Trad Gang
Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: monterey on March 27, 2015, 02:45:00 PM
-
Wondering if my next string material should be B55. Nothing wrong with B50 but if 55 truly is less stretchy, then maybe it's time to switch.
-
Heck even some of us old guys have upgraded from B-50.. :laughing:
-
I tried B-55. I had Linda Brackenbury-stringmaker extraordinaire make me up some. Her B-50 strings settle in with no problem. I shoot B-50. I did not care for it and the streeetch...
-
I've been wondering about it for my horn bow. It's cheaper than surgical silk.
-
Originally posted by Roy from Pa:
Heck even some of us old guys have upgraded from B-50.. :laughing:
Don't rush me! Not sure what to upgrade next. The B50 or the Vega?¿?¿
-
How about PBR? :)
-
I have tried 450 and 452. To me it is the "in-between" material for a nonstretch bowstring. You get kinda the "feel" on the draw of B-50, with the recoil reduction of fastflight. If I was going to shoot a nonstretch it will be 450 or 452. B-55 was a disappointment for me. I wanted it to work, but found B-50 superior.
-
Dragon, thats good info thanks.
Roy, you're giving me flashbacks to the Enlisted Mens Club. :scared:
-
Honestly, most of my experience is with FF type materials, specifically with BCY 8125. I've used b-50 prior to and after having experience with 8125.
I'm going to be really honest, if you try FF you will not go back to Dacron.
Basically zero stretch after extremely short break in period ...
Incredible performance. Noise reduction. Durability. Price.
It's just straight up better in every metric you can come up with.
-
And it's lighter and way stronger per strand.
Almost all of 'new' string materials use a fiber called dyneema. The numbers are just marketing. B50 is dacron.
-
This thread might interest. This guy did some light testing of b50 vs b55 vs 8125 vs D97.
http://piratesofarchery.net/bb/viewtopic.php?p=131293
-
Originally posted by dragonheart:
B-55 was a disappointment for me. I wanted it to work, but found B-50 superior.
In what way? Most comments I've seen on the two says that b-55 is just better, with a minority saying that there's just no noticeable difference. You're the first I remember seeing post that you found b-55 to be inferior.
-
B-55 is dry and doesn't stick to itself, even with gobs of string wax on it. Plus, the colrs run horrible. I made at least 5-6 red/yellow strings and hated it. My reason for trying it several years ago was because I had already given up on B50 and switched to dyneema based material. When the advertisement said it had much less stretch than B50, I had to try for its cheap price tag.....Ill stick with anything dyneema on every bow I own and build, including some old glass recurves.
-
On another note, I can't remember ever having shot out a dyneme string ... Ever. I have shot out B-50 strings, actually I don't think they last long at all.
Im wondering if anyone has actually managed to shoot out a dyneeme string without just completely neglecting it (no wax etc.). I'm sure you can, but for me that period of time seems to be so long that it approaches the life of a wood bow.
So I thinks that's another reason to go for dynema, tune once, shoot a lot before tuning/new string is needed.
-
You guys have me thinking to leap frog the 55 and go straight to Dyneema. I have a lot of B50 that I got a good deal on, but the stretching, and twisting to get back to brace height seem too frequent.
I'm shooting in a wood bow in that I put an arbitrary string on that was just a bit short but went ahead anyway. Even though that string had some use it stretched to the point where the brace height fell 1/2" :eek:
-
I wouldn't hesitate Mike. I did the math once, it cost no more to use D97 for strings as opposed to B50. Maybe even less dependant on longevity and how you use/abuse your strings.
-
I put a B50 on a bow recently and the buzz and bump were very noticeable compared to the D97 funny we didn't feel that before fast flight . I don't think a D97 will hurt old bows unless you dry fire them and that goes for new bows also .
-
I've been using TS plus for a couple years, it's 100% dyneema. Use it on my bbo's and tri lams, but I also use horn tip over lays on those bows.
-
I have tried B-55 and have been very disappointed! They claim that it stretches less than B-50 but I have not found that to be the case, in fact I have found than it stretches more than B-50 and takes longer to stabilize.
-
I have tried B-55 and have been very disappointed! They claim that it stretches less than B-50 but I have not found that to be the case, in fact I have found than it stretches more than B-50 and takes longer to stabilize.
-
Can you guys tell me what B75 is like compared to B50.. Found a write up here........
http://www.africanarcher.com/bowstrings2.html
one thing mentioned is that the string stretch is easier on wood bows as it does not shock the limbs. Is this true...?
-
Wolf, B75 was a flop!
String stretch actually does more harm, causing the bow to absorb more energy. Energy that needs to be directed to the ammo, the arrow!
Arrow weight, too light for bow weight, dry fire, also releases to much energy back to bow.
H.P. strings and proper arrow weight are a good choice with wood bows! Hand shock, quiet shot, and energy transformed to an arrow, heavy in weight for hunting are my requirements!
-
-
Originally posted by frank bullitt:
String stretch actually does more harm, causing the bow to absorb more energy. Energy that needs to be directed to the ammo, the arrow!
If only we could get more people to wrap their minds around that Frank.
-
A couple of years ago I talked to an old bowyer that told me he (or maybe it was another bowyer) did an experiment where they dry fired similar bows, one with a B50 string and one with a fast-flight string. They said that the bow with the fast-flight string broke (limb shattered) after several dry fires, but the bow with the B50 string was dry fired repeatedly without breaking.
Is it possible that a B50/B55 string is easier on a bow than an HP string in a dry-fire situation? With a dry fire, it seems to me that a B50/B55 string would absorb more of the energy than an HP string, leaving somewhat less energy to be absorbed by the limbs.
When firing an arrow, it makes sense that with an HP string, more energy is delivered to the arrow.
-
Jhk1, that's interesting but maybe did not go far enough. Maybe they actually measured the relative integrity of the two bows. Wonder what would have happened if they then put the low stretch string on the bow that held up with the B50?
-
All I can tell you is about 4 years back, I tried D-10 and never looked back. I have had far less returns for delams or tips coming off since making the switch. I used to get 2 or 3 delaminations a year, now I maybe get one every 2 years.
I used to be of the mind set that Dacron was as good as anyone needed, the low stretch string was all a bunch of hype, and the additional 5-10 fps speed increase didn't justify the extra price. But I've found I spend less on string material for my business than I did using Dacron. There's better performance and less vibration. I would not have switched over if the results weren't amazing.
But as with any other material, don't use too many strands. Up to 40# I only use 8 strands, 10 strands for 50#-55# and 12 for 60#. just make certain your tips are designed for it with nice rounded string groove going around the backs of the tips, with no corners or flat spots. Otherwise pad the tips with extra strands.
-
When I use B50, Annie helps me pre stretch it..
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f165/ROY-CHRIS/string.png) (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/ROY-CHRIS/media/string.png.html)
-
So, I either switch or get a dog! :) I like dogs but don't like dog poo!
-
Ok... this is ALL going to be my opinion only... based on limited experience with dyneema in other areas of endeavor and polyester (Dacron) specifically for bowstrings as well as other things.
Dyneema is micromolecular polypropylene, polypro is the stuff in that really low cost, low quality rope that always frays with lots of sun exposure. Now the micromole form is MUCH stronger that the regular, but still polypro. As many of you know. My biggest issue is with the UV vulnerability. I spend lots of time roving and, in FL, the UV is right up there at flamethrower levels. So I just can't bring myself to trust it so much. Keep in mind, JUST my opinion.
Dacron, polyester, is much more UV resistant. I prefer B-50 for the same colorfastness issues raised previously, and having a LOT of German heritage going, I tend to overbuild my strings. A little longer in the strand lengths, a bit more length to the loop and splice-together areas, etc. The one thing that I do before getting serious about tuning is to twist the string to about where I think it needs to be, and then loop it onto a hook that I've got screwed into a post and then stretch the bejeezus out of it before ever putting it on the bow. The ONLY string I've ever had elongate on me is the one that I recently made for an osage stickbow that pulls 100 @ 27" that I'm almost able to shoot properly.
Sermon ends....... :-)
-
A-men. LOL
-
But , I still don't understand the dislike for Dacron?
:confused:
Good morning!
-
I do have two Granddogs that sometimes stay overnight. A schweenie (yeah, I know, what the h*** kind of dog is that? Well, its a dachshund chiuawawa {Sp} mix) and a golden lab. Like grandkids, one of the nice things about them is eventually, they go home. :)
-
I personally like Dacron, but I like D-10, D-97, etc. more.
-
I thought about going to FF from B50. The only problem, because I make my bows, I am not sure if my bows can stand up to FF. What are the requirements of a RD or HH style bow to handle FF?