Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Gaust on December 02, 2014, 06:17:20 pm
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This is my third self-bow, first one with reflex tips. After making unbacked flat bows with the first two staves, I must say I had a fun time with this one, the third of five from a hackberry tree I had cut down in my backyard. A previous post of mine showed mostly how I got to this point: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,48943.0.html
The numerous heatings, both steam and dry, to straighten the stave, toasting the belly to induce a little reflex, and then bending the tips, was quite a learning experience, for sure. After tillering it to full brace and finally shooting it, I could see it wanted to go back to its original shape. I reheated parts of both limbs again to bring it back into alignment. The end result turned out okay, certainly not perfect, but it does shoot well with no hand shock. It did end up five pounds lighter than intended. 64” ntn, 37# @ 26”. Mass weight 20 oz. Unbacked w/4 1/2” grip, 2” fades, 1 ½” wide limbs to mid-length, tapering to 3/8” tips. I decided to glue some hackberry leaves to the back of the bow for decoration after I stained it with brown leather dye. Then applied five coats of Tru-Oil for the finish. As you probably will notice, the bottom limb has the stronger reflexed tip. In the end, I must say I’m impressed with hackberry; it can take the abuse of the inexperienced.
Thanks again all, for your helpful suggestions and comments during the making of this bow. I’ll shoot this one till my thoughts wander, inevitably, to the next one.
George
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A couple of details.
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I love the pattern with the leaves. I may have to give that a try myself, really like it. Seeing bows of this skill pushes me to get back out in the cold and start another one.
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That's real nice George. Let us know how the leaf finish wears. I kinda like that :D
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Nice work Sir. Love Hackberry myself. Surprisingly good wood.
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Thanks, mhof86, DC, and SLIMBOB.
DC, I'm kinda curious myself about the durability of the leaves under the Tru-Oil finish. I almost went with sprayed poly, but I thought I could add a coat of it after the Tru-Oil cures a bit. So far, it's staying on and staying green.
mhof86, fyi, I dried the leaves first, removing the moisture by placing them between two sheets of paper towels and ironing them. I glued them to the bow using Titebond II, carefully flattening them and squeezing out excess glue. The leaves are fragile in this state. After the glue dried, I applied Tru-Oil to the surface of the leaves with my finger. On the leaves you have to rub the oil in the direction of the veins. I woke up one morning with the idea but couldn't find any info on how to do it. So, this is an experiment.
G.
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Gaust, what a fine looking bow for your third one. The green leaves on the back are striking......what great camo too. After all you learned with this bow, can't wait to see the next one.
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Thanks, Drewster. I wanted this bow to blend in with the fall colors, thus the color scheme. It would disappear against a hackberry tree.
G.
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That's looking like a nice shooter, I really like the leaves too keep us posted!
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What a beauty! Tiller looks great to me and that leaf back is awesome.
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Nice bow and I like the idea to use the leaves. I wonder how does the green stand time... does it turn to autumn after a while? Please, report.
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Very cool bow George. Very inovative idea with the leaves, looks great. I've never seen that before done like that. I love it
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Great looking bow there George!
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SWEET!! 8)
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Gaust, I like everything about this bow...Profile and tiller looks like you been at it more than 3 times, your very talented Sir...
Don
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Thanks again all for your nice comments.
Don, I cut my teeth on a dozen board bows backed with linen (four of which broke) before attempting unbacked self-bows like this one. You guys inspired me, and, being retired, I had the time to do it right with all you members' helping me with your discussions, comments, and suggestions. It's been a lot of fun so far, very fulfilling. So glad I found this forum and Primitive Archer. I'm where I want to be right now.
IdahoMatt, the leaf thing is going to make me think about doing it to all species of bow woods from now on. What do osage leaves look like on a bow, for example? When we give a piece of wood new life, shouldn't its leaves and the rest of the tree be a part of that new life, too? I thought about making a stain from the hackberry bark, but maybe for the next one.
I'll keep everyone posted on the leaves. Who knows, Tru-Oil may not be the best preservative. I know they won't shrink, but will the color remain?
G.
George.
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Nice finish big George! Great looking bow. Bet its a zippy one.
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Thanks, Chris, for your build along and advice. Keep posting your bows and I'll keep learning.
G.
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For those of you interested, after the five coats of Tru-Oil I brushed on one coat of spar urethane on the leaves just for extra insurance The leaves still have the texture and the colors seems to be holding up pretty well.
G.
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Braced profile looks great
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Looks great in all aspects, cool finish. :)
Pappy
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Thanks, Falcon, Pappy.
Pappy, I watched all the videos on your site and I hope someday to come visit. Looks like my kinda place. BTW, love your mulberry bow.
G.
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Leaves are remarkable treatment. Congrats!
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Really nice. I think you did a fine job on that one and the leaves are unique and look great. Hope they last long term. It will add another neat backing one can do for decoration. Nice tiller as well. For your third bow I would say you are well on your way. Danny
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Appreciate the comments, Knoll, Danny. I started this stave hoping for statics, but it didn't turn out that way. I now have an idea on how to achieve that. The leaves are nice and the bow shoots great and I'm happy, but I can't help but feel that I fell a little short on this one.
G.