
so in other words im not going to be able to fix this am i?
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackpanem on February 15, 2012, 08:28:12 pm
and blackhawk i havent gotten to shoot and actual arrow with it yet but i have shot some dowel rods across my basement if that counts ;D
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: blackhawk on February 15, 2012, 08:32:28 pm
scrape and sand it off and see how far it goes...theres a good chance it just lifted the cambium and not the underlying wood surface itself. and you should still have plenty of weight left after removing it. its not dead yet man ;)
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: Slackbunny on February 15, 2012, 09:01:56 pm
scrape and sand it off and see how far it goes...theres a good chance it just lifted the cambium and not the underlying wood surface itself. and you should still have plenty of weight left after removing it. its not dead yet man ;)

yeah, its not broke until its really, really broke, and I doubt you will have any trouble knowing when that happens.
Title: Re: small crack in my bow
Post by: MoNative on February 16, 2012, 01:10:46 am
scrape and sand it off and see how far it goes...theres a good chance it just lifted the cambium and not the underlying wood surface itself. and you should still have plenty of weight left after removing it. its not dead yet man ;)

yeah, its not broke until its really, really broke, and I doubt you will have any trouble knowing when that happens.
Hahahaha, thats about as true as it gets pall. And like they said, scraping off the bark will remove little to no DW. Good luck ;)