Fixing a hinge?

[hit or miss]

I'm working on my first bow.  It's bamboo backed hickory, r/d with a stiff handle.

After much research and reading, thanks guys, I failed to work the bamboo down thin enough anyway.  It's different thicknesses throughout the bow.  Some as thick a 1/4" at the tips.

It's tillering pretty good but, it is showing a hinge coming out of the fade on the bottom limb.  I'm at 55#'s at 24" which is going to be very close to my goal at 26.

Since I believe the bow is probably a goner, I went ahead and glued up thin lams of hickory over the hinge with Urac.  I plan to retiller to relieve the hinge.


Anyone have any experience doing this?

Sorry, no pics yet.  I'm working on it at a buddy's house, he has a shop.

[Pat B]

Sounds like it should work. I've not tried this but others have with success.
  Hickory isn't the best option for a boo backed bow because it is relatively weak in compression.
  Another option that I have used with good results is to grind down the hickory's thickness to about 1/8" the entire bow length and add a belly lam of a more compression strong wood like osage or ipe. Although, if your boo backing isn't as uniform as it should be, probably living with the fix you have begun and use what you have learned from this bow to make another bow.

[hit or miss]

Thanks Pat!

I'm looking at this like a huge learning experience.

So many things I would do differently.

Scott

[Steve J]

I tried a BBW (boo backed walnut) and basically the same thing happened plus WAY to much string follow.  I thought about putting some clear glass on the belly or even some ipe, hoping to stiffen it up a bit.  I didn't do anything and put it in the "I'll get to it later" pile.  Let me know how it works.  Good luck bro.

Steve