I use a Cordonvan tab. Was wondering if you tab shooters us any type of lubricate on your tab to keep it slick.
bowstring wax; not really for lube, mainly to quiet the "squeaks"...
In my Tournament days we used powder, keeps the tab smooth and slick.
Powdered soap stone.
I would stay away from wax. Bowstring wax will grip. You can fell the grip as you apply it to a string. Cordovan leather with the process it goes through is about as slick as it comes and probaly gets slicker with use. Its like trying to get black ice on the road a little slicker. I heard an old timmer talk about rubbing baby powder on them. I would try that first wax you wont get off to easy.
Back when I used to use a glove I kept a tube of chapstick handy and would rub a little bit of it on the fingertips. I guess a cordovan tab would be the same (I use a calf hair one now.)
When my tab gets scuffed looking I use a special natural mixture of readily absorbed non-greasy animal wax esters and fatty oils plus the long-chain organic leather moisturizer squalene that I make myself.
That is, I wipe my thumb on my nose or forehead and rub the finger pads of my tab.
What Pepper said...go to a hardware store and buy a stick of welders marking chalk...really inexpensive...and when you rub the edge on a solid object, it produces a powder...hence the powdered soap stone!!
montana pitch blend
I'll second the Montana Pitch.
I don't use a tab but I use powdered soapstone on my glove.
baby powder
I use my own Beaver Hide finger tab that I custom cut to match my 2 fingers under shooting style and I think it gets plenty of wax from the string? I haven't ever used any lube of any kind on it so far. I kinda like the powdered soap stone idea though, maybe give that a try and see if it helps me get a cleaner release.
I wouldn't like the baby powder unless I used a different tab for hunting because baby powder has a strong perfumy scent to it.
I'll second the baby powder. Corn starch will work as well.
Yep, baby powder or corn starch in a powder pouch clipped to your belt. Bateman still makes them. Baby powder for target, corn starch for hunting...Van
Not sure if they still make it but Martin used to sell Glove/Tab powder in a small plastic flip top bottle.
I agree with Van on the cornstarch for hunting.
Pat
Baby powder has performed well for me.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa282/Bowhuntater/Stumpin003.jpg)
Sorry about the terrible picture
WOW,GOOD INFO,,,ON THE POWDER...
MONTANA PITCHBLEND
I use the Martin powder and stay away from the waxes. They make the leather stickier not slicker.
I use some very thick silicone.
It's thicker than honey.
This isn't silicone caulk..like silicone spray just way thicker.
I rub it into my tab then wipe off the excess.
Slicker than turkey snot on a wet banana peel.
baby powder
I don't use anything on my cordovan tab.
I just rub them continuously with my fingers, and I find the natural oils from my skin lubricate the cordovan.
If you go to the Horween website they show the process of makeing cordavan leather. Once you see the process you will know why it is so exspensive. Cordavan is not the hide it is the membrane that attaches skin to muscle there fore it is called Shell Cordavan. They shave the outer shell to reveal the mebrane. It then goes through a process of oiling and burnishing like no other leather. It is extremly polished does not scuff easily and that is why shoes made of it are extremly exspensive it just does not wear out. You could say tough as a horses ass cause thats where it comes from.If you have a true cordavan tab I don't think any thing will get it slicker it all ready is slicker than any thing else leather wise. As far as anything with a wax in it that will hender slicknes and wax gets sticky with any kind of friction. I would say caranuba wax might be good it is exspensive and is in car wax and is sold in liquid form from Feibings leather care. I have used Feibings caranuba wax on products and it leaves a nice slick finish it dries hard and is not sticky. I think thats why it is used in car wax its very slick rain slides right off and beads up. Any thing with BEE'S WAX will be sticky and Montana Pitch Blend has plenty of bees wax. I still beleave any thing you do to your tab is just goig to be maintance getting it slicker I dont think will happen.
Note to self.... deer are afraid of baby powder!!
;)
QuoteOriginally posted by JRY309:
I don't use anything on my cordovan tab.
Same here.