Early Retirement of A "Friend"

[ber643]

During practice last week (or I guess the week before), my Osage bow "It" , which I've been shooting for two hunting seasons and was in my third 3D season, gave a little groan on the first shot. I didn't really think the scarey noise could be from my beloved first Osage bow but I gave it a glance over, and saw nothing amiss and the shot had been spot on. As I drew for my second shot, "It" groaned twice, most pitiousy. I let down without releasing, and looked again. I saw the lower limb was at an awkward 45 degree angle, towards the shooter, about half way down - right where I had repaired an accidental back violation, caused last year by a sliding ice chest, in the back of a friends truck. Sure enough, the wood had fully colapsed where it had been surface-crushed by that incident, and I had patched it with deer sinew and painted a Deer ("standing in tall grass") over the sinew. Damn, I loved that bow. I relieved her of her string (pressure). I later put the string on my Dano Osage bow, "Sneaky Snake". Now, "It" is a wall hanger, with fond memories. Geeze, I miss her constant, reassuring company during practice, although my Dano bow is standing in her place with pride and understanding tenderness, it seems to me.

You may recall last years repair job, which at least gave "It" an extra year of honorable service:

 

"It"'s new retirement place of honor:

 

[4runr]

Sorry for your loss Bernie.

Look at the bright side, you get to start a new "relationship" with another pretty thing, you may get to experience new heights of bliss never dreamed of!

[broketooth]

bernie, i know how you feel. i remember all too well when i discovered the bottom limb cracked on my hickory self bow of 13 yrs. that was a good shootin bow. she is now in retirement.lookin foward to shootin with you again bernie regards ruddy

[Dano]

Selfbows give us great enjoyment as well as pain, Kinda like an ex-wife. I hope "Sneaky Snake" takes care of ya.

[Pat B]

Too bad about your old companion, Bernie as you know, all things must pass!  You can still remember the good times every time you look at her. I'm sure you will get as much pleasure out of Sneaky Snake as you do the man that made her.

[ber643]

Thanks to all of you (we've all been there, eh?). Sneaky Snake is a great bow. I hunted and shot with it for one year, before I made "It" (Truth be known, SS is the better made bow - even in my own opinion - but don't tell Dano I said so -LOL)

[Dano]

I hear nothing!!!  

[bigcountry]

Bernie, is that the one I got to hold last year at the baltimore classic?  She was a beauty.

[copperhead95]

:(  Sorry about your bow, I know she will be missed by everyone who knew her.

Ian    

[Don Batten]

Bernie, the best way to get over a bow is to make another.  I was gonna pull John's trailer home with me today, but you know John, the tags expiered in may of 07. LOL. he's gonna get new ones and meet me half way next week. we'll have plenty of room for your cargo. All we got to do is set up his tent for him. That boy always has an angle. Don

[ber643]

I hear ya, Dano - LOL. YesThat is the one bigcountry, and thank you. Thank you too, Ian.

Don, this time John's "angle" will be justly due - LOL. I appreciate, both of you, "mustering" to my aid, for the kids at ATAR (waiting for their Dino prizes). I do have another Osage stave that friend Linc sent me, that I've been wanting to get to. However it has (paper) thin rings and I am dragging my (inexperienced) feet about tackling it, for fear of ruining what appears to be a mighty nice stave. In the meantime, I think I will put a similar red feather (as is on "It", I have a small bag of them from fly tieing days) on my Dano bow now - kinda got used to that (for wind indication and decoration) hanging there. Other folks are used to seeing it too -     I may even break down and put my NA designs on SS's back too. (Is that Kosher to do to a bow that a dear friend made especially for me ... Dano?)

[Dano]

Bernie, anything you do to decorate or make that bow more useful is OK with me. Those thin rings on the stave Linc gave ya just take more patience and gentle scraping, I know you have the patience, the experience only comes from doin as you know.  

[ber643]

"Patience and gentle Scraping", eh? I think I can at least stand a chance of doing that  (since i tend to be a little scared of it anyway - LOL). When you (I assume) wind up with such a thin layer for a back, does it make for a "weaker" back, i.e. one more suseptible to violation by dings, etc.??

[Pat B]

Bernie, I love thin ringed osage but back them with rawhide "just in case"! I've never had a thin ringed osage blow on me so I guess it works well. I hope I didn't jinx myself with that last statement!

[ber643]

Rawhide, huh - that'd be a new "move" for me, for sure, Pat.

[George Tsoukalas]

That's a tough one, Bernie. You worked hard on that bow. But that;s a good reason to make another one. Jawge

[ber643]

Yes, Jawge, I guess I had kind of looked forward to "growing old" with that particular bow but, "the best laid plans of men ... etc." I really did need to get back to making other bows, and maybe "It" or the "bow spirits" sensed that. I've been so slack lately (except for reading).

So let's see - what do we "scrape" those thin ringed Osage rascals with, steel wool   :D    

[Dano]

Steel wool would work        :rolleyes:

[ber643]

It probably would for you, Dano - you "got da touch"  

[Dano]

More like "touched"