For all the collectors of old Bear Recurves.....
Do you prefer an endless loop, or a flemish twist string on your bows??? When I was a kid back in the 70's & 80's all you could buy was an endless loop string. Toward the end of the 80's, you were lucky to find ANY recurve strings in the stores. I honestly had not even SEEN a flemish twist string untill the late 90's.
So let's hear it!!! Whatcha like??? Why???
I have Flemish Twist Strings on my old Bears.
I like flemish as well. I think it's easier to tweak brace, make multi-color choices...and they just look cooler too.
Flemish also as that is what they came with and is the only kind I can make.
I have both, a well made EL string is outstanding-quiet, does not stretches much as FT and looks cool and period correct on 1950's and '60's bows. Use what you like; who made it is more important than what type it is.
Endless loop. I make my own.
I like Endless loop...nostalgia
I've never use a Flemish string, but those that do seem to really like them.
endless loop period correct colors
I have a TradGang Brother(CyclicRivers)who makes BEAUTIFUL flemish twist strings for me!!! However, I've always liked the endless loop strings,and they bring back memories of my youth! I remember as a kid, looking through all the strings to find the right size... Then, trying to make a decision as to just what color I wanted!!!!! :banghead:
Todays plain black endless loop strings, are just boring..... :(
Well chuck, I like Flemish because thats all I know how to make lol
Flemish rules.
I love the burgundy and tan endless loops strings that were common in the 50s and early 60s. I dyed a bunch of B50 and serving material several years ago to make period correct strings for all my classic Kodiaks. Oh and btw, dying string is a PIA.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/KodiakString010.jpg)
Trap
Most of the strings I remember from the 60's were tan with green serving. Still have a couple laying around.
Nice job Trap. The serving color goes beautifully on my 1959 Kodiak! :thumbsup:
I've got vintage endless string, burnt orange B-50 with light blue servings on my 1962 Kodiak Magnum. Strings were in the original plastic Bear Archery sleeve and I picked up two of them on fleaybay. I've got an Allan Shafer Flemish on my 1957 Bear Kodiak. I like both types and just depends on what I can find in the vintage department. If I can't find a vintage, I have no problem with using Flemish from one of the many Tradgang sponsors (and I really like Allan Shafer at Lefties R Us on the sponsor list).
As the prices of my 1960 Kodiak's plummeted so did their value as hunting bows increase...one already wears a padded loop low strand count string and the others will eventually...really looking forward to seeing what my 40 pound 64 inch will do with a ten strand Whisper string
DDave
I may be incorrect but every Bear I ever had back in the 60s and 70s came with endless loop strings.
You are correct.
I prefer Flemish. With the nostalgic color's.
The Bears I bought new in '62 and '63 certainly had endless loop strings but I prefer the flemish strings now on my two K Specials (59 and 60). Had Bearbowman make up two and they fit fantastic.
Endless loop string works better for me and are quieter I believe.
I'm a flemish twist guy.
(http://i.imgur.com/BB0wk9S.jpg)
as a collector I prefer endless spring
as a shooter I like those strings
(http://i.imgur.com/6cmUqV4.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/7mMxT76.jpg)
All in all I like them both,-
when they are, like Bjorn says, - are well made!!!
(http://i.imgur.com/SxOBm2g.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/4bwf0Z0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZBA6nB4.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ByV552l.jpg)
ps. spring will coming soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IMHO as a collector who hunts with Vintage Bear Archery Tackle -
Vintage Bear Bows deserve to have original Endless Loop Bear Strings.
Or a reproduction of the Original Bear String...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/IMG_1127.jpg)
That's a lot of spare strings. You need :help:
Bearbowman's strings are fantastic.
Herder, when I glanced at that '62 it was like looking at a beautiful woman on the beach and then having someone ask me what color her bikini was. I paid absolutely no attention to the string color.
I am looking for someone who can make a period correct string for my 1930's bow that was Fred's. In the picture shown on page 68 of Dick Lattimers book, is Fred drawing the bow next to a Ford license plate dated 1932. My guess is that this would have been a silk string, maybe all white?. If anyone knows of a string maker who can produce such a monster please contact me. This is a bow that Fred made in his garage, and was the 13th bow he made.
Shane,
I'd contact Dan Toelke. I bet he'd be a good resource on finding someone for making such a string.
http://montanabows.blogspot.com/p/contact-us.html
(http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/GEDC0236.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/GEDC0236.jpg.html)
Just have to smile and shake my head in near disbelief every time I see this 1932 photograph of a target archer with his protruding elbow who is drawing a light weight target bow made of lemonwood and wearing a white shirt, tie, dark rimmed spectacles and a hat trimmed with a wide dark hat band. It seems unlikely that the target archer in this image could become the legendary bow hunter, Fred Bear who many of us grew up with in the 1950s and 1960s.
The 1935 image on the facing page of the successful bowman with his first B&A deer and obviously much heavier weight hunting bow (yew?) looks a little more like the Fred Bear who many of us came to know much later.
I have endless loop on all of my vintage brownings....as that is what they had on them originally when first purchased in 60s. To me EL is more vintage....for this era...if I had one from 1800s would maybe use hemp or linen or something...
I use the flemish twist on my more recently built bows....just for aesthetics only and that is what they came with. :)
Went back to the endless loop for the same reason.
Just seems to be the right string for them.
(http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z117/katswal/FredBear-BlaneyParkMI1935_zps225ba605.jpg) (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/katswal/media/FredBear-BlaneyParkMI1935_zps225ba605.jpg.html)
Here is Fred in 1935, before he got us all hooked.
It is funny Wade. I would like to find the bow on the next page as well ;-)
Shane,
I'm sure there are dozens of collectors who would also like to find the bow on page 69 that Fred took his first deer with in 1935.
Not certain that most who would see it, would actually be able to identify it.
I have the broadhead, but you can not really see it in the photograph.
Still so much stuff to be found, and so little time.
I found the old string that came on the first Grumley I bought in the case with bow socks. It has a couple knots where someone tied it back together. This string is more like a thin rope, and all white.
Wade,
It's my goal to find the Snowbuck movie, and I am letting everyone know that I can.