Color the sinew on your bow.

[Ed Brooks]

I have done a lot of small stuff to see how it works. a couple two or three yrs ago, I wanted to put some sinew down to see what it was all about(it's a mess of a job I did). I Didn't have hide glue, so I use what I had. I used sugar free green lemon lime hide glue, yes sugar free jello. it is harder than a rock and colored. I just thought you guys might want some colors under your skins. Have a good day. Ed 

[osage outlaw]

I tried that a while back.   I put the dye in the water that I soaked the sinew in.  It worked very similar to yours. 

[BowEd]

That's interesting.I wonder about putting it on dried sinew on the back.I suppose making a chosen colored sizing out of the jello and brushed on might work too.

[BowEd]

I have some tannin induced hide glue that is a dark brown color I got in a good trade with JW some time ago.I'm sure the finished sinew job would of turned a dark brown.Thinking maybe it might help to waterproof better but not sure of that.I still hav'nt used it.

[High-Desert]

That's pretty darn interesting. Would have never thought if that. That certainly allows for some crazy colors.

[DuBois]

Cool idea. Could have a wide variety of colors.

I have soaked sinew and gotten good results using beet juice (left over water after steaming beets), tea bags, coffee grounds or even instant coffee, also hibiscus tea bags after using them for red. Soaked mostly back straps for a few days and got some nice wrap sinew from flax brown to deep red or dark brown depending on what I mixed in.

[gfugal]

That's interesting. Would you guys say sugar-free jello would be on par with hide glue. Or at least good enough for most jobs?

[Ed Brooks]

That's interesting. Would you guys say sugar-free jello would be on par with hide glue. Or at least good enough for most jobs?

I haven't used much hide glue, but I'd say it will work just fine. as it is just hide glue with, color & flavor, as far as I know..Good luck! Ed

[ty_in_ND]

That's a pretty neat trick!  Even though I can get hide glue for pretty cheap (having access to violin building/repair suppliers is handy!), I might have to give that a shot when I get to a sinew-backed bow.  Especially with the way the pattern of the rawhide looks on the bow you shared... if you could get a combination of Jellos to make a dark brown, it would almost look like you left the bark on the back.

[Ed Brooks]

That's a pretty neat trick!  Even though I can get hide glue for pretty cheap (having access to violin building/repair suppliers is handy!), I might have to give that a shot when I get to a sinew-backed bow.  Especially with the way the pattern of the rawhide looks on the bow you shared... if you could get a combination of Jellos to make a dark brown, it would almost look like you left the bark on the back.

thanks for looking. but out of all fairness that's just a really bad mess of sinew on that stick, no rawhide. not sure what flavors you'd have to mix to get brown, maybe play with some food color too. Ed