Had some cat whiskers installed yesterday. The tech tied them on. They move as I shoot. Is this normal? I wouldn't think so. I would have done beaver balls, but they didn't have them. Like so many archery shops. I went to one yesterday and he told me they don't carry those things anymore. " nobody uses those things" is what he said. I asked if he would help me tune my bow/arrows. he preceded to tell me my 3555 GT were under spined. they are .500 Blems that Big Jim set me up with. I told him Jim set me up, " well he's moron" was his response to that. He said, "at 40$ an hour I will do whatever you want" were his next words. At that point i said nevermind, and walked out. to another shop I went. They were busy, compound shooters had the range so I was pretty much screwed. I had some help, but not what I needed. All is well though, I didn't let it stop me from practicing on my form and shooting some. Just the way it is around here, nobody really likes to deal with trad gear. Maybe they are just ignorant to it. Paradocs lives close, I will get up with him if the weather ever lets me. A big thanks to everyone on here, without this site, I would be in the dark.
$40/hr for sliding cat whiskers? They must autotune ;) . Just tell him once we get you tuned that I only charged you a 6 pack...
I think most of us trad shooters learn to take care of ourselves. I know I've learned more about archery in general since going over to traditional, than I ever did in the compound world.
really easy to do, just buy em from a supplier here or use spinnerbait skirts from a local tackle supplier, and tie em on with dental floss and trim to desired length, you can split the string and tie them on and they wont move but I usually just have em tight to where they will move with a little pull..but they don't move just from normal use
I bought several packages of cat whiskers at Walmart today discounted end of season to two dollars per package. If you go to YouTube there are several videos that show you how to install cat whiskers with serving or dental floss, and then trim to fit. This method gives you nice perfectly round cat whisker balls, and as a plus, you can do two bows per package instead of one. And the ball won't move. Nice thing about rubber cat whiskers is they are truly waterproof and do look good when served on the bowstring. Have Fun, Brian
Ok, I will look at how to tie them in. I will say it made my bow a lot more quiet. What about putting mole skin in the grooves where the string hits the limb? I have seen this, but I was told it's a no no.
ive always used moleskin or Velcro on my recurve limbs, just watch that your string lays in the proper place after stringing, you can pick up moleskin at any drug store.
HUSH PUPPIES ! Have not looked back, plus they will not slide.
Cat whiskers are great silencers, but like anything else they have to be installed properly. Done right, they are hard to beat. Done wrong, they can be useless.
I would love to see that individual call Big Jim a moron to his face...he is a peaceful sort of guy but the Big part is a pretty accurate description...there are several archery shops in this area that are doing very well because they are just as knowledgable about recurves and longbows as they are about compound bows...things are about to get a lot tighter when it comes to business here in Alberta and those shops will still be there when others have closed their doors
DDave
yeh Im going to get some hush puppies, been looking at them, I like the idea.
Next time you are in a shop get them started talking about the Pope and Young Club...then casually mention that the guy who started the Pope and Young Club and the current president both thought/think that traditional gear is the right way to do things
DDave
Big Jim has always treated me right. Very knowledgeable and professional at all times. Brian
Landon, I will be glad to help you out at the next Dixie shoot. I can bring some whisker material if you still need it, and tie it on for you.
I like Docs payment idea!
Now there's the dude you need to be talking to....
I will be at the next shoot. I will bring a beverage of your choice! I will never walk into that shop again. I did business with him about 8 years ago and it was awful. I had heard that he had gotten much better and more helpful, not the case, so that's it for him. Jim is a class act, he helped me on a Sunday morning on the phone for an hour. This guy at this shop, didn't want to be bothered, he actually more worried about playing solitaire on the computer, not to mention his hrs are 10 am to 7 pm, well i waited in the parking lot until 10:15 before he got there. He must really be doing well if he can do that. Never again.
Learning to do as much of your own stuff as you can will save you a lot of headaches in the long run.
Basics like serving a string, tying on silencers and nock sets, etc. are pretty simple with good instruction.
What LBR said for sure.
Give the fellows @ 3 Rivers a call. They know how to set up a bow & are pleased to help. They also sell Cat Whiskers, which, by the way, I think are pretty good silencers.
I slip them between twists on the string & that works fine.
Yeh I hear that putting them in the strings is the best
When I used cat whiskers,I never messed with tying them in with serving material or floss I just tied them on by folding a whisker in half the long way the bending it to a U shape lay it across the string then pull the two tag ends around the string and through the loop on the bottom of the U pull em tight and done a needle nose pliers,can help with this. the nice thing about this method is you can tighten them up by pulling on the whiskers. And if you want to slide them up or down to fine tune or just wax your string you can . If you check on youtube I'm sure there a lot I videos on how to it different ways. 3 rivers has there own DIY videos.
The nice thing about trad is once you learn how to do the few thing there are to,learn youll never have to walk into a unfavorable archery shop again.
http://www.stalkerstickbows.com/how-to-videos/
This might help you get started
http://rysanpei.blogspot.com/2014/11/tying-cat-whiskers.html
the difficult part is tying it....what knot do i tie?
3rivers has beaver balls. I just bought a couple more for my new string and my daughters sage.
You know, I have never had anyone call me a moron to my face...well, not seriously anyway. My wife calls me a damn yankee all the time...not the same though because she means it. :)
If I was there, I would probably have done something stupid like showed him how to put on a set of cat whiskers.
BigJim
http://www.arrowskp.com/Kelly_s_Tips.html#setup-tuning
I do it the way Mr Fingers described above.
Cat whiskers should not slide on the string when you shoot. I make my own silencers. I buy one skein of Fisherman's Wool yarn at Michel's or Hobby Lobby for under $10, and have enough yarn to make silencers for several years!
Bisch
QuoteOriginally posted by BigJim:
You know, I have never had anyone call me a moron to my face...well, not seriously anyway. My wife calls me a damn yankee all the time...not the same though because she means it. :)
If I was there, I would probably have done something stupid like showed him how to put on a set of cat whiskers.
BigJim
Yeah, I'd be willing to bet when someone is standing right in front of you, not many would have the guts to call you a moron! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Bisch
This guy has no business in the business. When he made the comment about Jim, that did it for me. I don't know Jim personally, but I do know this, he took an hour of his time to help me over the phone, that's a lot more than this guy did. So instead of making 40$ an hour, he made nothing. Lesson learned, I should have listened to my gut and never went there.
QuoteOriginally posted by VA Elite:
yeh Im going to get some hush puppies, been looking at them, I like the idea.
Check out the recurve special on hush puppies and bow hush, http://www.bowhush.com/
Personally VA, I wouldn't waste my time, much less my money in an archery pro-shop with trad gear. It's like a modern day auto technician working on a stage coach. They don't get it...and they don't want to. Look for places that cater to trad shooters. 3 Rivers, Big Jims and quite a few others. And many things you can learn for yourself, with the help of all us opinionated folks of course.
I think you are right, Im just going to go to them for cutting arrows, I dont have a saw. yet. But i think your are right, it's discrimination at it's best.
While your cat whiskers are moving around a bit, use this opportunity to find out where they are most effective. Silencers need to be in the right place. Once you've found the right spot whatever you use will be pretty effective.
Going in to a wheelie bow shop and asking if they have any Beaver Balls is always fun. The conversation might go something like this...
"Do you guys have any Beaver Balls?"
"No Sir, but Ma fries 'em up real good down at the restaurant."
"Oh... cool! How many do I have to eat to get a free t-shirt?"
QuoteOriginally posted by A.S.:
Landon, I will be glad to help you out at the next Dixie shoot. I can bring some whisker material if you still need it, and tie it on for you.
I like Docs payment idea!
I would take this guy up on this if I were you!
I have hush puppies and like them a lot. They are very effective,and they come with good instructions.
The link below is to another sponsor on Trad Gang. It is to Two Tracks bow company. These are his string scallops,and I have installed and used these with good results. They are as easy to put in as any I have used and also very effective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DplvUgZuchk
VA, as far as cutting arrows goes, for about $25 you can buy a cut-off saw from Harbor Freight. You can find them on the auction site as well. Great little saw's with many uses.
Ok cool, Im thinking that the vast majority of things that need to be done will have to be done on my own. No better way to learn i guess. I will be getting much needed help at my next shoot.
Va I learned From you tube. If you google it or search on you tube there is a great tutorial on it.
go to the Hawaii forum on here- and check out S2 bowstrings, he has some awesome tutorials on his home page
good luck!
Hey Va Here you go
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyGuPxe1BMA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyGuPxe1BMA)
I think this works the best because you can tune your bow (still move them up and down to find that sweet spot)after they are tied this way but they stay put. It took a couple of time tying them on to get them solid like everything practice makes perfect. Good luck man and keep shooting!
Matt
VA,
Well there's a lot of help and agreement coming your way! Just want to backup Bigame's note that it sometimes takes a couple/few tries to get the tension right. Mine stay put when they should, and move when I move 'em - but I didn't get that on the first try.
I'm thinking you've got plenty of knot suggestions to draw from. To name some that'll work: constrictor or double constrictor, clove hitch, nail knot... With the constrictor or clove hitch, I always tie a square knot or two (opposite side of where the first knot ties off). I think just overhands , alternating sides, with a square knot finish would probably work. More about the tension than the type of knot. Also, do cut the tag ends short and carefully melt 'em, and press the melted tie material into the knot as soon as you blow it out.
Just get 2 or 3 sets so you don't have to worry about getting it perfect the first time. And think about finding a cut off saw, like stagetek suggests. You don't really want to bring your business back to that shop, do ya?
It had been 8 years since I went to that shop. I will never go again. The other shop that put the whiskers on is a decent shop, but they have no real clue about trad gear. The first shop? well he is just obnoxious and he will never see my face again.
Look at two tracks wool scallops as well...those are going on my next bow.
I like Cat Whiskers, but am fond of Beaver Wraps, Llama wool, & have made a number of silencers out of wool yarn too. ;)
Another fan of string scallops...no tie-in needed, and mine haven't budged.
VA I'm in the same boat you are there are 3 archery shops within 30 miles of me and not a single one carries any type of traditional anything! I've been shooting trad bows for about 5 years now and I have had to learn to be self sufficient. The wealth of information I've gotten on tradgang is priceless. I've never even met another trad bow hunter, but I know they do exist because of good ol' tradgang.
I hear that!