I finally need advise! String material?

joebuck · August 20, 2007, 03:26:00 PM

Hey guys, I have been known to give my 2 cents recently at this cybercampfire on everything from bowmaking to broadhead sharpening. Sometimes I feel like I'm on here more than Biggie

Finally I need some advice.

My string making material is 10-15 years old.. i know it's not Dacron..but maybe fast flight......Now i'm ready to build a string that will take me into the 2000's.

My bow tips can handle anything....my priorities are in this order
1. kind of quiet
2. fast as it can be
3. less creep

What string material do I need to buy...thanks for any help. JoeBuck

mark land · August 20, 2007, 03:35:00 PM

I really like the 8125 material, it is the small diameter Dynaflight97 and works very well. Once I pre-stretch it, it will stay in brace and wears very well, but more importantly, it is much quieter then any of the 450 material and works very well on recurves and longbows. Mark

BigRonHuntAlot · August 20, 2007, 03:37:00 PM

I like TS1 plus but there may be something that suits your bow better. Some materials perform better on different bows. Kinda need to find out what your bow likes...

vermonster13 · August 20, 2007, 03:37:00 PM

TS1 Plus gets great reviews, D97 has worked very well on many of my bows and 450 is on the Shrews and does pretty well.

LBR · August 20, 2007, 04:45:00 PM

Big Ron nailed it. I try to stay up on string materials, and I've heard great, lousy, and everything in-between about them all. Some bows seem to do well with any material, some seem to like one over another. Variations in strands, how it's built, padded loops, etc. will make a difference.

For me, I use Dynaflight '97 on my personal bows. I've shot 8125 and 450+, and wouldn't mind if I had to use either of those. FWIW, I sell more Dynaflight '97 strings than all the others I carry (dacron, 450+, and 8125) combined. I'm sure part of the reason is because that's the material I use and reccomend when asked.

For your credentials...

1. kind of quiet
If the string is properly made and tuned, it should be plenty quiet

2. fast as it can be
Go with fewer strands for a lighter string.

3. less creep

450+ or 452X for the absolute least creep. 8125 and Dynaflight '97 coming in a close second. I haven't used TS-1, but one of the main complaints I've heard about it is stretch/creep.

Chad

LBR · August 20, 2007, 04:53:00 PM

Almost forgot--Joe, if you are ever in the Fulton/Tremont area, give me a holler and come by my shop--you can look at what I have.

Chad

joebuck · August 20, 2007, 05:05:00 PM

Thanks Guys, ya'll have saved me a lot time reading up and such...i need that time with a demanding wife and a 2 and 5 year old boys hanging around my ankles...but don't let me fool you......it's pretty fun being a dad at 45 and 23 year old wife :D

Ray Hammond · August 20, 2007, 05:23:00 PM

now you're just braggin'. You Mississippi boys (you, Elvis, etc) like em young, don't you? Let's see....a 5 year old boy, so you married her at 17????? Yikes....Joebuck!!!!

joebuck · August 20, 2007, 06:45:00 PM

ssssssshhhhh Ray .. don't blow my cover

Curveman · August 20, 2007, 07:39:00 PM

I'm getting tired just thinking about it!

Golden Hawk · August 20, 2007, 07:42:00 PM

My vote would go to 450+ and D97 as a second.

SpankyNeal · August 20, 2007, 08:37:00 PM

Maybe try Xcell for your LB's. Chad at Primetime recommended it for my LB's - said it was faster than 450+ and also quieter. I'm gonna try it as soon as I need another string. My experience has been just the opposite of LBR in regards to D97 and TS+. I bought one of each for two recurves of mine that have the same draw weight, and the D97 stretched quite a bit more than the TS+. As always JoeB, your results may vary!

Regards,
Your long lost shooting friend "Spanky" from Ga.

joebuck · August 20, 2007, 09:24:00 PM

Spanky!!!!!!!! you still a hell of a shot? 1989-90? 91?...it's been a while....take care brother!

dachba · August 20, 2007, 09:49:00 PM

I haven't tried 450+ (mentioned by Golden Hawk) but really like how D97 lays up when I make a flemish string. I also like how well it works with my Fedora Jr. recurve. The recurve is 53# and I use 12 and 15 strands (15 for a three bundle string, mainly because I like the way my serving and nocks work, and to protect my tips).

LBR · August 20, 2007, 11:22:00 PM

Ken, I have no experience with TS+--just going on what I've been told about it. I have a lot of experience with Dynaflight '97--very little stretch. Unless a string is pre-stretched, it can setting in quite a bit when new--that's primarily the wax and the twist settling in. The number of strands, draw weight, etc. will also make a difference.

As best I can tell the "best" string material is like the "best" bow--depends on who you ask. I've had folks tell me one material was loud on their bow, while another said that same material is very quiet. Like I said, some bows seem to "like" one material over another.

After making thousands of strings, there's one thing I've figured out: the more I learn about strings and materials, the more I realize I've got a lot more to learn. There's seldom one right answer to a given question.

I bet you a doughnut against a dollar that I can take two different materials and make either one of them faster, and if I had the time to tinker I could make either one of them quieter. There's a lot more to it than just the type material used in the string.

Chad

Pat B. · August 21, 2007, 12:07:00 AM

Chad, when making strings with small strand count, say a 12 strand 8125, how do you bring up diameter to work with the X nocks on Axis arrow or on the Beeman MFX.. I've used .022,.026 and .030 serving.. A 14 strand served with .026 works pretty well but I've not found a combo for a 12 strand to suit those nocks.. Can you offer some advice?
Thanks,
Pat

KEG · August 21, 2007, 10:06:00 AM

I've used B50 and fast flight in the past and recently purchased a spool of black D97. When I was done making a sting with the D97 the black dye from the string was all over my fingers and my piece of leather used to work in the wax. This has never happened with the B50 or fast flight. Has this happened to anyone else?
Ken

jeff / sc · August 21, 2007, 10:14:00 AM

Ken, had the same thing happen with yellow D97...everything around me was yellow. I must be just getting old because I keep going back to B50. Can't see that big a difference on how the bow shoots and have yet to try any combo of silencers and fast flight type strings that are as quite as B50.

joebuck · August 21, 2007, 10:22:00 AM

I just checked with Lancaster archery...$100 for 2 spools of 8125......

Chad, where you at in Fulton ,MS? Imay need to buy 1 string first.

LBR · August 21, 2007, 10:52:00 AM

Pat, you can add strands under the serving, or let the tag end run the entire length of the serving--I prefer the latter. You can also just build up the nocking point with dental floss--that's a trick Rod Jenkins told me about. I haven't tried it, but I know it's got to work if Rod uses it.

KEG, I've fussed at BCY about the dyes--black, yellow, red, and mountain berry are the worst for the dye bleeding. I order my material "lightly waxed" and that helps a lot. Ray told me they are experimenting with different dyes, trying to get away from that problem. Some of my newer spools seem to be a lot better.

8125 ain't cheap--lol. I can beat that price though. You can also get smaller spools (500') that are cheaper, but the bigger spools are more economical if you are going to be making several strings.

Joe, I'm real close to Tremont, just off Hwy. 178. Take 78 just past Fulton, get off at the Belmont/Iuka exit, head East on 178--not far from there. I'd have to give you the rest over the phone--I live back in the sticks (my shop is beside my house).

Chad