Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: PaulN/KS on March 26, 2016, 01:23:44 pm

Title: Stain=magnaflux...
Post by: PaulN/KS on March 26, 2016, 01:23:44 pm
I'd been messing with a piece of white wood lately that, via various imperfections, turned into a short plains style bendy (ish) handle bow.
So, after shooting it a bit, checking tiller, lightly toasting the belly and putting 50 arrows through it yesterday I thought it was time to finish . But, whilst applying the stain to the belly lo and behold, the tell tale fret lines appear. :(
Kinda like magnafluxing metal finds the cracks that you can't see.

I guess I need to re-think this one a bit...  :o
Perhaps take it down in draw weight, it's 40#@ 20", and see if that get's the stress re-distributed better.
Title: Re: Stain=magnaflux...
Post by: Onebowonder on March 28, 2016, 05:36:24 pm
What wood is this one Paul?  Some white woods get surface fractures on the belly, - which are never a good sign - but keep on shooting just fine and never get worse.  My second Black Locust bow did that.  I did take it down in weight as well, but I could still faintly see the frets.  It was only about 38 pounds after adjustment.  It eventually broke a tip, but the fretted spot never broke or got any worse  - - -  that I could see anyway.

I also have a Black Walnut bow that has decided to fret up a bit on the belly, but still seems stable.  With enough abuse I imagine these bows would blow up, but neither has done so yet, (fingerz crossed!).

I've not had it happen yet, but I hear that Hickory sometimes has the same behavior.

OneBow
Title: Re: Stain=magnaflux...
Post by: PaulN/KS on March 28, 2016, 08:25:32 pm
It's that short white wood bow that I was shooting a bit at Ojam Eric. The one that we thought might be hickory but also maybe ash.
I'm beginning to think it's half ashed... ;)

How are your eyes doing?
Title: Re: Stain=magnaflux...
Post by: Onebowonder on March 29, 2016, 02:42:26 pm
The eyes are better today.  I put my contacts back in this morning for a trial run.

The Half-Ashed bow you're working on there sounds like it would have liked to have been a bit wider and flatter in it's lay out.  Darn mystery woods are hard to know what's gonna work for them.  It sure looked like a piece of hickory to look at the back, ...and a piece of ash to look at the belly and the grain in the wood. <SHRUG!>

OneBow
Title: Re: Stain=magnaflux...
Post by: George Tsoukalas on March 29, 2016, 03:41:54 pm
Chrysals or frets are caused because that area is bending to much in relation to the rest of the limb. Inevitably, the bow will fold like a book there.

You can retiller by leaving that area alone and removing wood above and below. and retilelring that other limb.

Jawge
Title: Re: Stain=magnaflux...
Post by: PaulN/KS on March 29, 2016, 06:47:29 pm
Glad the eyes are better Eric.

Yep Jawge it is bending a bit much in that area of both limbs and would have benefited from being wider as well. I thought making it bendy in the handle would compensate, guess not.  :-[
It was an attempt to salvage a bow out of a stave that presented "issues" anyway so add these to the list.  ???
And I am more inclined to think that these staves are ash and not hickory. Or at least this ones being a pain in the ash...  ::)