I was just talking to an old archer who I met and he was saying that skinnier strings are less forgiving because they oscillate more after the release or something like that.
Any opinions, thoughts, or observations about that idea?
I have been trying to move towards more skinny strings(SBDs) with all my bows but I don't have the best form and release, maybe I shouldn't be going to the skinny strings...
thanks
I switched a few years ago and still go back and forth depending on what I have available...............no difference in forgiveness as far as I can see.
I don't have near perfect form.
How can a string be considered less forgiving from osscillating more after the shot? The arrow is gone. The string can flop all over the place and not matter at all. What a string does after the shot has nothing to do with "forgiveness" of a bow / string system.
Fast flight materials are far stronger than B-50 material. That also translates to being stiffer which by itself translates to less string movement after the arrow is gone. Fast flight strings transfer more of the bows energy to the arrow and less to the limbs than an equal string count B-50 string. This decreases string movement after the arrow leaves the string as well.
The gentlemans comment is quite simply not correct.
I would shoot the string you like and not worry about it anymore. Focus on improving your form. Good form trumps equipment by about 10 to 1.
QuoteI was just talking to an old archer who I met and he was saying that skinnier strings are less forgiving because they oscillate more after the release or something like that.
actually that's bass ackwards....a skinny string has less oscillation.
and how smooth you get off the string has more to do with your serving and style.
i like the SBD 6 strand alot. cant say i release any better between that and the dracon string i had. but the after shot feel is great. no shock and much for quiet
Ilove my skinny strings.
I found the opposite to be true. I shoot B50 on many of my bows and have found I need a higher brace than when using my skinny D97's or the bow will be touchy. That makes sense when you consider the extra give in the Dacron will allow it to stay in contact with the nock longer.
Dave
re: "skinnier strings are less forgiving because they oscillate more after the release"
total self-gratifying nonsense.
low strand count strings (8 strands of hmpe or less) are lighter in mass weight, a teeny bit faster due to that lowered weight, and may be quieter on the release for you, as compared to strings with 50% more strands.
8 strands of most any brand/type of hmpe will render a string in the 800# tensile strength range (or more) and therefor is way more than safe for most any stick bow. whereas 8 strands of dacron will be less than 400# tensile strength, and why that string material can't be used for "skinny strings".
can an 8 strand string be used on a 65# bow?
QuoteOriginally posted by Blaino:
can an 8 strand string be used on a 65# bow?
heck, it can be used on an 80# bow - that's ten times the bow's rated holding weight.
When why don't people go lower then 6 strands or do they? as you can tell i'm new and intrested in these skinny strings....
QuoteOriginally posted by Blaino:
When why don't people go lower then 6 strands or do they? as you can tell i'm new and intrested in these skinny strings....
durability and longevity in the field.
8 strands is a good compromise.
comparatively, you'd need more than 16 strands of polyester (dacron) to equal 8 strands of polyethylene (hmpe = dynaflight, ff, astroflight, etc).
When I hear "Old Timer" and skinny string. My first thought is I wonder if he has ever even had a skinny string or if he is holding onto what he has known forever. Did you actually ask him if he had ever had one?
Good question TJ.
I absolutely love my 8 strand D10 strings. Not to brag, but I have won every 3d shoot that I have entered in the past 2 years except one. I finished 3rd in that one. The 2 guys that beat me are both wearing IBO World Champ belt buckles this year!
I have also made quick, clean kills on all of the deer that I have shot at this year.
I would not shoot a skinny string if I thought that it was costing my anything.
QuoteOriginally posted by FarmerMarley:
I was just talking to an old archer who I met and he was saying that skinnier strings are less forgiving because they oscillate more after the release or something like that.
Any opinions, thoughts, or observations about that idea?
I have been trying to move towards more skinny strings(SBDs) with all my bows but I don't have the best form and release, maybe I shouldn't be going to the skinny strings...
thanks
What the string does after the arrow leaves the string has little effect on the accuracy of the shot..
That said, I have yet to prove the worth of a skinny string...
Im not sure why, but I definitely seem to shoot more inconsistently with skinny strings. I shoot better with a 12-14 strand string than I do with an 8 strand.
a dacron string and a fast flight string used on the same bow will require different brace heights. The lower stretch and faster response time of the FF string means that arrows you shot with the dacron string will act weak when shot from a FF string. More energy is released into the shaft of your arrow, effectively weakening it. This means you will have to adjust your brace height to get the arrows to fly properly.
LOL, first thing that came to mind is "old wives tales"...guess we can add archers to that.
I have tried the 8 strand string on my newest static tip recurve I built and am very pleased in the quietness and performance. I have a 25 " draw and have a low 61/2" brace on my bow and it is very quiet and quite fast at my short draw. Skinny has my vote :goldtooth:
Chort
I've been using a "skinny" string now for years and love it. My first thought after reading a post like this is I wonder how well the archer knows about tuning a bow and arrow. Going to a HP string requires a stiffer arrow spine. So if you arrow spine was correct before it's weak now and if your arrow spine was border line before it's severly underspined now. Throw in a less that perfect release and you've got problems that get blamed on the change of a HP string.
Funny what people will say to justify their choices, ain't it?
Wish there was a way too convice folks that this isn't surgery, and you don't have to justify yoruself like that...would make conversations a lot more relaxed.
I like yellow. Much faster than red.
QuoteOriginally posted by Ground Hunter:
I like yellow. Much faster than red.
NO NO NO - it's
PURPLE!!! - purple is the FASTEST!
:smileystooges:
Sorry, yellow is King, otherwise I agree with Rob, 8 std is a good compromise.
Yes! Rob I agree also ,yellow is better,and my bows have 8 std on them. Silent and little faster. I am old, older(62) and SBD just makes things better. Maxx
My father builds custom string sets for wheelie bows that surpass anything I've ever seen sold. He IMO has perfected the art. He has become quite well known for his strings statewide and beyond.
I've stolen some of his hard learned string building secrets (I'm his son so I can do that) and applied it to the Flemish string. As stated already the tinsile strength of D-97 is incredible. Here's what I've been doing:
I've been building 6 strand strings for 50-60# bows with absolutely zero issues. Twist/build your string as you normally would. Then prestress the string. By this I mean ( I built a jig to do this) put the loops over each end of the jig and start cinching her down. As I turn the wrench and the string begins to tighten you can actually see and sometimes hear each strand "seat" itself in the loop ends and entire length of the string. I take my strings to around 300# and let them sit for about an hour.
I then check for what I want my finished length to be and twist accordingly. At this point I "burnish" the string. For those not familiar, simply take a piece of nylon string, wrap it around your new string once starting in the center. Grabbing both ends of the nylon string with enough pressure to keep your wrap tight, drag it to one loop and then to the other. Do this 2 to 3 times. Keep in mind your string is still at 300# of pressure. What this does is seat any remaining fibers and gives you a perfectly round string. You will be generating some heat while doing this so don't go over board or you will start to lift fibers.
Check your length one more time (it should not have stretched much if any at this point). Serve it up to fit the diameter you desire and your set. Combine Halo serving and a bigshot glove with nylon fingers or a quality tab and I don't think you'll find a smoother, slicker release.
Put the string one your bow and it will never move again. You can still add twist or take them out (a few) to get your desired brace height. Remember this string saw 300# for a good while and will never see it again while on your bow.
Ok I got really long winded on this but saw you guys talking about skinny strings and thought I'd throw this out there for you.
Oh almost forgot, on my 6 strand strings I pad my loops to 8-10 strands for abrasion resistance.
If you made it through it thanks for reading!
Wow, this is what I love about Trad Gang. Thanks for all the responses.
To clarify, what was meant were oscillations of the string after the release but before the arrow left the string.
I am not sure if the "old archer" had ever tried skinny strings. Probably not. That is a good point whoever noticed that...
The explanations a couple of you gave for why a skinny string should have LESS oscillations does make more sense to me...Mainly the fact that the FF materials stretch less.
So I guess I can stick to my plans of sticking with skinny strings for most of my bows. Yay! I'm trying to get as much efficiency as possible out of my setup.
I did not ask what he thought about which color was fastest...I'm sure he will have an opinion about that too.
Thanks for all the knowledge guys!
Farmer Marley,
The string does not oscillate from the time it is released until the arrow leaves the string. The string accelerates forward and also moves to the side around your fingers with minor sideways motion as it accelerates forward. The oscillation occurs once the arrow comes off the string.
On one of our last warm days, I went out with my fast taper Hill from a blank Halfbreed longbow. I had a minimal, padded loops and serving, fast flight string on it. I found that the brace liked to be about 1/2" higher for my cedar blunts than the dacron that was on it. I must say, and yes I am bragging a bit, that I have never shot as tight to the exact spot that day as I ever have before. this is the most accurate longbow I have ever owned and now it is more accurate by a good margin. they must work.
QuoteOriginally posted by Ragnarok Forge:
Farmer Marley,
The string does not oscillate from the time it is released until the arrow leaves the string. The string accelerates forward and also moves to the side around your fingers with minor sideways motion as it accelerates forward. The oscillation occurs once the arrow comes off the string.
yup.... check out the video below....
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/HS%20video/th_TDSas.jpg) (http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/HS%20video/?action=view¤t=TDSas.mp4)
I wish there was sound on that vidio
Thanks for the clarification about oscillation of the string...Great video demonstration too.
Hmmmm, now his statement makes even less sense...