I bought a 1957 Kodiak not too long ago. I have shot it several times and it shoots great. There are two cracks (one on the top limb and one one the bottom limb) that I have just noticed. I don't know for sure whether they were there all along and I didn't notice them or if they just started. I did have one time when the string caught on my watch band and pulled the arrow off of the bow during my shot which was not only painful but seemed much like a dryfire. I really looked at the bow after that and did not notice anything but it sure seems like that sort of thing could cause some damage to an older bow. I am incorporating pictures in this post. Sorry about the glare but I think you can see the cracks. The are toward the outside of the limbs and you can get a fingernail into the crack. Is this a serious problem? Should I stop shooting the bow? Can it be fixed? Thanks for any help you can give me.
Dan
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m174/bohuntr77/Resizeof2008TurkeyHunt021.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m174/bohuntr77/Resizeof2008TurkeyHunt022.jpg)
ttt
That looks like many 57s I have seen. Those long stress cracks dont usually compromise the bows performance. I actually backed one with snakeskin that was in better shape than that one. The little pits and splinters and flaky glass drive me nuts.
With the bow flexed on a tillering board I applied super glue to anything it would run into.
I'm sure the bow I had was safe to shoot but I figured with the super glue and titebond II for skins and the skins themselves the bow would be a solid shooter for decades.
At the very least I'd want to treat those stress cracks with locktite and then seal out any moisture with a good finish.
Trap
Thanks for the input Trap! I am hoping to get a lot more life out of that old bow.
What Trap said.
yup