Update: Looking for help reviving Dad's old Osage Snake

[Pete Noto]

Thanks for all the replies.

Badger, my dad was a very broad shoulder and big chested six foot guy, his suit coat was a 52".  I have a set of his old Easton aluminum shafts, VERY heavy spine and 31".  All that to say I don't think he had a short draw.

Sleek, I have no plans to refinish the osage snake, I like the patina it has.  I do want to sand down the painted takedown bow and refinish that as I prefer natural grain to the look of paint.

I luckily has a few sets of heavy spin hardwood shafted arrows to pick from that I made years ago so if I am lucky enough to retrain either of these bows I should be set.

[Badger]

    Yep, I doubt he was short draw.

[Bryce]

I’ve been restoring old bows to add to my collection for the last 5 years and it’s really been fun. The oldest one I’ve found was an old 1939 85#lemonwood bow (well it’s 80lbs now) it’s really a lot of fun working them back in and sometimes you get lucky and it doesn’t need too much. This year I hunted with it and harvested a real nice buck. I hope this gives you some hope and a good feeling that it is possible:)
I’ll be following your thread.
First things first; look over the back closely and use a microfiber cloth to find anything not....good.
And if the bow looks out of tiller don’t adjust it. Just keep flexing it within a safe range of bending. Sometimes it’ll work itself back to square.

For me, just from seeing what you have to work with. You should be able to get her back order pretty easy.

[Pete Noto]

Morning All,

So I found my tillering tree! I also found a cresting jig I built with an old electric motor I had totally forgotten about...woo woo!!

Taking Del and Bownarra's advice, I rubbed the bow down with a beeswax based polish a couple of times.  I used this one as it was the only option at my local store:



It darkened the belly wood up a touch which I am fine with, gives it a much more orange osage tint than it had before rubbing it down:



Following the advice from this thread as well as one I have going on the Leatherwall, I strung it up with a long string that did not require bracing the bow. I flexed it by mere inches about 100 times and then let it sit for a bit and checked the backing.  No splinters, no noise when I did the flexing.  Then came 50 more flexes between 5" and 10", no noise, no ill effects when inspected, everything seemed to flex well and in proportion.  Then 50 more at about 14", no noise, no ill effects to the back, flexing in sync.  Then 100 flexes at 18" as marked on the tree (see pic), no noise, no ill effects to the back, equal limb movement.  I then tied it off at what would be a low brace, say about 3.5 inches and have it currently sitting like this.  Plan is to let it stay this way for an hour or so.

Here are some pics of the process, please let me know if you see anything of concern that I do not.  The first one is the tillering tree setup with no pressure on the string:



These next two are at 18".  The measurement is from the front of the tillering tree which the back of the bow lines up perfectly with. For those helping take a guess at draw weight, I put the scale on the pull rope at this stage a couple of times and it came out to exactly 40 pounds each time @ 18".  What is your guess at 28", and again at my draw of 30.5"?





This last one is of the bow at the simulated low brace:



I plan to keep updating this thread, all replies and advice are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Pete

[Del the cat]

Looking good so far... slow and steady wins the day.
Try to ignore the waggles and look at the overall bend and the tip movement.
Bear in mind it may well have been tillered to a short draw originally?
Don't necessarily assume 28"
Del

[Pete Noto]

Thanks, Del.

I'm good with slow and steady.

I let it sit at the 3"(ish) simulated brace on the tillering tree for 3 hours today.  Then I flexed it again 120 times to 18" on the tree, and then braced it to 6.25" as I'm sure the new string is going to stretch out.  I plan to let it sit this way for at least 5 hours, maybe overnight.  Then back on the tree and more reps progressively longer.  Maybe tomorrow after getting it to the 22" or so mark on the tree I'll shoot it with a very short draw for awhile.  I have some 800g+ ash shafted woodies I plan to use.

More updates to follow...please keep the replies coming.

Cheers,

Pete

[TimBo]

Looking good.  I wouldn't let it sit overnight though.  If you want to stretch the string out, you could always hang a weight from the end of it and let that sit for a while.  That is definitely an interesting, beautifully wonky bow! 

[RandyN]

That is a great project bow and since it belonged to your Dad, how cool is that. I agree with the suggestions given so far. You are doing the right thing, taking it slow. I agree with your leaving it braced overnight. And shooting it at 22". Seems like they react a little differently once they are shot a bit. My latest bow, sinew backed juniper, I left it braced for 28 hrs to see if it would give up a little reflex that the sinew put into it. Had no ill effects. Finished tillering it to 24" and she shoots fine. I still have 4" of reflex.

[bentstick54]

Looking good so far. Bow looks to be cooperating. Only thing I would caution about would be trying to stretch it out to a 30.5” draw length. At a total bow length of 65”, and a stiff handle design, I am thinking you will be overdressing the working parts of the limbs. If it were mine, and was my dads, I would not push it past 27”, maybe 28” maximum. JMHO

[Deerhunter21]

Looking good so far. Bow looks to be cooperating. Only thing I would caution about would be trying to stretch it out to a 30.5” draw length. At a total bow length of 65”, and a stiff handle design, I am thinking you will be overdressing the working parts of the limbs. If it were mine, and was my dads, I would not push it past 27”, maybe 28” maximum. JMHO

+1. I wouldn't risk it. honestly i wouldn't want to shoot it even. it would be very special to me. but then again that's a reason to fix it up! just my opinion. just remember, a bow is a symbol, a finely tuned weapon, a broken bow is just a stick.

[sleek]

Thanks, Del.

I'm good with slow and steady.

I let it sit at the 3"(ish) simulated brace on the tillering tree for 3 hours today.  Then I flexed it again 120 times to 18" on the tree, and then braced it to 6.25" as I'm sure the new string is going to stretch out.  I plan to let it sit this way for at least 5 hours, maybe overnight.  Then back on the tree and more reps progressively longer.  Maybe tomorrow after getting it to the 22" or so mark on the tree I'll shoot it with a very short draw for awhile.  I have some 800g+ ash shafted woodies I plan to use.

More updates to follow...please keep the replies coming.

Cheers,

Pete

In the upper image, your lower limb seems to have a tiny bit of twist to it.  Keep an eye on it  because it could be out of tiller or be fine.

I'd measure or outline the profile of it unbraced before I bent it anymore. If it starts to take much set, you know when to stop bending it. Measure it against its outline every time you work it back another inch. Tedious, but a sure way to not mess it up.

That's a well crafted bow, especially for a time when information about them wasn't readily available.

[sleek]

Also, as you draw it back, starting around the 10 inch mark  start giving us numbers. How much it weighs at 10 inches, then 11, and 12, and so on until you reach your draw length.  What is your draw length btw?

[Pete Noto]

Well pooh!   

It was well worth the try, and I'll admit my hopes were getting higher and higher, but it looks like she is going to remail wall art.  That is unless there is a fix available...possibly a sinew wrap? 

From my earlier update, I left her braced at full hight for 5 1/2 hours today and when I checked on the bow I found two cracks on the upper limb back right were the limb works the most.



I greatly enjoyed feeling connected to the old man as I worked with his bow, I was really looking forward to taking it afield and communing with him in that way...all the more so as I hoped to bring his grandson he never met along as the boy has just recently shown an interest in archery.

I appreciate all of the responses and offers of advice....thanks.

[sleek]

You did good man. It's still in one piece and now a wall hanger. Which limb was it? Nothing you could have done about it, and because you took caution, it still is in one piece.

[Del the cat]

Shame, but at least it's still in one piece.
Del