Twisted Limb Repairable? Help!

KenH · Post by **KenH** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 11:30 pm

A friend in Thailand sent me a "good" Bamboo and Sinew horsebow (not a tourist junk bow) made by a local bowyer. It's only a 30# bow but I don't care to shoot heavy weight bows any more.

Unfortunately the packaging left a lot to be desired (two pieces of plain cardboard taped around the edges does not, to me, constitute adequate packaging for shipping a bow by international post).

When I attempted to string the bow the first time, the upper limb twisted radically. The sinew back seems intact and entire, as you'll see. But it has separated in the unwrapped to show construction location, a bit more than half way out the limb. Also, the bamboo belly strip seems to be splitting somewhat. The damages do not seem to extend into the wrapped areas on either side.

Do you think the bow can be made useable if I soaked and injected the separation places with hide glue and clamped things back together, and then silk wrapped and lacquered the affected area??

Or is it not worth wasting my time, and I should just write this off to "lessons learned"?

mikekeswick · Post by **mikekeswick** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 5:21 pm

Can you post some more pictures showing the bow along it's length eg. from tip to tip and a full width side veiw of it.
First glances don't look too good in my eyes. I suppose one way of looking at it is what have you got to lose?

KenH · Post by **KenH** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 7:58 pm

Will do, Mike, although it'll be a day or so. Right now I'm some distance (by wind and water) away from my home base and the bow (I live aboard a 26 ft sailboat).

At first glance down the length there does not appear ro be an "residual" twist - ie permanent. I suspect the package got caught under other things in a mail depot or whatever and was twisted when someone tried to pull it out rather than move things off the top...

You're right, of course -- what DO I have to lose? Nothing. Anyone chiming in with advice on procedure would be greatly appreciated.

Todd the archer · Post by **Todd the archer** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 9:31 pm

Hope you can do something with it Ken. I too would like to see a picture of the whole bow when you get a chance.

Todd

Uli · Post by **Uli** » Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:20 am

I suggest you do the repair but wrap with sinew instead of silk.

KenH · Post by **KenH** » Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:28 pm

Here's the whole bow, plus shots of the damaged left limb and the good right limb. You can see that there is only 6-8" of exposed sinew on each side, and that's what apparently got twisted somehow.