Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: John R on February 05, 2008, 11:54:21 am
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Are there any other guys out there that like to hand paint in west coast designs? I'm not to sharp with the computer thing so I hope I can stick a picture on this posting. This is a 45 pound at 27/28" paddle bow I finished yesterday. John
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I think you did a great job. I don't usually get to carried away with the decoration. I dont have a problem with others doing it, they are just hunting bows to me. Justin
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Looks very nice to me,good job on that one.
Pappy
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Really nice looking bow and painting John.
Alan
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Hey, I love it. Great design.
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Nice!
What type of wood? Homemade paints? What material did you use for the string? What type of finish coat? What's that on the handle? Are the tips wrapped with rawhide? ;D ;D
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I love painting native designs on my bows, just not very good at it.
Once a bow is painted it seems to shoot better and feels different to me. But on the other hand I don't like to paint my arrows, it makes them look cheap. My .02 cents.
Donnie
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Hey,
John R., as in John J. Riggs?? I've seen your work before, also on eBay. You do really nice work with the paddle bows. It's art. Your painted backs are beeeutiful. You make most of them oak selfbows, yes?
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Thank you all. This one is red oak, light cotton cloth backing with commercial paint. I do a fair amount of stave made paddle bows that never get seen except by the folks that have me do them... Juniper, White Oak, an occasional yew. Those are the ones with sinew backing, natural pigment paints if they aren't naked or snake skin backed, along with the cool Hupa style bent tab tips with rawhide tip wraps. I even apply rawhide tip wraps on my osage and sinew Cupid bows and gull wings cause they look so cool and are easier on the sinew strings. The red oak PBs all come with reverse twisted B50 strings, but on my stave made versions I like to include a natural material string depending on the skill level of the person I'm doing it for. I use leg sinew or back strap sinew for strings depending on the look. Leg tendons make nice white strings and the back strap seem to be more clear. I'm about finished with my bow building season so I thought I'd finish it up with a group of highly decorated paddle bows. Please don't think I'm trying to sell anything here. I'm actually kind of burned out and want to take a break and play with my new unicycle.
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Great artwork. I like decorated bows, especially if they're done as well as that one..
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Great job. i love west coast bows i want to make one someday
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You guys are alright. It usually takes me about two days to get kicked off of a message board but those were British sites. I was wondering if any of you have good sources for natural pigments that have worked out well. Have you tried Maya Pigments, Inc? Or different mixing recipes? I don't want this to be one sided so here's a really good way I've found to add deer rawhide tip wraps:
1) Soak a piece of rawhide and tack it to a board to make it good and flat for sanding to thickness. The side you sand will be the side that gets glued to the tips. I usually have the hair side out. Sand the rawhide so it's thin and even.
2) size the tips really well with hide or sinew scrap glue till they dry shiny. Soak the rawhide in a hide glue mixture and trim to size so they fit over the last bit of bow before the pin nocks or bent tabs. Stretch and fit so there is a 1/2" or so of overlap. I have the wrap go all the way to the end of the tip into the final curve.
3) Apply more hide glue to the tips, and wrap the rawhide over it tightly. I have the seam on the belly side.
4) Wrap the rawhide with a string to keep it down, and then tie a bow string on the bow just tight enough to force the rawhide into the shoulders of the nock. Because you soaked the rawhide in a hide glue mixture to re wet it, it will be super tacky.
5) I really don't mind if the rawhide has spiral impressions from the string wrap, but you can unwrap the string before the raw hide is fully dry and bone it with a boar tusk or a kitchen spoon to smooth it.
This really is an easy thing to do and stringing the bow tightly enough to force the hide into the shoulders makes it form fit oh so well. John