Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: NOMADIC PIRATE on April 07, 2014, 06:15:00 am
-
I'm working on a bow and I'm thinking of backing it with rawhide, I've backed bows with a bunch of different materials but they where much thinner and softer,....should I wrap the rawhide in place ? and I long to loose all the moisture ?
Thanks
-
Yes I always soak it until it is soft,then pat it dry as I can,I put it on with TB3 and work it like a snake skin until it starts to hold making sure to keep all the air bubbles out,then wrap with an ace bandage for a few hours,that will do it.I usually leave it a few days in a dry place before I bend it to me sure it has dried out good and all the moisture is gone from the bow. :) Careful as you wrap to let it pull the rawhide to one side or the other. Slow and easy wrap. :)
Pappy
-
If the rawhide is thin enough you don't have to wrap. When using TB glue I sometimes wrap for about an hour then remove the wrap and work out the air bubbles and excess glue with my fingers, trim the excess from the sides with a sharp razor and set it aside to dry. Give it few days to loose the moisture gained from the glue and wet rawhide.
Welcome back, Manny.
-
Couldnt give better advice than pappy or pat I just start at one end with hide and hold the the rest up letting it down slowly and lightly rubbing the air out as I move to the other end.
-
If you do wrap with cordage or Ace bandage and you end up with a pattern of pressure marks in the rawhide, you can sponge the rawhide with water and the rawhide will swell again. As it dries it will often lose those marks.
This, of course, only works if you use a glue that is not water soluble!!!
Good to see you again, Manny. You came up in conversation several times in the last week. Lot of folks missed you!
-
The rolls of stretchy gauze that you can buy for first aid are ideal for wrapping rawhide in place. They give nice even pressure and allow plenty of air circulation for drying. They won't leave marks either if you just roll them on snugly.
-
The rolls of stretchy gauze that you can buy for first aid are ideal for wrapping rawhide in place. They give nice even pressure and allow plenty of air circulation for drying. They won't leave marks either if you just roll them on snugly.
Bingo
-
thanks Guys,
I'll should back it this week and hopefully have a shootable bow in a couple ;D ;D ;D
-
I'll expect to see your usual mess. ;)
-
Hey, Manny! Long time...
To avoid leaving marks, I lay down a thin strip of leather or something similar before I wrap the rawhide. I also put a layer of wax paper between the two so they don't end up glued together.
-
Hey Manny,Don't you shoot airguns?Thought I saw you some
where on the yellow.Ha,Ha!
Good luck on the rawhide.I want to back some bows with rawhide in the future.
-
Yellow ? ..what's the Yellow ? ;)
-
Little pieces of scrap leather or sheet cork are nice to have handy if the bow back has any recesses or divets. Use these to keep your wrap pressure applied to the low spots.
-
Hey now!!!!!
I like the cork idea.
-
Did my Final Belly tempering and I'll start doing the backing after lunch ;D