Here's a couple of my latest grip projects. Never worked with either of these leathers before but I think they came out pretty good.


I bought this HHA Sirocco here on TG. A previous owner replaced the stingray with moose leather.
It's really hard to find stingray that's not outright abrasive and that's pliable enough to work with but I found some good stuff. It's the most unforgiving stuff I've ever worked with and it has some pretty unique/weird properties. It feels slick, like hard plastic beads. Those pebbles are bone after all. But when it heats up and your hands sweat it gets tacky. If I didn't spend my days bare handing steel I probably wouldn't like it but I do. Definitely not for everybody.

         

Next is the beaver tail. I thought beaver tail would be hard to work with but after stingray, it's a piece of cake. This is another TG score, a Kramer made HHA Big 5. It had a pretty dirty old suede grip when I got it. Perfectly functional, just didn't like the way it looked. I do now...

       

beaver tail grip on and stingray on shelf . That would be my combination

Nice work,I had a bow that had a stingray rest&side plate.Looked like it would last for a long time and not show much wear.I do like beavertail,I have beavertail on my BW PLX.I have buffalo leather on my HH Half Breed.Suede on my Tembo,it's functional but I'm not that fond of it,I'm planning on redoing it with some buffalo or elk I have.

They've got their pros and cons as rest & side plate material. The beaver tail is quiet and has wear resistance better than most leathers of equal thickness. I'm sure the stingray will wear like iron but it's noisy on the draw. Very noisy, especially with carbon arrows but being as slick as it is I wouldn't be surprised to find a measurable speed increase.

..dupe sorry.

Dang it, having one of those days!

QuoteOriginally posted by Paul_R:
They've got their pros and cons as rest & side plate material. The beaver tail is quiet and has wear resistance better than most leathers of equal thickness. I'm sure the stingray will wear like iron but it's noisy on the draw. Very noisy, especially with carbon arrows but being as slick as it is I wouldn't be surprised to find a measurable speed increase.

if is noisy on draw , then is noisy on shoot . and that is very bad . Right in this moment i looking on internet to buy some small piece of that skin . But if is noisy then ......      

P.S
i shoot carbon

ah thats pretty cool. i wonder if anyone hear can do a handle wrap for me...its got alot of shape to it...its a Sage if that helps any, and the lmbs are in the process of being camoed with birch bark...just wondering...i really like the look of the beaver tail..hows the grippiness of it?

QuoteOriginally posted by -snypershot317-:
i really like the look of the beaver tail..hows the grippiness of it?

It's got a nice tackyness to it. Not sticky, just not slick. The texture helps.

QuoteOriginally posted by bowfanatik:
 

QuoteOriginally posted by Paul_R:
They've got their pros and cons as rest & side plate material. The beaver tail is quiet and has wear resistance better than most leathers of equal thickness. I'm sure the stingray will wear like iron but it's noisy on the draw. Very noisy, especially with carbon arrows but being as slick as it is I wouldn't be surprised to find a measurable speed increase.

if is noisy on draw , then is noisy on shoot . and that is very bad . Right in this moment i looking on internet to buy some small piece of that skin . But if is noisy then ......        

P.S
i shoot carbon [/b]

I have done grips with beavertail and stingray.  I have found them to be quiet with my wooden arrows.

Eric

both look great.

i just wanna try stingray on my shelf . for better arrow clearance

Paul, what style grip is that on your HH with the beaver tail?  Nice job on both btw!

QuoteOriginally posted by Butchie:
Paul, what style grip is that on your HH with the beaver tail?  Nice job on both btw!

Thanks Butchie. That's a locator grip. Here's another shot showing the unique coke bottle profile:

   

I don't know if it's typical of how Kramer made locate type grips or not but I do know Craig doesn't make 'em with palm swells like this.

Stingray leather was used as protective armor throughout Asia.  Almost impervious to slashing or poking, back in the good old days.

Dang tough stuff.

Maybe a dumb question.  The white oval on the belly side of the grip.  Is that just the "beads" sanded or flattened?  Cool effect.

QuoteOriginally posted by Hermon:
Maybe a dumb question.  The white oval on the belly side of the grip.  Is that just the "beads" sanded or flattened?  Cool effect.

It's a calcium deposit where the beads are bigger and higher and I believe they're sanded/polished.

Thanks Paul, really like the looks of that grip style.  I have beaver tail grip that I put on my Liberty English...love it!

I have 3 bows with beaver tail and love them.  Saw a bow with ostrich leg leather grip last weekend and thinking hard about that on my next bow or if I ever replace a grip.

I put a stingray grip on a longbow and it turned out very nice and it feels great on my bow. I would not do it again as the skins are expensive and are very difficult to work with.