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