Bowstring

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:37 pm

Thank you Jack. 20 years ago i play tenis vith this tipe rocket. I know about gut strings in many old musical instruments too. I asked special about bow practice .Hemp or linen i use too. But in komposite bow its very risk. I self made fue rowhide and gut strings but not in composite bow. I interesting special , how worked this strings in composite.

/before than i broke mi own bow.../

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 11:41 pm

Dusan,
Last year I made some gut strings with Dr Grayson. The technique was to soak tennis racquet gut (sheep's intestine) in water and the unravel it when it softened. The gut was flattened out and then re-twisted under tension with a heavy weight on on one end. After it was thoroughly dry, we softened the ends with water to tie the knots.

The bowstring was hard and exhibited no stretch aside from the tightening of the knots on an eighty pound Turkish bow. I have shot another Turkish bow with a gut string a few years ago (it's the one in my photo) and it performed quite well. I have not chronographed bows with different natural strings yet.

Sheep gut would have been available to all nomad groups and probably was a good performer in dry climates.

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 12:14 am

Bede; Good to know.

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 12:19 am

Thank you Bede . Thats sound better if you personaly shoots vith gut string

.Your string is from only 1 gut layer ?You worked vith tenis gut , not vith fresh sheep gut from butcher? Like i wrote , i worked and shoting too vith vith gut sring but only vith wood flat bow about 50 lb. This is somthing diferent, shooting vith composite /80-100 lb /bow

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:27 am

I made it with three strands twisted together and smoothed down. The tennis racquet gut I used was made from sheep gut (in English we call it catgut).