[Ansteorra-archery] I swear it never ends - questions

Sun Jun 5 10:13:46 PDT 2005

Snapped a cedar/oak backed bow last night. Was floor tillered and i set the tillering string on it. The limbs were looking REAL good, was going to be a D section longbow.... Anyways the tillering string was to long. I tightened it just a hair... BOOM... right at the handle.... Ah well.... such is life lol... I have 2 hickory floor tillered staves here i will get around to. 

I must admit... as much as i do not enjoy shooting handbow - making them is as fun as making and selling crossbows. Addicting almost :)

Ulrich

jspinks at ix.netcom.com wrote:
Titebond II is indeed the preferred material- mainly due to superior water resistance.  The problem that you have to be careful of in its use is that it is also a resin glue that has the potential for excessive plasticising of a bow depending on exactly how it is used.  That, as you will note in the rules, is up to the marshal in charge as whether it will be allowed.
Jaque

-----Original Message----- 
From: David Ruff 
Sent: Jun 3, 2005 7:03 PM 
To: jspinks at ix.netcom.com, Archery within the Kingdom of Ansteorra 
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra-archery] I swear it never ends - questions 

Good point jaque. 

Yes the stuff i have started using takes a crock pot looking thing and hot water to bring it to temp. it is "simmered" to bring it to a hot temp and used at a hot temp lest it cool and take a tack. Smell.... not nearly as bad as grinding on ivory... 

Note that one of the BEST modern glues you can get is Titebond 2 for bow making. Or atleast that is what the bowyers i have talked to say on the message boards i read on. 

One of the things i found real interesting while reading in prep to meet and learn from this hungarian on the horse bows, on the range bows they would put them in boxes that were heat boxes. This would condition the bow, dry it out and make the bow "new" for maximum range. Then again however... how much more then 800 meters would you want to shoot? One heck of a clout shoot in my opinion :)

ulrich

jspinks at ix.netcom.com wrote:
Note that period hide glue was a thermoplastic material and was intended to be applied hot- see the bowyers bible on the making and use of hide glue- volume three I think but don't hold me to that- it has been awhile since I read it.  The stuff you get in the stores is technically hide glue but is not what you want.  Furnituremakers in previous centuries applied it hot. What concentrations you will want to use I do not know but you can get hide glue crystals that you can make up  for application as needed.  It has to be used fairly quickly after formulation.  I also have used it in wood joints and in mfg of custom glue chip glass panels in stained glass assemblies.   If you read of turkish bow construction it notes that you have to apply successive layers and flex it each day over a period until it is adequately built up.  

BTW- the stuff is VERY sensitive to wet conditions.  I use the commercial stuff in period arrow making when I inlay horn into the end of the arrow or glue a horn nock on and it is prone to get sticky in humid conditions.  

Jaque

-----Original Message----- 
From: David Ruff 
Sent: Jun 3, 2005 1:39 PM 
To: ansteorra-archery at ansteorra.org 
Subject: [Ansteorra-archery] I swear it never ends - questions 

I made myself a tillering block. Best few bucks i have ever spent. Now from the books and things i am reading the bent bow is placed on the block and drawn to the target weight. In this case 35# at 28"

I want to over shoot the bow weight target by a few pounds. Now in tillering i am seeing, i am supposed the bow look like a piece of a perfect circle, so i block it, draw it, mark the dead areas, remove it and tiller the limbs. Flex it afew times and put it back on the block running it back up to target weight and hopefully more inches in draw back. 

I keep doing this till i hit my target weight and target draw - correct? What i am seeing on the cedar/oak backed stave i am playing with is starting to resemble a really nice arc when drawn and i have it to 24" at 36lbs. VERY unlike the first bow i did afew days ago.

Next question

Will this same method work using bone, wood and sinew composite on staves that are say 30" long and drawing 6 to 8"? I am attempting to make my first period composite prod using hide glue etc. Target weight is not important to me on this one - 60 to 100# will do nicely. But the idea of a period only shoot using pre steel method has awoken a monster in me i can't shake :) I am soon to learn the art of making steel lathe's. I want to explore making a pre 1320's crossbow with a horn/sinew/wood prod pulling 200 to 400lb. I have never seen one - i want to build, see, hold, and fire one.  

>From what i see the layup is the same as the modern composites i make in my press however there is NO written information on using period composite materials for xbows other then pictures, actual examples and writings of what was used in the prod. So i can only assume doing it like the horse bows is near correct - as far as the lay up is concerned.... 

Any thoughts, or referrals to doc's on this from anyone?

Ulrich

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