on a bend thru the handle design, is it still ok to join the silk at the handle section.-would i just wrap with some thread and cover with the handle wrap.

AND
if one had to compare silk to linen backings- what would the outcome be- or are they both equally good, and the comparison purely academic!!??

Both are natural materials and both are good protection for bows. Silk is more stretchy and linen has less stretch. Both make very good bow backings for protection. Neither add performance. If you overlap the silk at the handle and get good saturation with the glue/silk you shouldn't have a problem. For a 4" handle I'd overlap it 4".

It was my thinking that Linen or Silk did add some  Lbs or performance,, compared to denim, burlap rawhide, paper backings... Good to know, I was all fixed up to add some 100% Linen backing to a Hickory ELB for safety mostly but I was a little worried it might add some extra pounds to the bow and really didn't want to re-tiller. Hope this is input and not a hijack..     Thanks Crg

its never a hijack- there is always something to learn!!!
i think( correct me if i am wrong here!!) that the linen and silk- being lighter for their strength, physically add less weight to a bow- actual mass- whereas the other backings can add a little more mass- and possibly rob some performance.