Changing paradigms

[Roy from Pa]

 

[Pat B]

When I looked at the bow today sitting in our sunroom I noticed the tips have lifted off the reflex blocks. That sinew and sinew glue are doing their work.
Before adding the sinew with the limbs sitting on the blocks the handle was at least 1" above the form base...


Just a few minutes ago when I went and looked, this is what I saw...

[George Tsoukalas]

Pat, with all that reflex, that will be a "fun" tiller. Sinew looks good. Jawge

[Pat B]

Yeah, George, just getting the bow into deflex on the tiller tree will be interesting.

[Roy from Pa]

Damn that's awesome...

[Pat B]

I'm surprised too, Roy and only after 3 or 4 days after adding the sinew. What will it look like in a month? 

[Roy from Pa]

LOL...

[Pat B]

The sinew seems to have stabilized at least it hasn't drawn the bow into any more reflex in the last few days. I want to study the sinew backing and add a bit more where needed. Once that dries I have some very thin rawhide that I want to cover the sinew with.

[Buggs]

You going to do some Neolithic cave art on that rawhide? 

[Pat B]

I have some similar plans, Phil. 

[Pat B]

I did a little more work on this bow yesterday. I sanded the sinew back with 80 grit sandpaper to smooth it somewhat, to get the predominant lumps out...


then I resized the sinew back with hide glue...


in the mean time I separated out a few choice strands of sinew to fill in the thinner sinew areas on the back...


...and added sinew where needed...
 

...after a little while I noticed the sinewed limbs had relaxed a little because of the introduced moisture of the hide glue and sinew. The tips were sitting back down the blocks. This morning I noticed they had come off the blocks a smig so the moisture is evaporating again. I think I'll be adding the rawhide today and then let it dry for a while. Once it dries some I may start shaping the handle and tips.

[Pat B]

Here are pics of tips back down on the blocks...


...and the drying sinew this morning with the more even sinew...

[Roy from Pa]

Very nice, Pat

[Buggs]

Thats a lot of tension!  Hope that bow does not get tendonitis

[Mad Max]

Nice pat what kind and how thick is the rawhide??

[Pat B]

Mark, I believe it is deer and it is very thin, about like typing paper.

[Buemaker]

Looking good Pat.

[Mad Max]

 

[Pat B]

Thanks, Bue. That elg sinew is wonderful stuff. 

[Pat B]

After the sinew dried for a day I decided to add the rawhide backing so it could all dry together. I sanded the sinew back again to smooth it out somewhat then prepared to add the rawhide. I first hydrated the rawhide in warm water...


...then washed it well with Dawn and warm water then rinsed it well and put it back in warm water so it would stay hydrated...



...then I rolled the wet rawhide in paper towels to get the excess moisture off of it...


...then it was time to size the sinew back and the rawhide before putting them together. I did this twice over about 30 minutes to ensure good adhesion.


I only do one limb at a time and overlay the rawhide pieces at the handle. Once the rawhide is in place I wrap it with strips of old bed sheets for about an hour. The strips of old sheets allow the moisture to evaporate as the strips hold the rawhide to the back...


After an hour I I remove the cloth strips and check the rawhide for trapped air and excess glue. I work them out with my thumb. If that doesn't work I use a sharp razor to make a small slit lengthwise and push out the air and excess glue.


Once both limbs have been covered with the rawhide it's time to set the bow aside to let everything dry.
This morning I trimmed the excess rawhide from the sides and belly of the bow. And now the waiting game begins. I'll probably give the bow at least a week to dry. With the wood stove in our house and even with humidifiers running things dry our pretty quickly.