Vintage lemonwood(?) bow.(pics Posted)

[ionicmuffin]

So ive promised my friend that i will make him a bowstring for his grandpas osage bow. His grandpa bought it YEARS ago and is estimated to have been made in the 1910-20s maybe 30s(according to him) not sure. But. When his grandpa passed it on to his dad, his dad took excellent care of it(according to him, haven't seen it yet.) i am hoping it can be shot. i am being entrusted with this bow to make a string, and if it all looks really good, to shoot it. When i post pics you lot can see if it seems to be safe(ill get my sis to take pics with her nice cam to get details)

What do you all think about the likelihood it will shoot again, given it was taken good care of, and the age of the bow? When i get the pics up i will need tips on how to get it into working shape, granted its not badly damaged.

[steve b.]

What I know about old bows is just what I've read and so I would not do it unless you don't care if the bow lives.  I do know someone who has lots of old bows like that and he would know.  PM me if you're interested and I'll give you his number.

[ionicmuffin]

yeah, i understand that is possible, i wont do anything with it if it needs repairs or would need care to make it function again. Its up to his family of course, but if they give the go ahead then maybe. he may have been wrong about the bow age, because this is what the wood color looked like to him. This isn't the bow, but i was trying to determine the wood that the bow was made of, and that's approx the color that he identified it as.

[steve b.]

I'm looking forward to seeing it......

[ionicmuffin]

Alright! Here's what we have.

[Weylin]

Stop shaking the camera!  It's kinda hard to see the details. I'm thinking it's not osage because of the two tones [EDIT: Oh, I see that the darker wood is just the riser, never mind.] what is it backed with? is it a laminate or is it one piece of wood?

[ionicmuffin]

more pics.

[ionicmuffin]

More pics.

[ionicmuffin]

I know what you mean! i need to get some stabilizing thing... I have no clue as to what the backing is, but the backing is very thin, could be less than 1/16 in. There are two pieces of wood in the handle section because its a very thin handle. 1.5 inches deep but less than an inch wide. The tips are narrow, and the grooves are just on the sides. The backing is de-laming.

[Weylin]

Is it possible that the backing is fiberglass?

[ionicmuffin]

im not sure, it almost seems to have a grain to it, because its black it allows me to see under light a wiggle in the "grain" of the back. But in all honesty i have no idea what it is.

[paulsemp]

I would put a string on it and don't string it. Give it a happy retirement on a wall. Would be a shame to have lasted all those years to break now. Make a new bow.

[ionicmuffin]

Ill be honest, he may really want to get it working. I have heard that many of these older bows can work again if properly worked to full draw again. I will have to ask him again knowing that it has a delam. If any of you know of someone who fixes these kind of old bows then that would be great!(even one of you lot  ) He is about 15 years old, but his dad gave it to him to shoot, when i ask again about if he wants it to work, or if he would like to leave well enough alone he and his dad can talk it over.

[seabass]

i had one very similiar to that one.my backing was a fiber card backing that they used before glass.they also used that fiber backing for electronic circut boards.it probably is lemonwood.they used it alot before the trade embargo against cuba.that is where lemonwood(degame)comes from.

[tdeland]

I think a moisture meter is a good idea to make sure it is not too dry. and de-lam can be re-lammed, glue is stronger than wood in most cases. Good luck, but I do agree it might a better show piece.