I'm gonna have some pics of Wingnut and me sinew a bow pretty soon......but first I gotta take care of a little sumpin Joemarty brought by........dang I hates 'em sucker

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/snake.jpg

Rusty Yeeeeeeks! Craine

Rusty,

Looking forward to the tutorial.  As for the snakes, would love to back a bow with one, but you go ahead and kill 'em, eh?    

Stan

Nice lookin snakes Rusty.... they look like they match up real well.... Terry

Looks like great fun Craine! Whats the problem,sir? Anybody that would hunt in a jesters hat shouldn't be scared    of a dead snake?

Looking forward to the sinew job!  

WE'as make hide glue.  50/50 weight/weight or about as thick a karo syrup.  heat to 120 degrees and disolve troughly.

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew1twwn.jpg

Now for goodness sakes pound enough sinew.  get your glue to 120 degrees; i use a thermometer.  Have a pot of clean water for your hands.

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew2twwn.jpg

'Em boys that say sinew don't add zip to your bow...jsut ain't done it right.  We have the bow tip on blocks to add some pre-stress.  Make has got the bow tied down with stout line in the middle of the relfex area.  I will add zip, real zip

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew3twwn.jpg

more later this even I got dinner with a pretty little red head.......  :D  

Rusty

where in the heck is JoeMarty finding all those coontails?

You talking about having dinner with Bear? How's he doing? Tell him I said hi   :D

Dang sinewing would be fun if wasn't for all the pounding of the tendons and the sticky glue.  Heck if ya could just epoxy the tendons to the bow that would be better.

About the snakes, Rusty called and I went over and helped skin them.  He doesn't like snakes and it takes a real long time to skin when ya won't touch.

Anyway bow is looking good.  Rusty is going to let it dry at room temp for a day or two then in the heat box.  I will take it home in a week and put in my box till it's ready to finish tillering.

Mike

when she gets there make sure ya tell her that ain't a spaghetti dinner cookin' there in the pot...  

deerfly - 'em little coon tials is going on your bow Barfly  

more in a bit

Rusty

Wingnut used a fine toothing blade on the back of the bow to rise a tooth so the sinew/glue would have sumpin to grab hold of.  Now ya need to "size" the back...that is put a coat of hide glue on it and let it set up

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew4twwn.jpg

Wingnut and I double team the job.  He makes  the bumdles out of da pile of  sinew and handles them to me.

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew5atwwn.jpg

I don't per-wet the sinew in water.  I like to soak it good in glue till it is saturated and softened.  Now ya can my a thin ribbon out of it by squeezing it between your fingers.

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew5twwn.jpg

Here is about the size bunble we go for.

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew6twwn.jpg

ys with me so far......dinner was really nice    

Rusty

I'm stuck like sinew Rusty!

? why's Mike always wearin that ninja band?Wouldn't those sweat drippins add a little more magic?

Thems nice snakes JM sent over, look just about right for that bow. Now ya have me thinking about sinew on one I have about done in the basement....

Now, being I'm a married man, I have ta sinew in the basement or the garage, don't get to sinew up in the dining room with all them windows and nice sheer curtains and stuff  :D    :D ..Good thread.

geo...like to sinew once in the dining room like Rusty...nagel

Now listen here well ya.  Sinew backing is fool proof.  ya can put it in a brick like pattern.  Ya can start at both ends and work to the middle.  One bundle down each side, one down the middle of the limb from the tip then fill in the spaces.  Ya can't do it wrong.

here to two good courses

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew7twwn.jpg

I think it is important to press it well into the bottom layer or back.  Wingnut put it down. I come along with my messey fingers and press it flat and down into the back or bottom layer while he gets another bundle.


We like to bring it round the edge of the back so we round the back edge pretty well

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew8twwn.jpg

Pressed and geled.  up close

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew9twwn.jpg

Listen when can put on more while it is wet, after it is dry.  ya can file it down to make it smooth, ya can file it down and put more on.

Ya can't mess the stuff up.....but the stuff is messy

http://stavestobows.homestead.com/files/sinew10twwn.jpg

Rusty

Just get a good tooth on your back, press all the glue out of your ribbon that ya can, press it well into what ever is underneth it.  when apply the pressing down pressure, kepp your finger mosit with hide glue.  keep your hide glue at 120 degrees, apply the sinew in some kinda even somewhat orgnized manner.

File it, sand it, leave it only, put more on, take more off.......it is the no fail backing that will indeed add zip to your bow.

Rusty -this ain't rocket science, jut get it on and get it stuck- CRaine

aahhh, I see ya' got the chrono in the glue already, so that's the secret to the extry speed...   :eek:

seriously, this is great stuff. My bud Steve tells me the preparation of the sinew is really a job, maybe worst than applying it. You got any tips or advice fer that?

ain't so deerfly - it is great fun.  I got the wardrob for it, I got the IQ for it, I am emotionally equipped to do.  Just pound it into submission and tear it apart.  veeeery theraputic.....then ya glue it all back together agian on a piece of tree ya did exactly the same thing to.  The sum is greater than the parts...it is sooooooo satisfing and it is messy as a pig in a mud hole.......how I ask ya HOW could it get any better.

Rusty -liked to finger paint and jump in mud hole when young- Craine

I've got a question for ya Rusty.... At what point do you apply your sinew....Before the bow is bending ?after floor tiller? or even further along say within 3 or 4 " of final draw??..... Terry

Terry since I pre-stress some reflex in all my sinew bows I want the tiller to be pretty good so the sinew will shrink and hold the pres-stress in.  It's nice if the limbs are stressed aobut the same.  I have even sinewed bows that were already tillered and shooting.  I've sinewed them that were in real good floor tiller.  Mostly I just want the limbs bending the same and in pretty accurate tiller what ever stage they are in.

On most of the sinew bows I that them to about 16" and a real good tiller there.

Rusty

BTW if ya sinew the bow in pre-stressed reflex and it is still pretty stiff compared to your target wait the sinew will keep adding reflex into the limb as you remove belly stock.  
this makes hitting target weight more difficult.

Some fellows string their bows backwards to hold the pre-stress relfex in while they sinew them.  This works great too.  This method puts a lot of reflex in the bows and it is distritubed more evenly thru the limbs.  I like to add the reflex more like the r/d that is more toward the tip.

Well the point is if ya string your bow backard to hold the relfex in ya have to tiller it pretty far down the draw length.  So I guess I'd say get it tillered pretty well how ever ya do it.

Sinew applied to a flat limb will add some zip to the bow cause it will pull the limb into a little reflex on it own and it will stop the natural amount of set.  A sinwed limb put into pre-stressed reflex will add !!!ZIP!!!.  The sinew will hodl the reflex.  I have even had sinew lift the limbs off the blocks as it dried.  Ya know ya'as adding flue to the FIRE!

Rusty