QuoteOriginally posted by far rider:
Oh no Paul, I hope it wasn't that gorgeous Tembo?

Not a chance, that one is waiting for you...

This was about a Northern Mist Shelton I've been using quite a bit in the field.

 Hey, the Redman sold, so.....I'm partially there!

ah, back to basics.

a 7 lakes archery sf (string follow) carolina night longbow u-finish arrived yesterday - 68", 46@29 (so far), action boo limbs under black glass, i think the riser is ipe.  mike did all the really hard work and it's up to me to sand it down, contour the handle, and spray on the finish.  

i had ordered it sans any overlays, for that classic "poor boy" olde tyme longbow look, but after getting it i decided to add back and tip overlays.  at my request, mike had already added a thin reinforcement strip of phenolic 'tween the core layers at the tips.  not having any fancy hardwood lying around, i ripped a plank of red oak and made some overlays that are now in the glue-up stage.

Pure inspiration at work here.  Looking forward to how this progresses.

I envy you guys that make/finish your own bows. One of these days I'm gonna give it a shot.    

I look forward to seeing your finished project Rob.

It's purely a treat to watch how inspiration and perspiration come together.

 

the red oak overlays epoxy cured well overnight, rasped off the excess, beginning the shaping process with grits from 60 to 220, about halfway done ...

Looking nice Rob.

Shaping up very nicely Rob. Liking the feathering of the tip into the glass!

I don't see a speck of dust on those reloading dies. How do you manage that???

QuoteOriginally posted by Paul_R:
I don't see a speck of dust on those reloading dies. How do you manage that???

being very careful.   :D    

nearly done with the handle and tips shaping ...

Beautiful bow work Rob.

starting to come together.  rasped the handle to add more "locator", rasped out the string nocks a lot more, sanded the limb sides from 60 to 220 grit, sanded the riser from 60 to 220 grit, sanded the limbs back and belly with 220 grit, spun up a d'02 endless string that just about nailed the brace height.

more sanding to do, and those string nocks need some inside bevelling to insure the string loop will slope toward the limb center lines.

Coming along nicely......     What are you going to put on for a finish?

QuoteOriginally posted by ron w:
Coming along nicely......            What are you going to put on for a finish?

after sanding the entire bow down with 600 grit abrasive, i put on the first "massey" coat (epoxy and acetone, 1:5) to the riser and limb tips, as a sealer.  i'll buff that out with 0000 steel wool and do it again.  this is basically to seal the open ipe wood riser grain, and also because most hardwoods won't accept more conventional finishes without sealing.  

the limb string nock grooves and been sanded smooth to 600 grit and had water thin cya wicked in to all of the tip wood, to harden it.  

the epoxy has almost no uv protection so i'll probably do some light spray coats of min-wax helmsman spar varnish as the final finish.  

coming along nicely, so far.  before finishing, i spun up a bcy d'02 endless string @ 65.5" and got the brace height to 6.75".  i shot some heavy 660 grain woodies out of it and i'm Very impressed with the smooth 'n' fast performance, and zero hand shock.  an excellent longbow design and quality of materials and build.  kudos to mike @  www.7lakesarchery.com  - highly recommended!

Very nice Rob. When you did the riser and tip overlays what glue did you use? Also, was the bow pre-tillered when you received it or did you have to do that also?

QuoteOriginally posted by lone hunter:
Very nice Rob. When you did the riser and tip overlays what glue did you use?

quality slow set epoxy

Also, was the bow pre-tillered when you received it or did you have to do that also?

pre-tillered to perfection

These photos are being posted at the request of Mr Jacques Bonin  

Roy, much appreciated! The single pinned blades are madg by Howard, by hand! The double pinned are made Howard's close friend Earl Grubbs! The others are made in 1956 , and are Lancers! These are from the "Doc Hill collection!" Later Jacques