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Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: shamus on August 27, 2007, 07:22:00 PM

Title: types of glass in bows: bo-tuff, pearsonite, farbenglass, etc
Post by: shamus on August 27, 2007, 07:22:00 PM
It seems like the old bows from the 50-70s used various types of glass. Bo-tiff, farbenglass (Herters), Pearsonite (Pearson), etc.

 I was wondering what the differences were. Why does everyone now use bo-tuff? Is bo-tuff from the 70s the same as bo-tuff today? Are some fiberglass brands more prone to stress lines? If so, is that why some old bows (Bear) seem to be more prone to stress cracks?
Title: Re: types of glass in bows: bo-tuff, pearsonite, farbenglass, etc
Post by: bkupris on August 28, 2007, 12:27:00 PM
I would be interested if anybody could share some knowledge on the German Farbenglas used on Herters bows. Herters claimed it to be the "best available" but they said that about all their products    ;) .

Saying that I have a few of their old bows (mid 60's to early 70's) and no stress lines, cracks etc. but maybe because they didn't have many arrows put through them over the years?  I assume also that poor limb core material could cause limb glass failure no matter what type of glass is used...
Title: Re: types of glass in bows: bo-tuff, pearsonite, farbenglass, etc
Post by: PAPALAPIN on August 30, 2007, 09:09:00 AM
I know Herter's arrows were made of "Farbenglas".  Un less someone wil lcorrect me here, it was made by Gordon Glass.  They are identical to Gordon Glass arrows.  It seems to me that the word "Farbenglas" was just a marketing ploy.  

As far as the glass used in Bear bows, it is my understanding that Bear got a contract from Chevy to make the suspension springs in the Corvette out of the same glass that went into their later compound bows.  Now I don't know if Bear actully manufactured the glass or they got the product from a third party such as Gordon, or whatever.

When it come to things like this, I have been known to be wrong on some very rare occasions.  So if anyone wants to correct me here, I am open to be re-educated.
Title: Re: types of glass in bows: bo-tuff, pearsonite, farbenglass, etc
Post by: bkupris on August 30, 2007, 12:27:00 PM
Interesting. Not to get too far off topic but what sort of glass were the old microflight arrows made out of?
Title: Re: types of glass in bows: bo-tuff, pearsonite, farbenglass, etc
Post by: PAPALAPIN on August 30, 2007, 03:08:00 PM
Don't know.  There were several fiberglass arrows back them.  MicroFlite. Farbenglass, Fleetwood, Gordon glas.  I am pretty sure farbenglass and Gordon glass were the same thing.  MicroFlite and Fleetwood were two different shafts.  MicroFlite was yellow, and Fleetwood was black.  There may have been some others but I don't recall.
Title: Re: types of glass in bows: bo-tuff, pearsonite, farbenglass, etc
Post by: bkupris on September 01, 2007, 06:15:00 AM
OK. Not to beat a dead horse but to satisfy my curiosity. Farbenglas used on the Herters bows was probably just Gordon Glass? Not that it much matters by the sounds of it....   :)