Post by: Bow Bender on February 02, 2021, 05:28:42 PM
Thanks, Royce.
Post by: Bow Bender on February 02, 2021, 06:08:00 PM
Bamboo backed osage. http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=174351.0
Post by: Buemaker on February 02, 2021, 06:16:05 PM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=34418.msg550892#msg550892
Post by: kennym on February 02, 2021, 08:08:57 PM
https://www.kennysarchery.com/bow-build
Post by: Buemaker on February 03, 2021, 06:01:11 AM
Post by: Shredd on February 03, 2021, 10:06:43 AM
Post by: Flem on February 03, 2021, 10:35:50 AM
Post by: Roy from Pa on February 03, 2021, 10:50:55 AM
Post by: Flem on February 03, 2021, 11:23:08 AM
Post by: beachbowhunter on February 14, 2021, 11:16:37 AM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=154409.msg2671222#msg2671222
Post by: Buemaker on March 12, 2021, 05:47:04 PM
Post by: Bow Bender on March 20, 2021, 04:21:24 PM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=152514.0
Post by: Bow Bender on April 07, 2021, 03:48:24 PM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=144005.msg2524740#msg2524740
Post by: Bow Bender on April 07, 2021, 04:06:27 PM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=142426.msg2509013#msg2509013
Post by: Bow Bender on April 08, 2021, 01:32:41 PM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=147260.msg2565727#msg2565727
Post by: Flem on June 01, 2021, 06:11:28 PM
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN "MICARTA"
It's not really Micarta, it's paper and epoxy composite that I am going to make. This is going to be a picture heavy thread, with a couple videos thrown in.
Why make your own? Why not! Its fun, cheap and you can make something unique
First thing is to gather up the tools and materials needed.
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The three most common option for making your own composite are; Fabric, Paper and Fiberglass. For this build I am using old, used unbleached coffee filters. Chemex filter material to be specific. It’s substantially heaver than common filter material, like the basket type filter material for instance.
It’s washable! Try that with your Mr. Coffee filters. I chose used filter material because it has been soiled with oils and other contaminates from the coffee grounds and will absorb the resin unevenly leading to a mottled appearance.
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The next thing you will need is a form of some kind to press the material with.
You can use about anything to press with. Two pieces of wood will work if thats all you can scrounge up, but a form with two sides will make the job easier and more pleasant. I have used wood forms with fixed sides, removable sides, aluminum channel and most recently, UHMWPE U-channel. The plastic channel is my go to now. Whatever you use to press with, make sure the finished product will release from the form. If using wood, line it with plastic or no stick paper like Parchment. I also would recommend waxing the form and other parts even if lined. That epoxy will find its way to places you did not expect and will become one with anything not treated for release.
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I even wax my high tech form that nothing will stick too, because guess what?
Epoxy will stick to it, not permanently, but enough to make it a bear to release.
TIP#1; don’t use furniture wax for anything other than interior furniture, even then I won’t use it. Why? Because its soft has no heat or water resistance and it will transfer to everything it touches in this context. Mold release wax is the best. At least use a high quality, hard, auto paste wax for sealing forms and such.
Mold release wax is hard, takes high heat and will not transfer to your composite.
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Next you need to prep your materials to fit your form. First make sure your paper will absorb resin. Always do a blot test. You can do it with water or a sharpie. Some paper will not absorb liquid, best to know ahead of time. I did not need to test this paper as all filter paper is absorbent, so is blotter paper, grocery bags, specific artist papers and surely many more than I am aware of.
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I use the top plate as my template. For this paper, a rotary cutter works well and fast. It can be done with scissors of course or a sharp razor. But if you don’t have a rotary cutter, get one and you will use it all the time. $15 for a rotary cutter vs. $50++++ for a pair of quality knife edge shears.
I suppose you could make do with any resin, even something as thick as EA-40.
At least you would have plenty of time to beat it into the material as its bunching up and shredding. Better choice is a low viscosity resin. It’s makes the job so much easier and faster. Most epoxy resin viscosity is measured on the Centipoise scale (CPS). This System Three clear coat has a CPS of 380;
Water is 1 30wt is 400+. EA-40 is 100,000++
OK I maxed out the pics per post. Another coming soon.....
Post by: Roy from Pa on June 02, 2021, 04:49:09 AM
Post by: Flem on June 03, 2021, 05:25:48 PM
A few other items that will be handy, like parchment paper to line or wrap things. You could use plastic wrap. Personally I don’t like it because it does not handle well and I need something that can take elevated temperature. I like freezer paper as a work surface. Its cheap and unlike wax paper, no risk of contamination.
I am using a vacuum press for this project, so I have a couple of items not used by clampers. One is peel ply. It helps when taking everything apart, among other useful attributes. The other is bleeder/breather material. The vac will suck any and all excess resin from the composite and it needs somewhere to go or its getting sucked into the pump. The b/b material helps suck up the resin and also provides a critical path for the air to escape from the vac chamber, or in this case the bag.
I measure out all resins by weight. It’s a habit since not many epoxies other than EA-40 are so lax with ratios. If I have a failure, I know I can’t blame it on the epoxy. Since the paper I am using is dull brown, I am mixing in some orange colorant to hopefully brighten up the final product with out adding any noticeable color.
OK, well time to wet out some paper!
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=BQniupO2DbU
No matter what tool you might start out with spreading epoxy, you will still end up with epoxy all over your fingers, then the tool and everything you touch. A pair of gloved hands is the best and only tool needed.
For you Clampets, now is the time to cap the mess and start squeezing. For me, now I add a layer of peel-ply(blue stuff) on top of the wet paper, on top of that goes the cap wrapped in parchment and finally the breather/bleeder material(green stuff).
Post by: Bow Bender on June 09, 2021, 12:11:35 AM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=156121.msg2696186#msg2696186
Post by: Bow Bender on June 09, 2021, 01:46:23 AM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=150931.msg2614982#msg2614982
Post by: Bow Bender on June 09, 2021, 03:41:07 AM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=169218.msg2883491#msg2883491
Post by: Eric Krewson on June 30, 2021, 09:53:40 AM
Making and using a tillering gizmo;
Easy to make, a "1X6" piece of softwood, drill a 5/16' hole in the center and a 1/2" hole about halfway through the wood on top of the 5/16" hole.
(https://i.imgur.com/HMQ9iwZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/u8GOaDC.jpg)
Tap a 5/16" nut in the 1/2" hole, I used to use a dowel then started using a 1/4 bolt to tap the nut in because it did a better job. I did find the bolt head would slightly deform the brass nut I use and it would thread on a pencil well. Now when I make a gizmo I run a 5/16 18 tap through the nut to make sure the threads are sharp for screwing in the pencil.
(https://i.imgur.com/7C6nSOW.jpg)
I cut the excess wood off the block to this shape so the tool will go further up the limb with out string interference.
(https://i.imgur.com/EyqpK9K.jpg)
Screw a golf pencil in the nut and you are good to go.
A blunt pencil work best.
Here are the instructions I send out with the tool;
After floor tillering your bow, bend the bow slightly on your tillering tree or tillering stick, I start at about 3” of bend using the long string. Retract the pencil in the Gizmo and run the wood block up the bow’s belly and find the widest gap. Screw the pencil in the block to a point it is almost touching the bow’s belly at the point where you found the widest gap. I change the sharp angle the pencil has been sharpened to a blunt angle for the best results in marking the limb. This lets you work very slight bends.
(https://i.imgur.com/DRGpCSN.jpg)
Run the Gizmo up the belly making sure it is centered on the limb. The
pencil will mark non bending areas that need wood removed. Start on the long string, continue at brace and up to about 20” of draw. You do need to have a way to hold your bow string while you mark the limbs with the Gizmo.
(https://i.imgur.com/Mp1CHYg.jpg)
I have holes in my tillering tree and insert a 3” piece of dowel in one of the holes to hold the string with the limbs slightly bent while I mark the limbs with the gizmo.
(https://i.imgur.com/HwsxkaH.jpg)
Go slow, no more than ten scrapes on the marked areas of the limb, flex the limb 30 times and recheck. My bow limbs tend to be slightly round belly so the Gizmo only marks the top of the crown on the limbs belly. I scrape the marked area as well as the rest of the limb side to side to keep things even. You can get the limb bending perfectly this way. You will still have to eyeball bending in the fades but the rest of the limb will be perfectly tillered, hinges will be a thing of the past.
I adjust the gizmo one time on the long string and set it to the deepest bend on the weakest limb. I use this setting for both limbs. If you continually adjust the gizmo you will chase weak spots up and down your limb. One adjustment and hold this adjustment until you have removed enough wood to the point that can run the gizmo up both limbs without making a mark. As you increase draw length readjust the gizmo.
Make a few passes with the gizmo on your limb and the areas that need attention will be perfectly obvious. You can fine tune the tillering by closing the gap between the pencil and limb to almost nothing. At this point I like to use a cheap orbital sander to remove both wood and any tool marks that are left. With course sandpaper, the sander will leave tiny swirls in the wood so I like 220 grit for my final tillering work and follow with a light hand sanding.
The gizmo doesn’t work in the fade out area of the riser so you will have to eyeball the bend in this area or put a flat board across the back of the bow in your tillering tree and watch the gap between the back of the bow and the board to see where the limb is bending.
Tillering that once took me hours to get close takes me about 45 minutes with the Gizmo and the end result is close to perfect.
Remember the key thing to proper tillering is using a scraper or sand paper. If you ever get the urge to grab a course rasp or use a belt sander to speed things up even more, take a coffee break and come back when these thoughts have passed.
Post by: Roy from Pa on June 30, 2021, 11:40:52 AM
Post by: Buemaker on July 05, 2021, 08:28:26 AM
Post by: Bow Bender on July 27, 2021, 12:52:34 AM
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=176522.0
Post by: kenboonejr on October 04, 2021, 12:59:45 PM
https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=177100.new#new
Post by: Bow Bender on November 09, 2021, 03:13:55 PM
https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=177341.0
Post by: Mad Max on May 16, 2022, 04:15:50 PM
Your rub/Bearing collar needs to be the diameter + the sanding belt thickness twice.
(https://i.imgur.com/iP8M62J.jpg)
Here is the link
https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=178886.0
Post by: Bow Bender on October 09, 2023, 03:24:03 PM
https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=182100.0
Post by: Sam Harper on January 20, 2024, 04:46:44 PM
https://web.archive.org/web/20200122060909/http://poorfolkbows.com/robin.htm