A good friend of mine, Ron York, recently had neck surgery and asked if I would make him a bow that would be easy to draw and carry. Ron is part Creek Indian and had some Osage that he picked up from a reservation in Kansas.  The stave was weathered as it had been sitting on the ground for about 10 years. When I began chasing a ring I saw this was going to be challenging because the bugs had done quite a bit of damage.  I did manage to find a ring that was fairly intact except for one borrow that ran diagonally through the ring. I ended up filling the hole with a mixture of superglue and sawdust. I also backed the bow with rawhide just to be safe.

The bow is 53" ntn, is tillered to 40# @ 28" and bends slightly through the handle. The width is 1 1/4" to mid-limb and then tapers to 1/2" tips. Ron doesn't pull 28" the moment, but he will eventually when he fully recovers.  This was my first Osage bow and I have to say it is wonder to work with.  Ron painted the design on the back which is a Delaware Indian pattern. The quiver pictured in one of the photos was hand-made by Ron including the beading. The arrows are Potawatomie style. The person posing in the full-draw picture is Ron.

real nice lines love the art work. loyd

   

Wonderful creation! I can see an old cheif riding up with that in his hand.

Oustanding in all aspects.

Stunning!  

Awesome work.

I like it!

Mike

Outstanding bow!      

My Son saw this bow and now wants to paint an native design on one of his selfbows. What kind of paint was used on the bow? Acrylic?

Acrylic will bend with the bow. You won't get any cracks in the paint....

You could also mix up some dye with thinned TB II or TB III and paint it on... The TB will also bend with the bow.

Joe, Ron painted on the design using acrylic paints. I then finished it with Tru-oil.

Ron is an amazing Indian artist - he makes everyting from full beaded quivers, war pipes, craddle boards, to moccasins. It was a special honor to collaborate with him on this bow.

SWEET!!          

Awsome work fella's,        

Tracy

Hats off to both of you,,true craftsman!!

Strikingly beautiful!  Nicely done.

That's a keeper for sure! Very fine work and great paint.