Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bow101 on April 14, 2013, 11:18:05 pm

Title: Bendy handle
Post by: bow101 on April 14, 2013, 11:18:05 pm
Dun another ocean spray sapling,,,,,,,,,,but as stinking usual I took off to much material in the handle so its bending more than I like in the handle. What is the easiest & quickest way to beef it up.?
I was thinking to cut a small piece of maple and glue it on the back.
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: Pat B on April 14, 2013, 11:50:16 pm
Once the handle area bends it is hard to add a handle. You could try adding a thin lam on the back and belly and they should flex enough to survive the bending. This should add a little stiffness to the handle area.
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: bow101 on April 15, 2013, 12:05:06 am
Yup, a thin lam that's what I'll try............
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: Pat B on April 15, 2013, 12:30:27 am
Feather them out well so they will bend evenly. I'd do that before glue up. It will make a cleaner application.  ;)
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: DarkSoul on April 15, 2013, 07:25:26 pm
How on earth are you going to glue a thin lam to the curved, crowned and natural back of an ocean spray sapling? Sounds virtually impossible to me. By the time you got that back flat enough to accept a flat lam and glue, you've lost all integrity of that handle.

Heat treating the handle might make it slightly stiffer. Not by much, but it might be enough.
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: bow101 on April 15, 2013, 07:42:17 pm
Flatten out the belly not the back,  add a piece.   ;D won;t lose all integrity of that handle if thick enough piece is used.
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: DarkSoul on April 15, 2013, 08:16:59 pm
You initially said you'd glue it to the back of the bow ;)
Sure, gluing it to the belly is easier. Still, you need to be very careful to remove as little wood as possible. But even then, you run a risk of that added handle piece popping off.
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: bow101 on April 15, 2013, 08:24:08 pm
You initially said you'd glue it to the back of the bow ;)
Sure, gluing it to the belly is easier. Still, you need to be very careful to remove as little wood as possible. But even then, you run a risk of that added handle piece popping off.

Lol.  just testing ya.. :)   I plan on having a heavy wrap of leather string and flat leather over top, it should hold.  The way it's turning out I'll be lucky to get 35-40# out of it. Its a skinny minny.
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on April 15, 2013, 08:27:39 pm
Why not take some wet rawhide lace and wrap itt very tightly, while stretching it out, around the center out say 3-4". Give it a good bath of TBIII immediatley after wrapping. Then let it all cure for at least 4-5 days. Seems to me that would add a few pounds of resistance back in the handle as it constricts? Call me crazy.
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: adb on April 15, 2013, 08:32:51 pm
Nope... don't see that working. I've been down this road before, and I tried all your ideas. Everything I tried just popped off. I don't see rawhide adding any structural integrity to a bending handle. You could build up the grip with rawhide, but that's about it. Chalk it up as part of the learning curve. Even out your tiller and just live with the end result.
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: bow101 on April 15, 2013, 11:35:40 pm
At any rate I will try to save it. ???  It's my 3rd. attempt at an Ocean Spray. Maybe try a cable backed system, something to take the strain off the handle area, still have more room for scraping the mid limb sections.  ::)
Title: Re: Bendy handle
Post by: gpw on April 16, 2013, 09:24:56 am
  We sometimes resorted to a more primitive method and just tied/wrapped  on the “handle” with Jute string , that way everything bent a little , and nothing popped off ... It looked a little “crude” , bit it was “primitive” ... and it worked ...