After a few years of shooting trad bows I finally knew what I wanted. I like a small grip and riser and wanted a hybrid longbow. I talked to Greg Coffee, bowyer/owner for Javaman bows. I told him what I was looking for and he said he had just what I needed. The  Inferno.  So being the stand up guy that he is, he mailed me a bow to shoot to be sure. It was lighter than I wanted but it had the exact feel that I wanted. I called him up after a few shots and told him to put me on the waiting list. I begged him to let me keep it for the rest of the season but he already had a buyer for it so I had to ship it back. The long 8 month wait began and I wasn't sure what wood I wanted. We shopped around for a while but nothing was exactly what I wanted. I wanted something unique and camo but still a natural wood grain pattern. So I asked him if I could just stain the veneers. He said like this, and showed me an example of one his friends at St. joe River Bows had done. That was it!  St. Joe River Bows generously went out of their way to give me a few tips to get the look I wanted. Can't thank them or Javaman Archery enough for their patience and generosity just to make little ol me happy. So I bought some stain and he shipped me the veneers and I went to making up a broken pattern. This is what I came up with.

 


I shipped the veneers back and Gregg worked his magic! I couldn't be more pleased! Inferno 54in 61#@28

 
 

My plan was if I loved the way this bow shot, I would order another exactly the same for a back up bow and sell my Black Widow. You know, because what will I do if something happened to my bow. Have to have a back up plan, always. So after just a few shots after tuning some arrows for it, I called him back and said put me back on the list for #2. So during the waiting period for #2, I got to thinking. Wouldn't it be nice to have a matching set longbow and recurve. Then I could shoot 2 classes at the shoots. So I got to looking at his recurves but none were the design of the inferno. He told me he could make me an inferno recurve. I couldn't believe it! That would be perfect! So the wait began but hunting season made the time pass and I got the call from him that he was starting to build the form and he was gonna build a couple bows on it to make sure everything was like he wanted. The Eros was born.
In the meantime he shipped me the veneers so I could stain them. This is what I came up with this time.



I shipped them back to Gregg and he got to work. He has got to be the best guy I ever worked with. Always open to talk about any options and answer any questions. Very enjoyable experience dealing with Gregg and I'd recommend him to anyone without hesitation. When he sent me the pics of the finished product, I asked him if he installed a gps tracking device on it. I'm gonna be scared to put this bow down! He laughed and said I didn't select that option! lol Boy I should have!

Nice bow - a truly custom one-of-a-kind bow!  Congrats.

Those are two very nice bows! I bet you won't see another two like those anywhere you go.

C   :cool:       :cool:  L

Gregg is the man.

I love those veneers, you did an awesome job.

That's very cool. I like that you had a hand in the build as well. I like those colors, truely one of (well, two of) a kind! Congrats!

love 'em!!      

Thanks. Can't wait to get it in my hand!

Awesome! What are the specs on your Eros?

Very nice veneers work. Yes Gregg is first class always ready to your inputs and very communicative. It is been a pleasure to deal with him.

54in 60#@28

Love that staining job!!!!!  Well done!

Sweet bows

I love camo.... Wear it everyday!!! And while I love camo I hate to cover pretty wood!!! The bows are awesome!!!

QuoteOriginally posted by cmh:
I love camo.... Wear it everyday!!! And while I love camo I hate to cover pretty wood!!! The bows are awesome!!!

Feel the same way. I like to see wood on a trad bow.

Jason,

What wood were the veneers?  What type of stain did you use (water based, alcohol, oil)?  I like the light/dark contrast-really brings out the grain.

Killer veneers, looks awesome

American elm veneers with an alcohol stain