Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Tetsuoh on May 09, 2014, 03:07:22 am
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Just like my shaft material post, I looking for your guys votes on your favorite and least favorite String Materials as well!
Simply Tell us which materials you favor and dont favor, and why.
I'll tally the posts and we'll all get to see just how much any string is liked or despised!
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Any dyneema based string.
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D 97 (Dyna Flight 97) is what I like because of it's lack of stretch and small diameter. It is also very strong.
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D 97
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I like FF and D97. A bunch of us loaded up on some cheap D97 at the Classic. I'll be making D97 strings for the next 15 years ;D
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D97. Mainly now because I have a bunch of it. Seriously because of the no stretch,less noise and less arm slap even at a low brace. I used B50 for years and some say it's traditional, ??? in my eyes D97 is better and it's all man made anyway so no problem for me on that,if I am using man made stuff anyway why not use the better,by the way that is JMO. ;) :)
Pappy
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Any FF type material but since I have a good supply of D75 on hand then that would happen to be my favorite.
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I have always used B-50 I can get most of the stretch out of it and it has always worked well for me. Plus I'm cheap. ;D
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I would have listed why I liked B 50 but then I read Pat's post so I don't have to list. :) Jawge
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That's a short list Jawgey Poo!
1. Cheap
I wont touch B50 with any length pole, I wont even tiller a bow with the stuff. I use any and all FF materials. 8 strands max up to 60#. There isn't a single negative, that includes price you tight wads!
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I was given what may end up being a life time supply of B50 so I may never know what my favorite is !
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NOT B50!
I was bustin' my gut at the classic trying to get that Yew ELB to brace until Cody came to the rescue of a poor old man with a D97/ FF string.
He's a top bloke ;D
Del
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I'm another b-50/Dacron HATER ...that stuff SUCKS >:D
Money has nothing to do with it IMO...ya end up using less strands in a FF string and getting more strings out of the same weight spool,and it pretty much evens out...night and day difference between FF/dyneema materials and the dacrons/b-50's....that junk doesn't even compare,and I have no idea why I used it before for awhile ..if we are strictly speaking string properties FF strings are a hands down winner..and that's a fact jack..and a big period end of discussion 8)
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Linen is nice stuff, takes wax well and doesn't slip like modern materials.
Del
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I do like a nice linen string, and with modern materials, FF. Havnt tried D97. It that and FF essentially the same thing? Can't stand trying to get bows with any amount of reflex braced with a B50 string.
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Got some b50 in a sale a couple of years ago but the only thing i use it for is tillering strings and sewing leather.
For strings i like 452x trophy,it makes an unusually silent string.But all dynemaa/spectra i have tried are good
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If I could get high quality linen easily I would probably use that most of the time but it's hard to find.
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I found some waxed linen at a hooby store that was sold for making necklaces. It made some surprisingly good bowstring. BUt I usually use BCY55 because I have about 2 miles of the stuff and I am also cheap!
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D 97 (Dyna Flight 97) is what I like because of it's lack of stretch and small diameter. It is also very strong.
yup yup
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Oh ya, PD. How about broken nocks and broken string loops caused by FF.
There's no way I'd put another FF or one of its variants on one of my selfies.
I'll take that back. There are 2 chances FF will end up on one of my bows...slim and none.
:)
I won't even tiller with it.
I should have learned to make strings from natural materials years ago. I don't feel like it now. B 50 works too well.
Jawge
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I found some waxed linen at a hooby store that was sold for making necklaces. It made some surprisingly good bowstring. BUt I usually use BCY55 because I have about 2 miles of the stuff and I am also cheap!
They were selling the 1/4# spools of B-55 for $5 each at the Classic.
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D-97 all the way, I'll never go back to B50. I use 8-10 strands for my 45-50# bows=FAST! The best thing I ever did was make a 14 strand tillering string out of it. That was the end of my tips spliting because now I go right from floor tiller to brace with no stretch.
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Oh ya, PD. How about broken nocks and broken string loops caused by FF.
There's no way I'd put another FF or one of its variants on one of my selfies.
I'll take that back. There are 2 chances FF will end up on one of my bows...slim and none.
:)
I won't even tiller with it.
I should have learned to make strings from natural materials years ago. I don't feel like it now. B 50 works too well.
Jawge
What about those two things that I have never seen happen?
The failure you had was probably from before you knew how to make nocks properly.
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I should add that I build up the loops with 4 strands of b50 on my 8 strand strings.
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Always used b 50 until I saw fast flight in person last year. I believe I have 452 X. Bought an eighth pound spool last year and still have plenty. I will never use b 50 again. At Marshall last year I made a rawhide string for a bow I made there and I know that raw hide stretch is less than b 50. The rawhide broke after 50 shots but that is not the point ::) B50 hater right here and proud of it ;)
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My opinion: b50 is like rubber. I like it for stitching some things, like leather handles once and a while. When you pluck a bow with a b50 string you can hear the rubbery b50 soaking up the energy. When you use a low stetch material you can tell it is shooting energy off of it because it doesn't stretch, makes a higher sharper pitch. I can anyway, as half-retarded as that sounds. It is cheap though, so I guess I can't complain too much, :). I do like linen, it is just a fun material to use. I like making 3 plys of linen, they feel so good in your hand with no serving. And look sharp on a bow. Good performance too, low stretch. I use ff most of all though.
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Pat, that happened a few years ago. I don't want to dissuade anyone from using FF or whatever it is called. I was just answering, toomanyknots. Jawge
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I've found a decent source for linen at a place called John Neal Books. They have spools of unbleached UK linen in all different sizes. The 18/3 makes a good string for my 50# bow that has lasted quite a while so far. I have also got the 35/3 but have yet to make a string from it as it seems it would take a while with all those strands.
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I think my favorite is sinew. There is just something about a sinew string on a short bow that seems right.
I use FF most of the time.
I will never use B-50 again.
Patrick
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Add me to the sinew list with Patrick. It's old time, and just has a comfy feel to it. Curtis
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Fastflight, all the way though I'd like to play around with natural materials at some point.
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Looks like its you and me George. 8) I'm comfortable with my old school ways. ;)
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Hold on Pat I'm with you! I use B-50 exclusively. Mainly because I have been too cheap to try FF. I know B-50 does the trick. FF out performs B-50 i'm sure, but then again...so does a Mathews Solo Cam! >:D
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Brownell D-75 = A responsive, snappy, FF. On release gives a satisfying tactile 'whip-wisk' sound. Love that!!
B-50 = mush
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I prefer the d-75, I often weave 4 strands fastflight into my linen strings for insurance. I recently have been trying silk, lots of stretch, very similar to b-50. The natural strings are nice to shoot but are much fatter and a tad slower than the modern. Last year at the flight shoots I entered a primitive bow in a modern class and shot a fast flite string, 353 yards, I switched to a linen string and entered the same bow and arrow in the primitive class and got 343 yards, not a big difference.
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I bought a bunch of B-50 back in the 90's in various colors I am still going through. I have a little FF in black and white that I used on some FG bows I own but have been reluctant to put it on bows I make. I have a couple under construction right now that I may have to experiment with, though.
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B-50 works for me and I have a lot of it on hand. My mind isn't closed to FF strings, I just haven't tried it yet.
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If you just tend to build your standard straight limb bow of modest draw weight then B50 is perfectly adequate. Once you move into the high string tension designs or high draw weight bows then using a FF material makes a world of difference.
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Looks like its you and me George. 8) I'm comfortable with my old school ways. ;)
I'd have thought you'd be twisting 'em up out of beard combings Pat :o ::) ;)
The only reason I'm bald is 'cos I used it all up on bowstings O:)
Del
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Yes, Pat, old school for us. Imagine that! Jawge
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Would there be any issues with switching to D97 on bows that have only had B50? Would you need to go slow and "re-train" the bow since it would be used to some stretch?
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Too brittle, Del. I have however, added a strand or two to the string while shooting. ;)
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I should add that I build up the loops with 4 strands of b50 on my 8 strand strings.
Is there a buildalong or something that would show me how this is done? Does anyone serve their loops?
Thanks
Don
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Would there be any issues with switching to D97 on bows that have only had B50? Would you need to go slow and "re-train" the bow since it would be used to some stretch?
If possible I would add tip overlays made out of a hard tropical, pad the loops of the string and give it a wirl!
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B-50 is as modern as any other high tech string, it was just invented first. ;D
It does make me chuckle a bit that trad purists have decided that a type of Dupont plastic product is a throwback to simpler times.
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Well, PATM, B 50 is older than the FF variants but that's not why I use it. I don't feel any purer when using it either LOL. I use it 'cause the other stuff did not work for me. Jawge
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I'm in the B50 hater camp also! D97 good stuff ,and I'm not opposed to a twisted 70# art. sinew string.
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Well Jawge, if you persevered with it the way you persevered through 14 broken bows you would probably figure out what the problem was. ;)
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you don't need overlays if you pad the loops, I add two 8" pcs of b-55 in the end of each bundle and no problems at all, i'm using d-97, just add the short strands and twist'em up
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I'm willing to ease the pain for those of you who hate B-50. Just ship those spools to me. I can put up with the inferior performance. I'll share some of the spools with Jawge, just to make sure I don't have to deal with enough to make me hate it.
PM me for my shipping address. Glad to help.
Jim Davis
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I use artificial sinew mostly because it's easily accessible. it stretches some and isn't the fastest, which I don't care about speed at all ! I really don't have a favorite or least favorite
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If you just tend to build your standard straight limb bow of modest draw weight then B50 is perfectly adequate. Once you move into the high string tension designs or high draw weight bows then using a FF material makes a world of difference.
Im not sure I agree there Marc. Anymore, I tend to build a lot of what you described and boy o' boy does it matter with that style bow. Matter of fact I've yet to build or shoot any bow that didn't have instant and obvious benefits. Yes some more than others, but there is drastic improvement in nearly all bows.
I wish we had slow motion video of the same bow upon release with a B50 string and a dyneema of any flavor. Then we could decide which Is better for a bow real fast.
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Pretty sure that Tuomo posted video of the same bow with different strings.
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PatM, I have figured out the issue with the FF stuff. I'll share after church if anyone is interested. Oh, and it was not the bow. :) Jawge
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Maybe ignorance is bliss in my case. I'm satisfied with the way my bows shoot with B-50 and don't even care to try FF strings. I have 2 selfbows made by Dano and both have FF(no overlays either) and they shoot well but IMO not that much different than my bows with B-50. I build selfbows because I like the simplicity of them. Moving "forward" ( ::) ) into the modern world is what chased me away from compounds and later traditional glass bows. The marketing aspects of them is really a turn off and knowing I can do it without the "crutch" of modernization is what keep me going in wood bow building. I do use modern materials like B-50, modern glues, finishes and tools but I try to limit myself to staying as simple as possible but still being effective. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)
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I'm not a string maker by trade and wouldn't dream of it.. But I have made hundreds of strings for traditional glass backed bows.. Both for others and for myself.. I much prefer D97, 8125 and 8190, all fast flight materials.. Have made many B50 strings also but prefer teh FF materials so much that I don't even own a spool of B50 any more... Neat stuff. I like Fords too, but I bet Chevys are ok ---- maybe, lol...
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PatM, I have figured out the issue with the FF stuff. I'll share after church if anyone is interested. Oh, and it was not the bow. :) Jawge
Its not "the" issue Jawgey, its your issue pal! Nobody else has complaints or problems to solve with FF materials. Im not tryng to sell you a dang thing by the way, I really don't care what anybody uses. Im just having fun!
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PatM, I have figured out the issue with the FF stuff. I'll share after church if anyone is interested. Oh, and it was not the bow. :) Jawge
Its not "the" issue Jawgey, its your issue pal! Nobody else has complaints or problems to solve with FF materials. Im not tryng to sell you a dang thing by the way, I really don't care what anybody uses. Im just having fun!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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PD, I could care what y'all use. For all I care you can use aircraft cable to string your bow.
I was just answering Tetsuoh question.
Not my fault you don't like the answer. LOL. I'm not on a quest to get people to like B 50. :)
I once had a prof. with whom I took several excellent courses. The last course ... I really did not like the text. At the end of the class he asked what we thought of it so I told him.
He said, "Well you are in no position to judge. "
I said, "If you didn't want my opinion, why did you ask me?"
He said, "Oh."
I still got an "A"!
You can't beat it, PD! :)
Jawge
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This isn't going to get into a pissing contest. A simple question was ask..."Give us your favorite string material and why". Lets keep on target. ;)
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If you just tend to build your standard straight limb bow of modest draw weight then B50 is perfectly adequate. Once you move into the high string tension designs or high draw weight bows then using a FF material makes a world of difference.
Im not sure I agree there Marc. Anymore, I tend to build a lot of what you described and boy o' boy does it matter with that style bow. Matter of fact I've yet to build or shoot any bow that didn't have instant and obvious benefits. Yes some more than others, but there is drastic improvement in nearly all bows.
I wish we had slow motion video of the same bow upon release with a B50 string and a dyneema of any flavor. Then we could decide which Is better for a bow real fast.
That's why I said "adequate". When I mentioned high string tension design I wasn't referring to the performance benefits, those are nice, but rather the stretch. High string tension bows just stretch the crap out of dacron and that by itself makes it a pain to use on these bows. Now I'm pretty sure you wouldn't use FF on a 20# kids bow :)
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Pat, PD and I are just having fun. He'd win a pissing contest for sure. I'm 65. :) Jawge
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George, I understand. I'll be 64 in July. ;) This was just a little reminder after the thread that got away a few weeks ago.
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I really appreciate fast flite on a bows first brace, with b-50 you have to bend it about 3 more inches.
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OK, my friend. :) Jawge
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Pat you can bet your wonderful life I would NEVER take anything that far on here. This place and most of the people on it mean way more to me than my strong minded opinions. Matter of fact, I didn't even read 99% of that thread you speak of, it was too uncomfortable for me.
Im not trying to sell anybody on FF, just trying to de-criminalize it. Its spoken of as if its poison and very dangerous to handle!
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Like I said Pearlie, just a reminder. I also didn't read most of that previous thread.
It is obvious from this thread that FF ain't poisonous and B-50 is in the minority. ;)
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I'm primarily an old school B-50 guy. Yes, it does stretch some at the beginning but it settles in for me. I think that it's quieter on my hunting selfbows than the FF material. Also, I'm basically cheap. I've never been enough of a speed freak to make the switch. For me, B-50 is plenty quick enough in my hunting range of 0-20 yards. I suspect it might make a difference out farther with deer ducking the string, but then again, I don't shoot that far at deer. I rarely install tip overlays on my selfbows. If I decided to make a FF string for one of my selfbows, I would feel the need to. I do however, like Cody's idea of a FF tillering string. I think I'll make one just for that purpose.
That being said I have both materials, but my plentiful string box contains mostly B-50. I save the FF string material for my glass bows, mainly because that's what people want. I've noticed that my glass bows have a sharper, noisier "twang" with FF material than with B-50.
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I make a few strings from time to time.
I started out with B50. It works, just not as well as D97 IMO.
All our B50 is gone now from Twin Oaks(only had a few tiller strings left and they went home with folks from the Classic), so Strings even our Tiller Strings are D97 now on.
I like D97 best.
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Yes I like strings on my bows too ;D ;D ;D
Knapper
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B50 because everything else is too expensive.
B50 costs me about 20 USD for a 1/4lb incl. shipping, but even D75 is about 65 USD 1/4 lb incl. shipping. Nearest archery store is a 12 hour return drive and I live in a city :laugh:
I'll probably upgrade when I'm better at making bows but for now it's fine.
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I just did a quick check and some basic math.
A 1/4# spool of B50 contains 1,075 ft
A 1/4# spool of d97 contains 1,675 ft
B50 requires no less than 12 strands, most use 14 or 16 strands
D97 requires 6-10 strands to cover any and all bows most of us shoot or build
Im not so sure B50 is cheaper. It would require about 75 feet of B50 to make a 64" string. It would require about 43 feet to make the same string with D97.
My rough math tells me I can get 38 string from a 1/4# spool of FF and about 15 strings from a 1/4# spool of B50.
Please correct me if my math is wrong, Im not good with numbers.
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You're probably right PD. Fastflight is 100 dollars a 1/4lb here though. How much do you guys pay for a roll of B50 compared to FF?
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I can find D97 for around $20 usd, B50 is around $8-12 usd. If you ask me? Its a dead heat, neither is cheaper, in the states anyway.
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I think at those prices I'd get the D97/FF. Seems like they would be about even if you used a similar number of strands, but if the strands are fewer, then the D97/FF starts to become better value.
I think my next purchase will be something better, but I think I need to try to get something in from outside the country. It's just overpriced here.
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With Pearlies math on the string length per roll and the current pricing from 3Rivers I get 1.10$ per string w/ FF and .80$ a string w/ b50 per1/4 lb roll.
Knapper
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b50--cause thats what i staryed with and im scared of change...lol..... >:D
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Money isn't the issue for me. It's that I keep my tackle to a bare minimum. I am comfortable shooting a twelve or fourteen strand B-50 string without a glove or a tab. Some of y'all that shot with me at the classic may remember that I shot with bare fingers. I think that may be the reason that I have stayed with B-50 - my fingers have become accustomed to it. I don't doubt that the FF strings have their advantages, otherwise it wouldn't be a step up in the price in the store bought bow market. My bows seldom draw more than 55lbs, and B-50 seems to work for me. I know there are as many different ways to approach archery as there are archers, so I am in the "not selling anything" crowd too. If you like your strings the way they are, stay with them. :D
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Here is what I tell folks who come to visit and we start talking about bow strings. If they currently have a B50 string on their bow let me make them a D97 string. After the new string is made, we'll head to the target near the shop and they can shoot several shots with their old B50 string. Next we swap out strings and they can try the D97 string. I've not had a person I can recall who took this test keep their old string (B50 string) The reason is simple. Honestly I've done this so many times I can't keep track of the numbers. A bow with less string stretch upon release of an arrow will deliver less vibration, less noise, and preform better overall in my opinion. I can build either a spring or a string. If a bow string I build has "more" then 1 and a half twists per inch from string nock to string nock it has to many twists.
B50 has what is called creep because it will stretch until it settles in. My strings I build are 10-12 strand strings and I pad the loops to make them 16 strand. That's for wear on the string only. I like to use .030 Halo serving on stings with 10 strands, and .024 on 12 strand strings.
If we take the time to build a good bow and it's a great performer and then we've spent many many hours making sure the arrows we shoot from it match in spine and fly straight. We lay out our grip to make it feel the best it can to our hand. We sweat and work so hard on our bows which we do. Why use a string that has less to offer?
As bad as I shoot I need all the help I can get. ;D
Just my opinion, your mileage may very. :)
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Nice explanation, Jon. 8)
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Waxed BLACK(Very important) Cotton thread.
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I never used any no or low stretch material before my Habu in late 90s...first strings I used were 450+......my Robertson recurve had D97.....and my Mohawk Sparrowhawk not sure what it is but is a skinny string. Shoot good...last long time for me but here are my beefs:
- I dont like the feel of skinny strings on my fingers
- I dont like having to build up serving area so they fit properly on my 11/32 snap nocks
- I dont trust putting them on my selfbows no matter if they are padded loops or not....just dont.
So when I replace my strings these days I typically put on B50... I started making my own strings just a month ago....learning on B50 but to be honest if the kits had two spools of D97 I likely would have checked to see if I could trade it out for B50. Once I think my strings are good to where I can give them to friends or family....then will think about moving to B55 but the B50 does everything I want.
- I stretch them.....and then leave bow braced for couple days before serving them. Once I get a bow braced and setup and am shooting it I leave it strung all the time. They stop creeping after a day or two ...faster if you shoot them in. I like a two bundle thick string.
I made one few days ago matter of fact for my Mohawk Sparrowhawk....66", 50#....factory skinny string on it 63" and has string silencers. Shoots pretty quiet. Got my B50 stretched and braced....let sit for a day or two...put on serving, wrapped a nock out of dental floss..shot a dozen times...check brace height and let hang again. Shot last night and tonight at 10 yards with no string silencers and my regular heavy wood arrows and snap on nocks.
The nock snapped perfectly for me...snug enough to not come loose during draw or if bumped...but not so tight they hang on string and lose energy or cause wear on string. The arrow leaving my leather worn tab and then hitting target is all I could hear...I did not have any noticeable twang of the string....just the gentle thud of a well built longbow and heavy wood arrow. I am not certain but I dont think the target could tell difference between the smack it gets with low stretch versus the b50 I prestretched. LOL
I prefer the simplicity...not interested in extra 5fps...not interested in how it feels on my fingers...not interested in having to compensate in the loops and the serving to make it work with my bows. I want simplicity not more stuff to worry about...that is why I walked away from the compound in 1990.
Give me B50....and maybe B55.
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Here is what I tell folks who come to visit and we start talking about bow strings. If they currently have a B50 string on their bow let me make them a D97 string. After the new string is made, we'll head to the target near the shop and they can shoot several shots with their old B50 string. Next we swap out strings and they can try the D97 string. I've not had a person I can recall who took this test keep their old string (B50 string) The reason is simple. Honestly I've done this so many times I can't keep track of the numbers. A bow with less string stretch upon release of an arrow will deliver less vibration, less noise, and preform better overall in my opinion. I can build either a spring or a string. If a bow string I build has "more" then 1 and a half twists per inch from string nock to string nock it has to many twists.
B50 has what is called creep because it will stretch until it settles in. My strings I build are 10-12 strand strings and I pad the loops to make them 16 strand. That's for wear on the string only. I like to use .030 Halo serving on stings with 10 strands, and .024 on 12 strand strings.
If we take the time to build a good bow and it's a great performer and then we've spent many many hours making sure the arrows we shoot from it match in spine and fly straight. We lay out our grip to make it feel the best it can to our hand. We sweat and work so hard on our bows which we do. Why use a string that has less to offer?
As bad as I shoot I need all the help I can get. ;D
Just my opinion, your mileage may very. :)
Well said. I was scared to try FF. For the longest time I had heard it was not good for wooden bows and I believed it. Then I start finding out that a lot of the bowyers on this site were using it! :o ??? what? Then I was concerned about cost. Honestly I was skeptical that the difference in performance would be worth it to me.... then Weylin sent me an awesome bow for the 2013 trade (Thanks again dude!) with a FF string and it was amazing. He helped convince me to try FF. At the time I was working on my own trade bow for Stringman and I was very intimidated because he is such a good bowyer I wanted my bow to be the best I could possibly deliver. After learning that guys like Weylin and others like Gordon and PD and Blackhawk and so on and so on were all using FF ??? I decided to try it.
I like to do what you have said above to myself. :laugh: I tiller with and shoot the bow in with B50 then shoot it in again with FF. I just like to see how one simple thing like a different string material makes such a big difference in how the bow performs. Maybe I shouldn't be doing that but it's fun. So far I've seen no ill effects that I've noticed....unless you call better performance an ill effect.
FF for me.
My BOWS need all the help they can get! I won't even talk about my shooting. :-[
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Man this is still going on. ;) :) I have read all of this,funny ,I don't quite understand some folks :-\ ,cheap or I have loads of b50 or just happy with it, I do understand, I'm old school/The simplicity of it/or it will hurt my bow,sorry I don't
understand. ??? I am about as old school as they come and took a while for me to come around for a lot of the reasons I have heard,finely decided to try it,man made is man made and FF has been around a long time.I know some say they have had different experiences with it,but for me it is much quieter/don't have to wait a day or 2 or 3 for the string to settle,no arm slap and less shock,not to mention it's faster which is of not much concern to me ,but hay it ant bad either. /win win win. :) TB3/super glue and most epoxies haven't been around that long either,but most of us still use them so old school is not a good reason in my view. Just thought I would stir the pot a bit,break out the pop corn,got to love this stuff. ;) :) :) :)
Pappy
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One reason to use B50 in my country, is because the archer must use a dacron B50 string with the bow in order to compete in the traditional bow class. If you use anything but B50, you cannot compete in the traditional bow class. So linen, hemp and fastflight are all not allowed. Somewhat weird, since linen is of course far more traditional, but I think they've made this rule for safety sake. I'm wondering if anyone could tell the difference between a 12 strand B50 or fastflight string during a competition, but rules are rules.
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A well made B50 with very few twist is an awesome string,problem is most are twisted way to much and they are like a spring. Had a string maker at the IBO Trd world a couple of years ago make me a string of B50,he had about a twist an inch and it shot almost as good as any FF. Usually they are made a little long or don't compensate for the stretch and folks just twist them up to shorten them,that is where the problem comes in.IMO. :)
Pappy
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You are right, Pappy, in that too many twists to the B 50 string decreases effectiveness.
DarkSoul, the fact that you cannot use linen is strange but what can you do.
Jawge
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I use ff cause that's all the shop had. >:D Now I've got 1/4# so it will last as long as I make bows, probably.
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Sinew. That stuff makes a great string. It's strong and there's no greater satisfaction than shooting an arrow off a string that you made yourself. Also, it's primitive. The level of grip on the string is perfect and easy to control. That stuff is so strong too!
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Sinew. That stuff makes a great string. It's strong and there's no greater satisfaction than shooting an arrow off a string that you made yourself.
Sinew strings are fun but you better check the weather forecast. I started with B50 and recently moved to FF with padded loops. Don't expect to go back.
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There is another reason I've gone for B50, aside from cost. Some people are saying they need all the help they can get, I think of it more like, I'm going to need even more help than a string could provide to make any difference, so I'll just use the cheap stuff for the first however many bows until I know they are built relatively well and will hold together.
Does anyone reuse strings? Or is it better to just make a new one for every bow.
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I'd like to resurrect this thread a little bit...
I have dacron B50 already and I'm pretty pleased with it for medium weight bows. But I also want some high performance string material for my heavier bows, flight bows or whatever special occasion. So I'm researching my options in string material...and the options are limited. I live in Europe and prices are much higher here. I pay about 13 USD for 1/4lbs D50, just to let you know.
Looking at the archery shops here, I can't find D97 anywhere. It seems that many people in this thread are very happy with their D97, but I can't find this stuff for sale anywhere. Or can I? The brand names are very confusing. Could you help me out with what string material would be the best option?
"Fast Flight" BCY 652 spectra (53 USD for 1/4 lbs)
Brownell D75 100% HMPE with .015 diameter (46 USD for 1/4 lbs)
Brownell Astro Flight 100% HMPE (59 USD for 1/4 lbs)
Brownell Fast Flight Plus 014 diameter (53 USD for 1/4 lbs)
There are other varieties like BCY8190, Brownell Xcel, BCY8125 and BCY452x, but those are ridiculously expensive. So which of the above would be the best option?
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I like them all to be honest. No stretch is no stretch. The biggest factor is serving size. I wouldn't hesitate making an 8-10 strand string from any of them. Astro flight is good, D75 is good, 452x is real good.
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Agree, with PD... I've made quite a lot of strings, 98% with the various FF materials.. Currently am using 8190 just because I have it and it is certainly one of the better ones.. Serving size is critical from many aspects. Most often with the smaller diameter, low strand count strings I double serve with the likes of .015, .018 size serving.. The proper fit between your serving and your nocks gives you better speed, better arrow flight, better accuracy and a quieter bow.. Worth persuing to get it right..
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Linen is nice stuff, takes wax well and doesn't slip like modern materials.
Del
That's my vote as well. I really like a nice round 3 ply linen string. It just feels awesome on your fingers, and just "looks right". ;D
EDIT: Oh, and it shoots good too with very little stretch if any.
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Agree with the others,all of that is good,we use a lot of BCY,mainly because I have a good friend that sells it[trades to me] ;) :) :) But is still top notch.
Pappy
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I like the feel of linen, I don't like how I have to make the strings so fat so I will often mix in 4 strands of fast flight for insurance. This gives me a normal size low stretch string very comfortable to shoot bare finger. If I use 6 strands of 7 ply linen with 4 strands of fast flight it gives me what I feel like is the perfect size for me. ( and no I don't mix fast flight with linen while flight shooting)