I have been a big fan of fast flight strings since my compound days way back when.
All this talk of skinny strings and all the new types of string material got me to thinking mabe im behind the times,So what better wat to become educated than to ask Tradgangers what they like and why,so lets have it what is your favored string and why,
by the way I shoot a mohawk 64" 56# @ 28 with about 550 grains of arrow, if that makes a difference.
Larry
Since I shoot low poundage bows, I get more "oomph" from a fast flight string than I get with a dacron string.
I have no string twang noise either.
Fastflite is a good string material and I shot several bows made for such strings. The only downside was that I noticed a bit of stretch, particularly in the heat. Not hard to correct though,a couple of twists and you were back in shape
Okay, I like the "new" D10 string material. It's the lowest stretch material I have used thus far. I mean this stuff doesn't seem to stretch at all! I noticed a substantial difference between D10 and D97 as far as how much creep I get. The D10 creeps less by far.
Larry, if you like fast flight, you will love the new High performance materials.
Been using Asto Flight, from Brownell. D-10's counter. Try either, I'm sure you will enjoy the shot! They're all goooood! :thumbsup:
Good shootin,
Steve
shot today for the first time across a chronograph...one bow , an Ed Holcomb 59' Kodiak 47# with a D97 skinny string, the other bow was an Ed Holcomb 59' Kodiak 51# bow with a brand new "fastflight" 12 strand string...the verdict???? 180-181 fps for the 51# bow....179 180 fps for the 47# bow.....a dead heat in my book. I suspect the skinny string made up the difference in poundage between the two bows.Anybody else out there had a similar experience??? hope this helps...john
I have read alot of good things about the D10 skinny strings, How much trouble is it to build the padded ends,
I havent done a search yet but is there a how too on this site?
also what are bowyers saying about standing behind their bows if a skinny string is used?
I don't know about the bowyers....
I'm new, and make my own strings. I've made them out of B-50, TS+ or TS-1 (whatever it's called), D97, and Astroflight.
In order of preference are
Astroflight
D97 & B50 tied (depends on bow)
TS+
I'm usually at 10 strands on D97 or Astro. My bows are around 65# at my draw. 10 strands is still big enough you don't have to double serve the center to keep your fingers from screaming.
I prefer astroflight because *somehow* it seems "soft" like B-50 but without any creep once settled.
I have been wanting to try a skinny string but have not done it yet, just can't pull the trigger on one. I have been using 12 and 14 strand D-97 strings with Halo serving for about a year and a half now and have been very satisfied with their performance. I kinda feel like "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
I'm still trying to make up my mind on this. I use DF97 primarily because it is about the same diameter as B50 so if I keep the strand count the same then the nocks fit the same. I hate loose nocks.
BTW, BCY makes Spectra which is a copy of the old Fast Flight so if you prefer the old Fast Flight you can go back.
You should try an 8 strand SBD d10 string on your 56 lb bow. That will make you a believer!
I'm like most people. When something has been working very well, I tend to stick with it. Both of my Blacktail recurves came with factory D97 bowstrings. They work great. Just replaced my factory string on my 37# bow with another 12 strand D97 bowstring from Chad Weaver.
Maybe sometime in the future, I'll try a 12 strand D10 bowstring.
I have been using D97 exclusively since about 1999. Started making my own strings not long after that first "boughten" string. I was making 14-16 strand strings for my 45-46# bows. Recently I made a 10-strand string, not technically a "skinny" string I guess but it shoots great on my Bob Lee TD longbow--quieter and faster. I'm changing over on the rest of my bows as the strings need replacing.
The problem as I see it, is when we shifted from dacron to the newer much stronger material, we never redesigned how we build the strings and essentially just used the same number of strands. The result is we've all been shooting strings that are much stronger than necessary; therefore heavier than necessary. The "new" "skinney" strings are nothing more than string design catching up with the new material. The result is a lighter (faster) and quieter string that actually puts LESS stress on the bow because it has more "give" (less overbuilt). I'd predict that in a couple of years, 6 and 8 strand bowstrings will become the norm.
I have never used anything but a 16 strand fast flight string ...
that should tell you how behind the times I am,
but as said above If it works why change, but im beginning to think I can improve preformance a little with a new string design and material.
Larry, still have some ole Fast Flight on bows, too. Even use B-50!
If you want to try some new Stuff, put it on that Krewson osage bow of yours! I think you be happy with feeling :bigsmyl:
If you want to try some, give me a holler, I can send you enough to build one up.
Dont meen to sound stupid but when people talk about the creep in a string is that the same thing as stretch??
Frank
now that you mention it my krewson bow does have a string that is not fast flight I will have to look at the paper that came with it because I dont remember what Eric told me it was.
Swamp Yankee has hit it in the nail, old methods with new materials.
Skinny strings work best with selfbows.
Eight strands of D97 here. Loops are padded to 16, which is probably overkill. My MOAB is a touch faster, and WAY quieter (if you MOAB owners can imagine that).
QuoteOriginally posted by Ladams:
Dont meen to sound stupid but when people talk about the creep in a string is that the same thing as stretch??
Yes.
As far as you sounding stupid, I can't hear you talk but I really doubt that you sound stupid! At least, the best I can tell by what you're asking, you don't seem stupid!
There are NO such things as stupid questions here.
No, stretch and creep are not the same, when we speak of modern fibers.
Another vote for Astro Flight by Brownell. I twisted up a 12 strand 3 bundle and loved it. Barely needed silencers the stuff is so naturally quite... and its FAST!
Stretch is how much a string will increase in length under tension and return to it's original length. Creep is how far a string stretches under tension and stays there. Stretch happens on every shot. Creep happens over time in relatively very small amounts.
With the light poundage bows I shoot, I'll never put a 6 or 8 strand skinny string on either of my bows.
I been playing with 14 strands of D-10 with very good results.. Makes a nice string
Quote "The problem as I see it, is when we shifted from dacron to the newer much stronger material, we never redesigned how we build the strings and essentially just used the same number of strands. The result is we've all been shooting strings that are much stronger than necessary;"
I could not have said it any better! I finally switched to D97 and hated it. Bought some UC and absolutelty love it. The bow is quieter, better feeling and yes way faster, but I'm sure there will be some experts come along and tell ya it can't make that much difference in speed. I simply have a chrono and three years of testing to confirm my bows shoot better in all categories with skinnny UC strings hands down.
When it comes to skinny strings, I worry more about accidentally cutting 2 or 3 strands of a 6 strand skinny string. In my book, safety out weighs speed hands down....especially when one has a $1000 bow in their hands that takes 15 months to get one.
My questing is what type of sering and size do you use with the new string material. I have a hard time now getting my arrow nocks to fit tight now they are almost to loose now to fit with 16 strands FF. If I go tp 10 or 8 strands what type of serving do you use?
Blake, you can use the newer braided servings offered by the string manufactures.
Halo serving in .024 works pretty good with say 10 strands. There is also crown serving in different dias.
Some folks double serve with different sizes, also. I prefer to add strands in the serving area, then serve over that!
i've got a goodly stockpile of bcy dyneema'02. this is the same as their dynaflight'97, only with reduced wax. i spin endless strings exclusively and don't need the added wax content that flemish strings require.
i prefer 8 strand d'02 strings with 4 strand padded loops. loop serving is .017" #4 nylon for softness, and the center serving is .019" halo spectra. i use this same string formula for all my longbows bows, from 50-55#. 8 strands of d'02 equates to at least 800# tensile strength. you could easily use that with an 80# bow.
though the resulting lighter mass weight bowstring probably is a tad faster than the same string at 12 strands, that's not why i use it. it's quieter than a thicker string and, imho, i think the lesser strands afford some increased measure of "give" (stretch, not creep) over using more strands.
Thanks for all the input guys,
I will be ordering a sbd string to try,
This place is amazing when it comes to knowledge.
Larry
The "skinny string" debate went on pretty much the same some 15 or so years ago--it's nothing new.
String building has changed somewhat over the years with the newer materials, but just like shooting a bow, the fundamentals don't change.
Just like any other compromise, there are trade-offs. Do your homework and figure out what works best for you.
Chad
The new Astrofight material is really nice.
It is softer than most of the other FF materials, and really holds it's look well, but for me it has had more creep than Ultracam, and D10.
That said - I prefer the Ultracam, or D10 in that order of preference.
Because I shoot 68#, I have settled on a 10 strand Ultracam string with the loops padded to 16 strands for my best all around performance combined with longevity of the string. I use .024 Crown serving which gives me a great nock fit using GT nocks.
I've built quite a number of 6 - 8 strand Astroflight strings for folks shooting in the 55# range or less, and have had no complaints.
Rick, I build that same string for a very well known bowyer! He thinks the same!
What about the UCam do you notice, over the Astro Flight?
Do you also build endless strings?
Frank,
the Ultracam does not hold it's brilliance as well as the Astroflight does, but for my use it does not creep near as much, and that is why I use it.
Performance wise, they are almost identical.
The creep that I get with the Astroflight isn't really a problem, and I recommend it highly for anyone who wants to use it, but for me - I like to keep my strings at a maximum of 3/4 twist per inch after shot in, and I have to build the AF real short, to achieve that. The UC gets me at the twist count I want real quick, and it stays there.
I used to build endless strings all the time, but haven't built one in probably 10 years or more. Personally I think endless is a better performing string, but not by much, and I just like the look of flemish, so that's what I build for myself.