My BBO Dryad Hunter cracked a limb today. Don't understand what happened or why. One of my favorite bows to shoot.
I was shootin' for awhile, had 4 bows out takin' turns with 'em. Everything was goin' pretty good so I started shootin' at my 50 yard target. Thought the 20 yard ones were gettin' too easy. So after a little bit of humbling shooting at the long range I thought I'd better get out Old Faithful. She is the only bow I've got that I'd say was "forgiving". And from the looks of my shootin' I was needing some "forgiveness". Well I shot a round of 8 arrows, put the bow down and went after 'em. Came back, picked up the bow and "bustin' bamboo", what the heck happened.
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss116/joekeithspics/Archery/bows/Dryads/Hunter/DSCN1204.jpg)
I don't know what caused it. Didn't hear, or feel anything. It was just like that when I came back to it.
I'm thinkin' about all I can do is try and fill it with some Super Glue and wrap it. It's about midway up the bottom limb. Don't know what else to try. Anyone got any ideas what might work?
Looks like it just cracked about halfway across the limb, and down to the next lam, and followed that for about 1 inch. I'm really bummed. That was a special bow to me. Any cures, or fixes I guess, would be greatly appreciated. :help:
Here's a view from the other side.....
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss116/joekeithspics/Archery/bows/Dryads/Hunter/DSCN1206.jpg)
So what do yas think ? :help:
Looks like a glue line to me?
The belly lam of osage is what's damaged, correct? That's very strange, but here's some thoughts:
1) How long had it been since you shot the bow last? If it was a long time, did you take time to work the bow in nice and easy?
2)From the picture you've posted, it looks like that lam is quarter sawn and has sound grain orientation. The center lam looks like it has some grain runout and the point of failure, however, and perhaps that contributed.
3) Did you set the bow on the ground or toss it?
4) Were you shooting at a range? If so, were you the only person there? Could someone have picked up your bow and overdrawn it without you knowing it?
I'd certainly recommend that you contact Mike and Jason and get their imput.
could patch that, couldnt you??
its on the belly.
Damn what a bummer!
Since it's in the belly lam it could be repaired with a new lam. It would be a huge undertaking but very doable.
I'd take 4est's advice before attempting such a repair myself.
"I'd certainly recommend that you contact Mike and Jason and get their imput."
4esttrker,
1.)How long.....a few days or so, less than a week for sure. I pulled her back partial draws and worked it up to full draw about a half dozen times.
2.)...
3.)Yes, I put the bow on the ground, on grass.
4.)I was shootin' at home, by myself, it wasn't overdrawn.
Thanks for suggestions, any more ideas ? :help:
With the crack open you could fill it with super glue then put enough reverse tension on the limb to close the crack up, then leave it like that for half a day or so. Then wrap the limb with something like B50, sinew, or similar material, but I wouldn't guarantee that it will hold like that forever. It needs a new belly lam to be fixed permanently the right way.
Sorry that happened to ya Keith, I know how much you loved that bow.
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss116/joekeithspics/Archery/bows/Dryads/Hunter/DSCN1211.jpg)
Look where she broke....maybe I haven't praised him enough lately, I guess I could fix that anyway... :pray:
Well talked to Mike @ Dryad.....nothing good to report. He said I could use some Urac 185 and wrap the heck out of it, but said it would just be temporary and the bow would fail.
That's just the way things have been goin' for me. :banghead:
If I hadn't quit drinkin' I think I'd go get drunk today. Maybe I'll go look for somethin' dead so I can do this. :deadhorse:
Thanks for the suggestions, later.....
I hate it when that happens.
URAC and sinew should fix it right up.
Shooting long distance, maybe you were putting a little extra oomph into it. I had one explode when trying to hit a 3D that was 150 yards away. I think it made it to about 31" brefore exploding.
Overdrawing, not that you overdrew it, usually causes a different type of failure, a splinter in the back or crysalls. That type of break looks like someone strung it backwards, which is what makes it strange that it broke that way.
I think it can be fixed with Urac(or super glue) and a sinew wrap. Might be a bit stiff in that area but it should hold OK.
Looks to me like a grain runoff with that 45deg break on the side. It broke with the grain. You may have over drawn it a bit going for the long shot. A wood bow fully drawn is 9/10th broke!
I wouldn't hesitate to try to fix it. A little CA glue and a wrap soaked in CA glue will hold it I bet.
I wish I wouldn't have opened up this thread.
I finished a BBO Dryad blank a couple years ago and although it's not my go-to bow, it's my first choice when I want to shoot something different. I've shot thousands of arrows from it over the past few years with no problems. Now you got me worryin'. :pray:
im with john. get some good capilary (thin thin thin) ca , and go to town. some hide glue and sinew would probably do you even better.
id really look for hide glue and sinew personally. especially if the bow meant something to me.
-hov
Finally got internet again....the weather has had it down for us the most part of the last couple of days.
So what glue would be the best for this ??
Should I use Urac, ca, or hide glue ? The bow means a lot to me so whatever would be best is what I want to try.
Sinew....is the artificial on the roll stuff good enough or should I use real sinew? If real sinew, how do I apply it?
BTW, thanks for the suggestions. I'll be trying something and will let yas know how it comes out.
AND...
Did everyone but me know that Dryad no longer makes the bow blanks ? That really sucks.... :banghead:
That depends on what ya got on hand Keith. Urac or thin super glue would be my choice and either one soaked real good on the wrap would be sufficient I would think. I've never used hide glue before so I can't help ya there.
The only thing I would mention about the Urac is that it will be a bit messier and would require some clean up after it's cured. Super glue on the other hand would dry instantly and no clean up if your careful with it, so I'm leaning more toward the super glue. Artificial sinew, B50, or like material should do the job fine. Some of that red B50 we made a string with would probably match the limb color pretty close too?
Good luck man, I hope it works for ya.
I would use the CA glue, the thin stuff so I'll run deep into those cracks. If you wrap it, I suggest something that's not waxed, so it can be coated as well.
Dryad blanks were great, if they're not making them anymore, there are some pretty good alternatives out there.
Done this kind of fix before, use URAC. I mixed some urac with a little less hardener(the hardener ratio is not critical according to a tech rep at the Nelson Paint co), Put the glue in a syringe and injected it as deeply as I could in the crack. I clamped the crack to further distribute the glue and gave the area a sinew wrap.
7 years and 10s of thousands of arrows later(last month) I took off the sinew to check on the crack, it is still as tight a fix as when I took it out of the clamps. I replaced the sinew with a super glued serving thread wrap, toasted the belly and am about to retiller the bow and put it back in service. The toasting in a form gave it 3" of reflex so I need to readjust the tiller.
To give you an idea of how good Urac is, here is a bow I call the Frankenstein bow. I had to glue all kinds of pieces into the handle and limbs to make a bow out of a badly torn out stave. No wraps to hold things together and the bow is still shooting, made it six years ago.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/frankenbowshapedhandle.jpg)
The current owner found the bow in an archery shop in Chattanooga and sent me this picture to see if I could tell him anything about it. I initially sent it to a guy in Connecticut. How it got to Chattanooga is beyond me.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/Frankensteinnowpic.jpg)
Do as Eric says.
Joekeith, You can get urac from mike at the nocking point. He's a sponsor here. He'll have it to you ASAP. Very good guy to deal with.
I have been using it and I love it! If Eric says it can be fixed with urac I would follow his direction to the t. You can put a heat lamp on it with a 100 watt bulb and it will cure harder than a rock and hold up good.
Stiks
Yep, Urac seems like the way to go, or at least I'm gonna give it a try. Should I just glue, and clamp it up, then wait to wrap it with sinew ? Or should I wrap it at the same time I gue it? Should I put it in my hot box to dry?
Anymore suggestions before I try it let me know now. I still have to order the Urac though so guess it'll be next week. I've got all kinds of ca now. Bought just about each different type I could find, but now I'm goin' with Urac, Oh well. Thanks for the ideas guys, appreciate it. :campfire:
That's some dandy info right there! I had no idea that Urac was so tough, I'll store this one away in memory for later use. I wish they had a Urac premix that came in a small bottle like super glue or Elmer's glue for little repairs like splinters and such that would be awesome.
Thanks once again Eric for sharing your wisdom. :thumbsup:
The urac will hold it just fine as others suggested, but your main problem will be getting the epoxy to every nook and cranny.
I would warm up the urac and the wood and, using some type of tape or covering, to create an air pocket over the crack and epoxy. Squeezing around on the air pocket will force the warm epoxy into even the smallest crevice. Best of luck.........Art
Finally got the Urac and am ready to glue her up. Mike at Nocking Point was quick to ship and a good guy to deal with.
Got her glued up. Had to add more resin to mix to get it thin enough to run into all of the crack, I hope.
I put the bow and the Urac in my heat box for little more than an hour to warm them up ahead of time. The temp was close to 120. They both felt warm to the touch. I did all I could to get the glue to fill everything, had plenty oozing out each time I tried to add more to a different spot.
I then wrapped it in some Saran Wrap type stuff, and clamped it. I left it in the box overnight. It was in there for about 14 hours. I had some of the excess mix in a lid laying in there next to the bow so that I could make sure it had hardened thoroughly.
After pulling it out of the box I sanded off the excess glue, sure glad I used painter's tape on the surrounding limb. This was my first time using Urac and I must admit, it is some good stuff. :saywhat:
So far, so good......anymore suggestions? I'll take a couple of pics today and try yo post 'em tomorrow.
Thanks for the help guys.... I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for awhile hopin' that this one will hold. She was a fine bow and hope she still is. Thanks again... :campfire:
The key to Urac with a repair is to NOT clamp it too tight (from what I've learned) it is more of a gap filling glue. It should be ready to string. Just excercise it first. Nice and easy for awhile.
I haven't used urac with sinew, I have used tite bond a bunch of times with sinew with good results so I would recommend it instead of urac if you use sinew.
A super glued thread wrap looks better and is just as strong as a sinew wrap.
I use my bowstring server with braided nylon serving and serve the limb just like I was serving a string. Go about 1/2" past each end of the crack. After I get the wrap in place I soak the thread with superglue until it won't hold any more.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/copperheadbackcrackwrap.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by Tom Leemans:
The key to Urac with a repair is to NOT clamp it too tight (from what I've learned) it is more of a gap filling glue. It should be ready to string. Just excercise it first. Nice and easy for awhile.
Now you tell me... :saywhat: ...that's how my wife gives directions. Turn here...right AFTER you pass the place. Well too late, it's been glued, and clamped tight. It's all dry, and LOOKS great.
I'm thinkin' I oughtta wrap it for extra strength. I was meaning to wrap it with "artificial" sinew, not real sinew. I also thought about using some bow string, serving thread, or some heavy thread used for sewin' leather. Any other suggestions ? Whatever I use if it has any kinda wax on it I'll soak it in some acetone first to clean it all off. I will use super glue on it.
Another question......should I wrap the other limb the same so that they will match each other ?
I'll go take a couple of pics now and try to figure out what I want to wrap it with. I'll probably wrap it tonight. So any suggestions would be useful BEFORE then.
Thanks again...... :campfire:
She seems to be OK....so far anyway. I've shot it about 20 times and she seems fine. I know, time will tell, but for right now I'm a happy camper. I'm in the process of loading some pics to photobucket, not that they're anything special, but when after loaded I'll try to post a pic or two. Thanks for the help guys, appreciate it. :bigsmyl:
Well here's a pic of the patch. Seems to be holdin', don't know for how long but sure is nice shootin' her again. Wingnut said it will give up sooner or later, let's hope it's later...lots later.
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss116/joekeithspics/Archery/bows/Dryads/Hunter/DSCN1400.jpg)
So far i've put about 100 shots through it. If it wasn't so dang hot I'd be puttin' more through her.
Looks real good Keith you did a nice job on that. I hope it lasts forever man.