About bowstrings

[vvv1983]

I LIVE IN CHINA AND OWN 4 TOELKES, BUT BECAUSE WHEN AT CUSTOMS, THE BOWSTRING TENDS TO BE LOST. I have only one bowstring (64SS) for my 4 bows.
I tried with D97, 8190F, Mercury. But none of them feel as good as the original. Because it's inconvenient for me to call DAN,SO I want to ask if you know?

[McDave]

I don't know what Dan is using now, but back when I bought my Toelke  bows he was using D97.  I wouldn't be surprised if he still does.  On his website, he just recommends fast flight, which covers just about everything these days except for a couple of varieties of non-fastflight string material used by those who have older bows.  I make all my own strings, and I recently went back to D97, because it is so widely available, inexpensive, and has worked so well for so many years.  (Plus, the variety I had been using, which was supposed to be so wonderful when it came out, is now obsolete!).

What Dan does that is different from most bowyers who make traditional bows is that he uses exclusively endless loop strings instead of Flemish twist strings.  After making Flemish twist strings for many years, I learned to make endless loop strings last year, and now prefer them.  My experience is that side by side, same material, same number of strands, endless loop strings are a little faster.  Perhaps more important, Flemish twist strings have a bump at the end of the string loops that is not present in endless loop strings, and this bump can cause slight limb twist, particularly on the lower limb where the loop is smaller.  Properly made endless loop strings lie flat against the limbs.

I noticed in the photos of your string that it has something white wrapped around the string.  What is that for?

For best performance, it is important to have the right number of twists in the string.  For Flemish twist strings, I like to start with not quite enough twists, maybe 1 twist every two inches, and gradually increase the twists as the string stretches to the ideal number of 1 twist per inch.  For endless loop strings, I want just enough twists so the string doesn't fan out when shot.  I might start with no twists or only a couple of twists, and add more as needed, but a properly made endless loop string will never have as many twists as a Flemish twist string. Many people overtwist their strings, which degrades performance.

Like Dan Toelke, I am beginning to prefer endless loop strings, and doubt that I will make many Flemish twist strings in the future, other than for friends who might want one.

[black velvet]

McDave, They look like nocking points.

[vvv1983]

Thank you very much, MCDAVE
I also make my own bowstring! About the white thing you mentioned, it is a very thin, transparent and tough tape called Teflon tape! Yes, it's very smooth. I just don't want to disturb the string ...
I don't know what it is called in America. Let me show you a picture of it! Thank you again.

[vvv1983]

Something like this.
Its description:A smooth surface,Very wear-resistant,Waterproof to prevent sticking.
I will also use this material as an arrow platform, similar to the tail skin of nutria, which is called mouse pad in China.