Heating Horn Bows

mongolianarcher · Post by **mongolianarcher** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:25 pm

Horn bows sold by Yuhua and other korean bowyers have to be heated and adjusted every time they are shot. This makes me become filled with questions because in the battle field many soldiers would need to fight at a moments notice, and never do I hear ancients having to stop, and

heat thier bow and adjust it. Wouldnt you think the bowyers back then made sturdy bows? I would rather buy a modern version of a bow than have to adjust a bow claiming to be like what the ancients used, while the ancients didnt have to care for thier bows like now. Please make replies back!

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:11 pm

Lucas,
In battle situations, people left their bows strung for long periods of time. They often slipped leather loops over the limbs of the bow and the string to stop them from distorting. The shaped bow cases also helped. In the earlier periods, when the bows were not so reflexed and the ears were straight, they did not have to worry so much.

You should also bear in mind that modern bow makers are often trying to get maximum performance which can result in a more delicate bow. Yokhua also told me that he builds his bows for the climate of Taiwan with its high humidity. Bows made like that and kept in an air-conditioned building might require more work to keep them in good condition. Even in the 1940s, people were complaining about that.

osmiu · Post by **osmiu** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:11 pm

I tried once to heat-tiller a modern korean bow like a horn one ... it broked in 2 pieces like a very dry twig .
no more tillering from my part .

Adam Karpowicz · Post by **Adam Karpowicz** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 8:45 pm

What Bede said. The lower weight bows sold today have thinner limbs which leads to the lack of stability an the sensitivity to the climatic conditions.

Adam

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 2:44 am

In the Chinese military manuals there are instructions for binding strung bows. Basically you tie a cord from one tip and loop it back and forth around the string and the limb, applying some tension, so that it looks like a series of 'V's going back and forth from one tip to the other. That reduces the distortion over time. Often they used an extra long bow bag for the purpose.

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:39 am

This is very like the Korean and Middle Eastern practice. The Koreans use their bow bags for the same way as you describe. Both the Koreans and the Mamluks used loops of leather for the same purpose.

mongolianarcher · Post by **mongolianarcher** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:57 pm

Stephen Selby wrote:In the Chinese military manuals there are instructions for binding strung bows. Basically you tie a cord from one tip and loop it back and forth around the string and the limb, applying some tension, so that it looks like a series of 'V's going back and forth from one tip to the other. That reduces the distortion over time. Often they used an extra long bow bag for the purpose.

So is that what koreans do with thier sashes?