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<P>And Smithfield has moved to Beach.<BR><BR></P></DIV><BR><BR><BR>Tegwared McAuley(mka Terry Varner)
<DIV></DIV>Loch Ruadh Archery Marshal
<DIV></DIV>You need only two tools: WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use WD-40.
<DIV></DIV>If it moves and shouldn't, use the tape
<DIV></DIV><BR><BR><BR>>From: <pcrandal@sbcglobal.net><BR>>Reply-To: "Shire of Loch Ruadh, Kingdom of Ansteorra, SCA,Inc." <loch-ruadh@ansteorra.org><BR>>To: loch-ruadh@ansteorra.org<BR>>Subject: Re: [Loch-Ruadh] String<BR>>Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 21:16:03 -0700 (PDT)<BR>><BR>>BTW: Red Sands is closed.<BR>><BR>>Sluggy! <sluggy9912@swbell.net> wrote:On Fri, 2005-06-24 at 01:10 +0000, donmckinnon1@netzero.net wrote:<BR>> > To all those who attended the Bow making class at Gulley's, has anyone<BR>> > be able to locate a source for the thread recommended to make a bow string.<BR>><BR>>I did not attend the class, but I have made a bowstring or two. If the<BR>>thread in question was sort of bowstring specific, there are two very<BR>>good products that are available all over the place internet and mail<BR>>order, but only a
few places locally.<BR>><BR>>One of the most common materials is a Dacron thread called B-50. It's<BR>>very strong and has very limited stretch. B50 is used in many other<BR>>applications and is available in many colors, but as bowstring material,<BR>>it's probably best to get it waxed in 1800 ft spools. That's usually<BR>>about $7-10 and 1800 feet will make about 45 typical 60" bowstrings for<BR>>a 50# bow.<BR>><BR>>As for finding it on the internet, Google for 'b50' and you will get<BR>>about 1000 hits, many of which will be places selling it. I like Three<BR>>Rivers Archery, but only because I've ordered from them before.<BR>><BR>>Locally, and locally to me is Fort Worth and environs, I've seen it at<BR>>Springfield Archery on Davis in North Richland Hills and at Red Sands<BR>>Archery on Arbrook (?) in Arlington. Most places stock it in
black,<BR>>sometimes in red. Online and mail order, you can usually get it in LOTS<BR>>of colors. If you are spinning Flemmish strings, contrasting colors are<BR>>very cool, though I don't think they would be period. :)<BR>><BR>>Another less common, but more specialized material for bowstrings is<BR>>another synthetic polymer thread called DynaFlight. For the same pull<BR>>weight, DynaFlight is lighter than B50. Conversely, you can have a<BR>>stronger string for the same weight. A lighter string means a faster<BR>>arrow, which usually means a flatter flight and thus, easier to shoot<BR>>consistently. To be honest, though, you'll have to shoot a LOT of arrows<BR>>to tell the difference and few of us shoot enough to tell. I tend to use<BR>>a string with a larger margin for safety. Ya know, we take care of our<BR>>stuff, but leaving a bow in the sun to
heat the string up, then shooting<BR>>it for a while and frequently forgetting to rewax it when you shoot a<BR>>time or two and pretty soon, you have a string that is fraying a bit.<BR>>Every fiber that is not in the body of the string is not holding the<BR>>string together! So, if the string is designed 50% stronger than needed,<BR>>then sustaining even 10% damage may prevent a bow from blowing up in<BR>>your face at full draw, an experience I do not recommend.<BR>><BR>>I am looking for a good source of waxed Irish linen thread, one of the<BR>>premier materials for making a more period string. You used to be able<BR>>to get it from Leather Factor as a shoe and boot supply material, but<BR>>they don't carry much of that stuff anymore. Linen strings are a little<BR>>heavier than Dacron and can absorb more water and thus become even<BR>>heavier, but
there is ample evidence that linen was a common material<BR>>for bowstrings within our period. Cotton is more common than you might<BR>>think, especially in the orient. You'd think silk would be common, but<BR>>it stretches too much. I have a skein of flax ready to spin, but I think<BR>>I will seek expert advice on that skill.<BR>><BR>>I'm rambling now, so I will sign off here! :)<BR>><BR>>Sluggy!<BR>><BR>>_______________________________________________<BR>>Loch-Ruadh mailing list<BR>>Loch-Ruadh@ansteorra.org<BR>>http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/loch-ruadh<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>"In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should<BR>>afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably,<BR>>contentedly, even happily wrong."<BR>>-John Kenneth
Galbraith<BR>>_______________________________________________<BR>>Loch-Ruadh mailing list<BR>>Loch-Ruadh@ansteorra.org<BR>>http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/loch-ruadh<BR></div></html>