I have some beautiful birch bark that I am considering using to back a bow with. Does anybody know of any reason why I shouldn't do it? Any suggestions would be very welcome. Also on a side note, maybe I'm just a little slow but I haven't been able to figure out what ttt means in the 2 months I've been hanging around here. Thanks
Brian
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I tried it and wasn't too impressed. It didn't seem very durable. I've had better luck with cherry.
My Hwarang Korean bow is birch bark backed....looks pretty cool...haven't really given it the stress test so I don't know how durable it is. On the other hand, many cultures have been backing with bark for centuries...so...can't be a completely stupid idea. I say give it a whirl....I'd probably seal it with something to give it extra life.
-Rob
I've used birch bark to back sinew backed bows and had good results with it. Unfortunately it doesn't stay as white when glued but it still looks cool. I think I used TBIII to glue it down and used a single, thin layer as the back.It won't add ant performance but has good water resistance. Pat
I have also thought of using Birch Bark. I was thinking of splitting the bark, it grows in layers, and glueing it on with the inside out. In other words, taking the white off, down to a good glue surface and then glueing that side to the bow. What do you think?
I have seen bows backed with the white side out and I didn't like the look of it.