when to pad a string

[Mint Hill Mule]

Want to start to making my own strings. The Liberty Longbow is 50 lb 66". If I use D97 12 strands will I need to pad the loops? The current string is FF, not sure how many strands.

Also which diameter serving would be best?

[Pete W]

I would add the extra strands on any 12 strand string.

Serving size will be determined by the nock size.

[LBR]

I like to use at least 16 strands in the loops with a Dynaflight '97 string.  Like Pete said, serving size will depend on what type nocks you use--with a 12 strand string, most likely you'll need .024 or .025, but that's not a guarantee.

Chad