Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: paleryder on February 03, 2008, 08:43:04 pm
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I'm a relative new bowyer having built about four bows. I'm curious about the use of bear grease by Native Americans. I'm not sure why they used the bear grease. I've seen some reference to the bows being "seasoned" with bear grease. Why was the grease used? Was it merely to reduce/regulate the loss of moisture because they shaped the bow early in the process or does adding grease and heating it do something beneficial to the wood? Thanks.
Aidan
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Welcome to PA paleryder, I do believe they used bear and other animal grease as a waterproofing,
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Dana,
Thanks. I vaguely remember reading that after roughing out the bow, the Indians would coat them in bear grease and hang them somewhere warm. I believed that this was to reduce the loss of moisture because they reduced the limbs before the wood was fully seasoned.
I did infer from another article that the grease was used later on for waterproofing. Are you familiar with this process? Is it any better than modern sealants/oils/varnishes? I've never applied heat to my bows for this purpose.
Thanks again.
Aidan
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No I'm not familar with it but hoefully bob or jamie will see this they are intimately familar with it.
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it had some medicinal purposes too, a liitle to fix an ear ache...(but i dont know why)
also use some grease and rub it into a limb if you are using heat to bend it.
also i have found it very usefull in "lubricating" stone points. just like with anything else i believe a lubricated stone point will penetrate further - Ryan
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Bear grease is an excellent waterproofer. I doubt that it's as good of a moisture vapor barrier as modern finishes, but it will definitely keep water out of things. I used to use it to waterproof my leather boots, and it worked great for that. A friend of mine was rendering some bear grease out on his deck when he accidentally spilled it. He said that rain water beaded up on that spot for a year or more. With the grease finishes, it's more of a continuous process-regular greasings, warmed and rubbed into the wood.
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...........Like Hillbilly said. Additionally, I think that the grease replaces the water in the wood so that the cells dont collapse when a potential bow is boned hard again an again as it dries. I have been using bear and hawg grease on bows fer a long time. No complaints.There is another thing here. Bows were greased and then placed ta warm at top of lodge by smoke hole. Formaldehydes are in the smoke and they play a role in this but thats another story. Did the foks that did this know that ? Leave that up ta y'all. Hmm......... dont know about modern finishes bein' more effective..........bob
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it had some medicinal purposes too, a Little to fix an ear ache...(but i dint know why)
Indians also used ones own Urine to fix an ear infection and other Infections too....but I aint about to do that....even though I am 1/4 Ojibwa!!! but I can tell you that Grease mixed with Bees Wax....and either Hand rubbed...or heated in with a Hair Dryer will make a good Waterproofing and wood conditioner...but like Hillbilly said....it has to be done regularly....but I like these finishes better than Urethanes and Varnishes myself
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Thanks, guys. Your answers have been very helpful.
Aidan
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Bob, I'd like to see a test on the grease vs. urathane or something for vapor barrier. I know that anything couldn't be better at keeping pure water out than bear grease. Plus I like the idea of using something out of a bear a lot better than using something out of a can. :) I remember once when I was a kid my mom was cooking a big greasy bear roast in a pressure cooker when the little hooey on top got stopped up and the whole durn thing exploded. We had a waterproof kitchen for a long time. ;D
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Steve, Was that Barry knocking over the bear fat renderings? It was on Alan's porch in H'ville. The spot is still water proof. ;)
Like Steve said, I believe bear grease prevents water from soaking in to wood but doesn't prevent the water vapor from coming out. It allows the wood to dry slowly and evenly so the wood doesn't check. That is actually an ideas situation for curing wood...and then later Bob can tell us about the Formaldehydes. ;) Pat
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Bear grease supposedly has a very pleasant, mild taste (in addition to it's "water-regulating" abilities). This would be especially beneficial if you like to hold arrows in your mouth while shooting....
I'm gettin' some so I can experiment with it. I'll let you guys know what I find out.
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Pat, yea, that was Barry. Why buy Thompson's water seal when you can just rub a bear all over your deck? ;D
Bear grease supposedly has a very pleasant, mild taste (in addition to it's "water-regulating" abilities). This would be especially beneficial if you like to hold arrows in your mouth while shooting....
Bear grease is good for cooking. I've eaten quite a few biscuits that were made with bear grease for shortening.
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I never used bear grease but have used bacon grease on bows and arrows. Excellent waterproofer. Jawge
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Another reason bear grease was used is that there is so much of it. If you have ever skinned a bear in the fall you understand.
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I never used bear grease but have used bacon grease on bows and arrows. Excellent waterproofer. Jawge
Best part about using bacon grease is it also works as a lure while hunting bears. They smell the grease and come for dinner. :o ;D Justin
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Like Justin said. PLUS ifn ya get hungry ya can EAT yer bow. Just ask Ralph Welch ! ;D.....bob
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Ok Pat lets see. Formaldehyde is a colorless odorless gas that is the byproduct of various things. From what I can remember from basic chemistry a LONG time ago its chemical designation is HCHO, me thinks. Please keep in mind that chemistry is not my field and I prefer ta stay non-scientific. Iam a primitive archer. Well, some foks would say just plain primitive ! ;D Most would be familiar with wood smoke, it has the formaldehyde compound in it. Its a resin and binder. Interestin, could it help bind the resins an polymers in wood ? It can produce irritation to the eyes, mucous membranes, upper respiratory system etc. Over exposure can cause serious health problems. The medical field used it extensively in past years but not so much today. Hmm........... vapor barrier ! I would prefer ta call it vapor retarder. Water (vapor ) moves in an out of all porous products as we know. Wood is one of those. Most smoke a hide after ya brain tan it. A byproduct of this process among others, is that the formaldehyde in the smoke waterproofs (somewhat ), softens and has excellent bug retardent properties. When I was a lad the elders that taught me ta make bows said ta always build a smudge fire and smoke the wood after ya grease it an bone it hard. Not everytime but once in a while especially in wet weather. The smudge fire had ta be of the wood the bow was so "the spirit of the wood can reenter " Since cultural dictates say ya never question an elder I just accepted it. I always wondered about this and years later bein' a growed up Indian I asked my Grandfather about it. He said " Not good enuf explanation fer ya huh ? " Oops ! :o "Yes Grandfather good enuf ! " :o I know that I have built bows from wood that was not smoked and they had more string follow than those that were smoked. I believe that the formaldahyde helps harden the resins and helps cure the wood. Then the bear grease er hawg grease waterproofs it. One thing I dont like about the various varnishes and urethanes is they stay on the surface . I prefer a penetrant . As the water leaves the wood my impression is that the grease enters and takes the place of the water so the cells dont collapse. Btw formaldehyde is a natural byproduct of human cell activity. The more grease in wood the less water vapor transpiration. As I said Iam not scientific but it appears as I have said in my longtime experience. As far as "spirit of the wood reentering " I will leave ya all ta make that decision fer yerselves as to its veracity or not . ;).....bob
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Dang bob thats the most I've seen ya say since I joined this site ;D
Formeldahyde was also used to preserve them baby pigs ya dissected in high school ;D
So bob will good old unsalted Oscar Meyer lard work as a vapor retardant? I don't have a bear handy at the moment ;)
I got a bow from jamie in the x-mas trade and he said he used deer grease, its hickory and I want to keep her greased.
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Yeah ........Dont know where that came from (loose lips .) Crisco will work fine bone it inta bow. Steal from wifes kitchen cupboard ifn ya feel lucky er daring ! ;D Never heard of Oscar Meyer's lard before..........bob
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She uses the butter flavor crisco ::) Oscar Meyer lard is just rendered pig fat I do believe nice and pure.
The lumberjacks up here used to eat lard sandwiches in the winter, it gave them energy and kept them warm :o :)
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exactly what bob said. i have built and rebuilt the same longhouse and wigwams for our local museum. we rebuild because the bark rots out. natural process yes but my buddies wigwam hasnt been rebuilt since it was built 10 yrs ago. why? because we use his and we have fires going in it alot. the smoke helps to preserve the bark as well as kill off mold that forms in the damp bark. the houses at the museum dont get fires in em unless i do it and im not there often enough. we decided to use that decking sealer to see if it helps. bark sheathing had to be replacedafter 1 1/2years just like it always does. smoke and fat work great. peace
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cool stuff guys. I have never used bear grease but ive always preferred oil finishes as opposed to polyeurathane and other modern types. They seem to keep the wood more stable in my opinion. Is any animal fat usable. We raise goats and they get plenty fat. Anyone have any insight on the rendering process?
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Goat Fat will do just fine....I have used Antelope...same difference....Chop the fat into at least 1" cubes.....smaller is better.... taking any meat chunks off in the process..... Some folks put it through a meat grinder..... anyway you want small pieces... otherwise you won't get as much fat out.
Heat your oven to 225°F.... I use my cast iron dutch oven to render lard in.... Put about a quarter-inch of water at the bottom of the pot.... this keeps the fat from browning too much at the beginning, the water will burn off in time.... Add your chopped fat.... Put it in the oven for at least a couple of hours.... stirring now and then. Eventually the chunks will look the same after an hour as they did before....this is the Time to chuck the Chunks...and put all of the Lard in a Can to cool......damn thats the longest post I have made yet....what a rant!!!
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thanks for the info yankee. ill give it a shot the next time we butcher one
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Bob, thanks for the formaldehyde tutorial. Very interesting. I guess the wood shavings from your bow would work well for a smudge fire to smoke it.
Dana, my favorite finish for a primitive hickory bow is grease and ground charcoal. The grain soaks up the charcoal and gives a nice look and you already know about the grease. ;D Pat
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Great thread guys.
I just keep a mason jar by the stove ,well my wife does . But I steal ,,,uh take. bacon grease from the jar for my bows. It will separate on it's own in the jar into oil on top and grease on the bottom of the jar. I always put oil on the first couple of coats and finish up with grease. And bone it in, like Bob says.
And I ain't admittin' to eating a bow ,But they sure smell good for a bit. ;D
Ralph
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I have a friend that saves all the bacon grease like that. He smears it on his bread like butter and eats it. I can feel my arteries turning to rock every time I see it. I don't think Greg is even that hungry. ;) Justin
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i just felt my heart flutter readin that ;D