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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Walt Francis on October 02, 2007, 07:37:00 PM

Title: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Walt Francis on October 02, 2007, 07:37:00 PM
Is it history?  Would you try saving this bow?  Is it possible?  Here are a few pictures of a bow that was strung backwards, what are your thoughts?
 (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/DougsSheepHunt001.jpg)

 (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/DougsSheepHunt005.jpg)
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Osagetree on October 02, 2007, 07:50:00 PM
Looks like fire wood to me!
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Minuteman on October 02, 2007, 07:54:00 PM
Eeyup, thats firewood right there, sorry!
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: paleFace on October 02, 2007, 07:55:00 PM
Oooouch!  it sure don't look good. i'm with Joe on this one.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: the Ferret on October 02, 2007, 08:14:00 PM
Who in the #*&%&% strung it backwards?
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: mmgrode on October 02, 2007, 09:30:00 PM
You're not supposed to hit him that hard over the head with it!  ;)    :banghead:    :jumper:
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: kawika b on October 02, 2007, 09:35:00 PM
i think your "sig" will come in handy for this one bro. looks like kindlin,,,was it strung and "drawn" backwards?
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Jason Lester on October 02, 2007, 09:42:00 PM
Wait till Eric Krewson (Sp?) chimes in I know he's saved a bunch. Sinew is what he uses but that may be beyond fixing. Hang it up or cut the other limb off to make a takedown with.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Shakes.602 on October 02, 2007, 09:55:00 PM
Oh Man, I dont know if Dr. Krewson can save that one or not. Let Him "Do that VooDoo That He Do So Well" before ya trash or Burn it!!
   Paging Dr. Krewson,STAT!!
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Dano on October 02, 2007, 10:01:00 PM
Those kinda bows are always a good conversation piece hangin on the wall. They make good kindling too.  :bigsmyl:
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: horatio1226 on October 02, 2007, 10:23:00 PM
What does the other limb look like?
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Eric Krewson on October 02, 2007, 10:24:00 PM
I fixed this one but yours is much worse. I wouldn't even attempt a fix on your bow unless I cut the bad limb off and replaced it with a new limb.

Before,

   (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/frankenbowboom.jpg)

After a bunch of urac and new bamboo,

  (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/frankenbowgluedcrack.jpg)
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Bjorn on October 02, 2007, 11:16:00 PM
Sorry for your misfortune but look at the bright side; now you get to go shopping!!
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Walt Francis on October 03, 2007, 12:19:00 AM
The unanimous agreement is the same as mine when first seeing the bow.  I told the owner it was beyond repair but they wanted me to try and fix it anyway.  Here are some pictures of the final fix; I didn’t think it would work, so I didn’t take any pictures during the process.  In the first step I used Urac 185 to glue it using rubber bands to hold it together during the curing process.  In the second step Urac 185 was mixed with fine Osage dust to fill the areas missing chunks of wood, then filed and sanded to the original shape.  Next, the entire area (about six inches) was wrapped with bison sinew and coated with two coats of Zap-a-Gap.  So far I have put around two hundred arrows through it and it appears the fix will hold, but only time will tell.  

 (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/DougsSheepHunt031.jpg)

 (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/DougsSheepHunt032.jpg)

 (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/DougsSheepHunt034.jpg)

One amazing/surprising thing was the bow came back to a good tiller without touching the other limb.  It wasn’t perfect, but good enough that I wasn’t going to mess with it anymore.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: 30coupe on October 03, 2007, 12:26:00 AM
Well, I'll be darned!  :notworthy:  

Walt, you are the man! I'd have given that one up for dead.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: kojac on October 03, 2007, 01:01:00 AM
how about some pics at full draw and just stung?
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: madness522 on October 03, 2007, 07:14:00 AM
Who woulda thunk that bow could have been saved.  I too had written it off as lost.  You da man!
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: gwhunter on October 03, 2007, 07:35:00 AM
Not I.  I would have thought it was lost to the bow world forever.  It would have made one heck of a short sword for some lucky kid.  See what you did Walt, you took a good present away from some kid.  
You done good!  Much better than me.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: vermonster13 on October 03, 2007, 07:43:00 AM
I figured you had something up your sleeve when I saw this post. Don't bet against this man on a bow for sure.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: horatio1226 on October 03, 2007, 07:52:00 AM
Well I'm going to say it.Looks like you did a great job fixin' it. But like a racehorse, I think the owner shoulda' shot it and put it outta its misry.Circle of life and all. IMO.
Brian
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: BobW on October 03, 2007, 08:23:00 AM
tick...tick...tick...
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: wingnut on October 03, 2007, 08:58:00 AM
Well two shots is more then I thought.  200 is just amazing.  Only problem is that I'd be ducking on every shot.  Good job.  

But I'm afraid it's only a matter of time.

Mike
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Dano on October 03, 2007, 09:10:00 AM
Just goes ta show ya, that it ain't over till the big lady gets up ta sing. Nice job Walt.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: bluegill on October 03, 2007, 09:20:00 AM
Walt,

How much weight did the bow loose after the fix??

Just curious.

Sean
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Minuteman on October 03, 2007, 09:42:00 AM
Still wanna see some full draw post sinew pics.....call me skeptical.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: omahabows on October 03, 2007, 11:47:00 AM
THAT LOOKS GREAT.OH MY GOSH I THINK ITS KINDLING FOR YOUR NEXT HUNTING TRIP.IT COULD PROBABLY BE CUT UP AND TURNED ON A LATHE FOR WOOD PENS.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Walt Francis on October 03, 2007, 12:19:00 PM
Alright, I will try to answer everybody’s questions; hopefully, the pictures will answer most of them.  

Sean,
First I have no idea if the bow lost weight after the repair; I am not the original builder of the bow.  If anything the lower limb (the broken one) might have gained a little weight as the tiller is about 5/16th of an inch stiffer then the upper limb.  At full draw the upper limb definitely bends more then the lower limb, which is the main reason I didn’t try re-tillering the bow.  

Brian and Christopher,
Here are pictures of the bow just strung and at full draw.  The bow is a youth’s bow, pulling 43#’s @ 26”.  The cane arrow in the picture is 29 ½” from back of broadhead to the throat of the nock.

 (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/DougsSheepHunt035.jpg)

 (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/DougsSheepHunt043.jpg)

Bob,
I was thinking the same thing until I got through the first hundred shots, now my gut tells me it is going to stay together.

Mike,  
I think the first three shots I made with the bow after the repair missed the target completely from eight yards because of my flinching.  The more I shot it though the better it feels.  If it was my bow I would take to one of my whitetails stands and use it on a doe just to prove to myself it was really still a bow.

For those who are still doubtful, here is video link of me shooting the bow this morning.
The arrow is a 430 grain cane shaft (total weight) with self nock, turkey fletching, tipped with a 145 grain Eclipse broadhead.

  (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/th_DougsSheepHunt044.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Slivershooter/?action=view¤t=DougsSheepHunt044.flv)
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Rusty Izatt on October 03, 2007, 12:41:00 PM
Awsome work Walt   :thumbsup:    :clapper:  

Take care,
Rusty
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Drew on October 03, 2007, 01:04:00 PM
Nice work Walt   :eek:  , I hope it holds for for the youngin.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Curtiss Cardinal on October 03, 2007, 01:11:00 PM
Amazing almost makes ya believe in magick(ye olde spelling)
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: sou-pawbowhunter on October 03, 2007, 08:25:00 PM
:notworthy:    :notworthy:    :pray:
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Hatchet Jack on October 03, 2007, 10:16:00 PM
Nice work!!

Hatchet Jack
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: the Ferret on October 04, 2007, 07:36:00 AM
Simply amazing...and to think of all the bows that hand grenaded on the tiller tree on me that I could have sent to Walt for repair   :biglaugh:
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Walt Francis on October 04, 2007, 08:57:00 AM
Mick,
I don't think I did anything you or most others would have done regarding the repair.  The main thing is somebody convinced me to attempt it.  It amazed me what bamboo and sinew are capable of holding together.  If the bow hadn't of been backed with Boo I wouldn't have tried the repair.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Jason Lester on October 04, 2007, 10:39:00 AM
Very nice Walt! Way to go.  


  :notworthy:    :notworthy:
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Minuteman on October 04, 2007, 10:57:00 AM
You da man. Sorry I doubted you.
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: BamBooBender on October 04, 2007, 11:09:00 AM
Awesome job saving that one from the fire!   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Littlefeather on October 04, 2007, 11:12:00 AM
Holy Cow!  :scared:  

Now I realize that all those broken bows on my wall are actually salvage waiting to be repaired and shot  :saywhat:   Hurts just thinking about it! Nice save BTW. CK
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Shakes.602 on October 04, 2007, 11:14:00 AM
I Agree,  GREAT JOB!!  But what the Heck is  Zap-A-  Gap??  :confused:    
Never Heered of such a Critter, and it might just be Something I should Hold in Reserve when I start Makin' Shavin's!!  :goldtooth:  Never hurts to have a Plan to Fall Back on.  :biglaugh:
Title: Re: Is this bow ready for the fire?
Post by: Walt Francis on October 04, 2007, 05:00:00 PM
Bill,
Zap-A-Gap is basically thick superglue and is good for filling cracks and knot holes.  You can get it a most hobby stores.  Jim Remph (sp) of Missoula, and one of the best bowyers I have met, introduced me to the product about ten years back.

Mickey,
After thinking about your last post this morning, I do not believe this repair would work very well for bows that hadn’t made through the tillering stage, you wouldn’t be able to tiller the repaired area.