Just a few weeks ago I put a new B55 Flemish twist string on my Martin longbow. It seemed to break in just a little quicker than B50. It seems a little quicker than too. However, there has been multiple occasions when I would set the brace at 7 1/4" and verify the measurement before unstringing the bow. The next time I strung the bow up the brace height would be 8" or even a little bit more. Can any one tell me why this is happening? I've never experienced this before.
Some flemish strings may contract slightly when relaxed. Try stretching the strung bow over your knees when first stringing it to bring it back to the brace height you need.
I'll give it a shot. I have never had that happen with a B50 of High Performance Flemish string. Sounds like it is just the string and not so much the material.
Polyester/dacron (B-50 and B-55) is very elastic. I can easily stretch a string 3" or more on my jig, just to have it retract when the tension is removed.
All materials will retract to some degree when you unstring the bow--how much depends on a lot of factors such as: draw weight, strand count, type material, type string, how many twists are in the string, temperature, etc.
When you brace the bow, give it a little time or just shoot a few arrows to settle it in.
Factors that have the most effect on string stretch are: type material, draw weight, strand count, and temperature.
The most elastic is polyester/Dacron. Heavier draw weights will cause the string to stretch more when strung (thus retracting more when unstrung), as do lower strand counts. Materials stretch more in higher temps.
Chad
That is great info. Thanks. I always knew b50/55 strings stretched farther than fast flight, but I was unaware of their retraction. Am I correct in assuming that as the string is used more and more the amount of retraction will decrease just as the stretch does?
To a degree--same variables apply--but it will always have some elasticity.