I had a bow made, it was in march, and I had two other bows made by a different Bowyer, he gave me the limb tips I wanted, burned in an image on each side of the riser like I wanted, and the weight came out perfectly, matter of fact, this Bowyer made two bows to get the one I wanted right before he even showed me the finished bow.  To say the least I'm very happy with the bows he made for me.

But I want to know if I have an attitude, and I should just get over it, or is there a "cure" for what I'm about to show you.

I had a Bowyer send me a photo of sheep horn, it looked great I liked it, and it looked good this is the same photo I was sent.  I know that sheep horn can vary.

   


This is what was sent to me on the bow, quite the difference.  Matter of fact it's the opposite, and my attitude is I can't stand the white limb tips.

 

   


I will give you a little bit info, the bow it has fabulous woods in it, the workmanship is superb, but I can tell it is 1 1/2 to 2 LB. More than what it says it is, that's OK,

My question is can anything be done to get rid of the white on sheep horn, to be fair to the Bowyer, he has offered to take the bow back and redo it.BUT I like the looks and the feel of the bow.  Am I gonna have to get over it, and chill.

It is the most I have ever spend for a bow.  I was so mad I want to send it back and get my money back.  I have had two others tell me that I should, but apparently the Bowyer wants to make the bow over.  So if I'm stuck with it, because I like the wood, can I do anything about the white tips.

Keep it clean, and on the subject.  But please, tell it to me straight !

Carl

Looks like the horn in the first pic might be stained you might be able to sand through finish and stain and refinish.If you are happy with the way it performs animals are not really gonna notice the tips.

Personally,I think it looks great. I had 2 bows with sheephorn tips that were light like that...one rough and one smooth. But you're the one who has to decide what to do

The color comes from nature not his problem in my opinion.Maybe all he had was some white ones at the time.I like them also but your call you are the customer.Kip

awesome bow if it shoots well id get over the SLIGHT color variation but thats just me i own old beat up bows that are exelent shooters thats whats important to me that being said its your bow if its not what you want and the bowyer said he will make it right you payed for it you should get what you want IT IS A DARN NICE LOOKING BOW THINK ABOUT IT
 

I think the difference in the pics is because of the shot angle,flash and the quality of the camera used.i would easily get over it if it feels so good to shoot, if it doesn't, thats another story.For the amount of time and hardwork the bowyer spent making this bow,i would just forget about the slight difference in tip overlay color and enjoy the bow for what it is, a pretty bow that shoots well,and besides, im sure the white sheepshorn would "age" and probably darken with time.But its totally your call in the end.

I too have never liked bright colors on a bow. If you are happy with the bow, and only disapointed with the tip color, just send the bow back to the bowyer and ask him to sand those tips off and put some more tip overlays on of something more suitable to your liking. It is an easy fix. That said, I think you should be willing to pay for the shipping both ways and possibly some "refinishing time" if you did request horn tip overlays. Just an idea.

I have never ordered horn tips on a bow because I don't like white and because I fear horn being more prone to cracking than a synthetic tip overlay. I could be wrong on that though...but I know micata as well as some types of glass are simply very tough...and I do NOT like "bow tip protectors" as they can interfere with arrow flight.

It appears as if the horn tips in the first bow are really thin and almost "transparent" while being overlays on top of a darker wood overlay that is underneith the horn. It seems as if the horn on your bow may be of similar color but thicker and maybe showing less of the wood underneith??? But from pictures it is hard to tell.

I don't think the tips should justify a refund since they are easily replacable, especially since the bowyer is willing to fix it. Now, as said earlier, if the bow wasn't crafted well or didn't shoot well that would be another issue entirely...and IMO would justify a refund. That doesn't seem to be the case here though.

they look very nice to me, enjoy your bow.

I'm curious about if you told the bowyer that you wanted sheep horn overlays but that they couldn't be white? Just as with wood, there is obviously going to be variation from one piece of horn to another.
If not, then you've got an exceptional bowyer if he's willing to take that one back and either make a new bow for you or re-work that one.
As for the weight, many bowyers I've seen say if the bow falls within a certain range of the desired pull, then it's good to go. Even with the amount of money spent I'd say that 1.5 to 2 pounds is pretty close to the money. Bowmaking isn't rocket science.

Guy

The cool thing about wood laminations, horn overlays and snakeskin veneers is there is never two the same.  I would keep it.  But the decision is ultimately yours to make.

I sent a bow back for a refund once-cosmetically it was very different from what I had asked for, and the bowyer was very understanding.
If you are unhappy with your creation then send it back and get what will do it for you-as I read the story your bowyer is willing to 'make it right'.

The guy built two bows to get the bow you wanted.Now because the horn does not look exactly like those in a picture you are unhappy.I say it is just you.    

Natural materials don't always look the same.You should have used phenolic instead of the horn and the color would have been the same every time.If I could not live with it I would just grind it off and replace it myself but would not bother the bowyer about it.jmho

It's tough. IMO you have to like/love your gear. It's funny/sad/frustrating how some "little thing" can play on your mind. Bow can feel good in the hand, shoot fantastic, BUT those tips... It's strange how we almost always end up focusing on the negative(to us at least).
Send the bow back to the guy, get the tips changed to your liking, pay the extra(or some of it) and get on with liking/loving this bow.
I THINK that's what I'd do...

limb tips are relatively easy to change - send it back, get what you want.

To me, the Sheep Horn in the pictures seems to closely resemble SHEEP HORN! It looks very much like the Sheep Horn tip and riser face overlays on one of my favorite bows. You state that you can tell the bow is 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. heavier than marked but that much variation in the spring scales normally used to measure draw wt. would not be surprising. You also mention the bow has "fabulous" woods and the workmanship is "superb". What's really not to like?

Limb tip colors can vary quite a bit.  Perhaps you didn't have a good understanding of this up front.  Not really the bowyer's fault.  The bow otherwise looks great, the craftsmanship is great, and you like the way it shoots. I think you are being a little over critical.
That being said; if you want the limb tips changed, my feeling is that you should Pay him to have it changed to your liking.

I would also be very attracted to ship horn limb tip overlays -- my favorite beast. I would expect the horn material to be very light--that would be a more nature tone than the darker color especially once the horn material is cleaned.  Frankly, I like the lighter tone because it is obviously something different and custom.  I did ask a couple bowyers about putting such overlays on bows they are making for  me and they discouraged me from doing it -- less stable than the wood and fiberglass materials they work with.   This is a highly personal decision that only you can make. If I were you I'd cherish the feel and the woods which are most important in that order (to me). Then I'd accept that the horn tips are very natural colored and let em grow on me.  By the way, not everyone weights a bow according to AMO standards.  The bow weight should be weighed (using very accurate digital scales --$150 from Easton Technical Products)1.75 inches towards the bow's back from the pivot point of the bow's grip. Most, like me measure draw weight from the very back of the bow (opposite the face of the bow).  Most of my bows are 1-2 pounds different from what the bowyer scribed on the riser or limbs.

That last tip photo shows one of the prettiest I have ever seen.  I would be very happy.  I think the second one looks more like sheep horn than the first.

I would say you asked for sheep horn and got it so don't complain , and if he made two bows to get you what you want ? Come on now thats sheep is what you asked for.