that makes 10! Advice sought.

[Jeff Strubberg]

I'm betting those are fast flight strings and we are talking about mass-produced bows for the most part, i.e. Bear, Martin, Samick, etc.


To break one laminated fiberglass bow in a lifetime of shooting is bad luck, to break more than two, something is fishy.

[Gray Buffalo]

Wow what bad luck. Are you maybe cranking the limb bolts down to tight? I know that will cause big problems. I've seen limbs split and risers crack because of it

[jchunt4ever]

One idea I've got was mentioned a couple of times, but not really brought out. I'm guessing all of these bows were likely purchased from the U.S. and shipped down under. I'm wondering if maybe they got too hot during the long shipping trek, which in turn weakened the glue that held them together. I'm pretty sure a bow setting in a shipping crate or in a truck out in the hot summer sun for a day or two, could reach some pretty high temperatures. Just a thought.

[hunt it]

Perhaps less Vegimite  

[Ground Hunter]

If we ever meet - please don't touch my bows.  H

[dirtguy]

All of you bows have been take downs.  Are you a compulsive bolt-tightener?  How hard, and how often do you tighten the bolts?

[divecon10]

Thanks all. Wow Danny! Had me off to the archery shop with all strings in hand. I am told that the only real way to find out if they are fast flight is that the fibres will burn green, also difficult to tell the difference between Dacron & B50 as they both burn orange, however he looked and reckoned they were all probably B50. Once I had them back home they all got the test and none burned green. Also the bows are 60 &62" tho the earlier 35# later used as a guest bow was 66" . I have an older Hoyt @ 56 or 8" but it has not been strung yet for this reason. I am mindful of the tightening of the limb bolts and they are just firm not overly tight, they are assembled on arrival and put on the rack, I don't think I have ever considered tightening them later but see what u mean. Only one of the earlier bows was ever seen to be loose and was destrung and nipped up. The bolts only get touched again when a bow is disassembled. The limb tips all seem appropriate.
Only a couple in 08 were new and one as mentioned was sent replacement limbs by the factory, the other was remedied by the bowyer. Of the last two through trad, third hand. I send the limbs to the bowyer cause if I were one I'd want to know. The first reckoned he'd previously only seen damage to limbs like that when a fellas son closed the truck door on the bow also the bottom limb was on the way out too. The other limbs, from the most recent victim that snapped at the raiser, are in transit but first response was that it had been left in the sun in a car causing it to delaminate. He should have them in a week so we may be a little wiser then.
Yes! The first few were the mass produced types and no names so imagined that was the real issue was the low quality but with these more reputable ones I think it a little fishy too when a non abusive history was established by the 2 previous owners. Yes! I have learnt my lesson and will be trying to buy new as, for a stingy bastard like me, it will be cheaper in the long run. U'r suggestions of what will hold up well and will put with the heavy hitter list but if I am doing something wrong surely that problem will carry over. But really it's a simple exercise with a string and stick so one would imagine if the sticks being flung are travelling correctly the process of pulling the string in relation to the bow must be reasonably right. The brace heights are correctly done. I want to be like Don when I grow up but perhaps not a serial abuser, but at least treat them like any other tool right now tho am a little tentative.
Ahh yes fishing!
I considered that as they were in a plane hold at some point the temp drop and as mentioned in a hot truck may have had an adverse effect, this seems concomitant and is still nagging but this has not affected all the bows other people have gotten the same way. With the ambient heat here, some of my compatriots also live in the tropics, NT an T'ville being even warmer at times, at least here there is 3000' elevation around and most evenings we get cooler air inversion which pleasantly corresponds with practice times
By torque do u refer to some sideways movement in the grip during the action of pulling the string?
With the last bow (short longbow @ 60") I commented to the seller that it appeared to me the string did not sit well in the groves but when the thing is pulled this was all seated well and I could see that was the diff in long bow limbs, however this bow broke bottom limb at the raiser not the tip.
I now realize that no one will buy a used bow from me and to offer me a try of u'r bow will be done with great trepidation. Maybe I should apply for a job as a crash test dummy for bowyers.
Appreciate u'r thoughts.

[Smallwood]

Some basic guidelines to better bow health/life-

#1 always use a bow stringer.

#2 don't leave your strung bow in a hot car or leaning up against a wall with all the weight on the bottom limb to store it. Hang it by a peg in the house and when transporting it, unstring it.

#3 try to replace your string about once a year, and inbetween replacements, try to maintain your strings by keeping them waxed.

#4 always try to shoot arrows that weigh around 500 grns or heavier to avoid stressing the bow too much. Really light arrows (example: 300grn arrows) will kill a bow with a situation simular to dry firing it. Never dry fire a bow.

#5 Yes, trad bows are very durable, but your equipment will treat you only as good as you treat it, so don't abuse it.  

[divecon10]

Thanks! #'s 1-5 DONE and DONE. My strings out last the bows m8
The comment about the thing left in a car was the last bowyers initial comment when I described the failure to him. My bows have not been in a car! If only # 5 were true I wouldn't be here.
So if no significant lateral considerations come to mind any further comment on bullet proofs will be appreciated, at least I can narrow the field.
Even the mods I approached with this are a bit miffed so thats why I'm here, I may not be any wiser but anything learnt today is a good day. e.g. yesterday I gleamed some on FF.
Cheers

[bofish-IL]

It sures sounds like some type of glue failure from some type of extreme heat.

Or the worst luck of anybody I have ever heard of.

[divecon10]

Me Too! Maybe in transit? Uncertain of heat generated by kinetics of usage? Surely not.

[BigJim]

I have broken more than a couple throughout the years and not one of them from inproper handling (never one of my own make either). I like to shoot bows in the upper 80#'s and will only make two piece longbows for myself. My current go to bow is a 64" buffalo two piece with macassar and gaboon ebony with sheep horn overlays has received in excess of 5000 shots. It draws 86#'s at my 29.5" draw. There are no signs of wear to the TD or anywhere else for that matter. I have owned several black widow TD's up to 90 @ 28. Would never hesitate to build a heavy td or buy another from Black Widow.
Don't know that I would trust another TD system including 3 piece recurve in the upper 80 # category. Just asking alot from a threaded insert or screws.
Take a look at the last bow on my web. It is my personal 90#'er in td.
BIgJIm

[BigJim]

Can't imagine it is heat. they ship lots of things that would be mush or dead in those heat situations.

bigjim

[divecon10]

Thanks Big Jim. Had a look yesterday, stylish indeed.

[highpoint forge]

GO Black Widow!

[outbackbowhunter]

Hunt it

              v e g E m i t e......         lol

[outbackbowhunter]

Just out of curiousity, the bow that had the string pull down through the fibre glass at the string nocks.

Was that a take down longbow from a very well known trad shop.

I had a mate in Bourke who had a very similar problem. He was using the string supplied with the bow.

The bow was about 5 months old and broke while holding at full draw

I am not sure if its acceptable to talk about bow brands and problems here on the forum, especially if the bowyers are sponsors here.

If a few people were having similar issues it may start to tell a story.....

[divecon10]

Outback don't encourage Hunt it, they might all start to wonder.
That issue has occurred to 4 bows the 2nd last being a TD Recurve is the one u refer to. Jeff Strubberg had it for the earlier bows but these last few were high end.
Re u'r pict. Is it that green there at the moment? There must be stuff hoppin/crawlin around everywhere!

[outbackbowhunter]

divecon10,
         Its just about always that green in Ballarat......but that picture about 10 years old