Rawhide Backing??????????

[Bowjunkie]

Backing a bow with rawhide  

Here Roy. Here's the method I use... roughly anyways. This method works really slick and sounds a lot more involved than it is. Once you do it once, you'll have the hang of it and it'll be no big deal.

I didn't make the veneer hammer, just used whatever I found laying around to act as a glue squeegie. I also went and got a little rubber roller in the paint section of the local dept. store.

Use hide glue. Don't 'soak' the rawhide. The more you soak it and swell it, the more it will shrink as it dries which can cause problems... all unnecessarily. If it's properly thinned, just moisten it, or DIP it in water then set it on the bench to relax, don't even leave it in the water for a single minute. You only want it 'relaxed', damp and barely pliable, not fully rehydrated/bloated.

If you follow these instructions, there will be no need to wrap it whatsoever. Applying and wrapping fully hydrated, bloated, slippery rawhide on glue can be a frustrating mess and you can't see under the wrap to even know if it hasn't slid and is still on there right as it dries. You just kinda 'hope' it is.

With this method, it's all right there in the open where you can see it the entire time, you work sections from handle to limb tip, melting the hide glue with the iron and using the squeegie or roller to gently push out the excess. When you get to the end of the limb, it's over, done, let it dry, there is no wrapping. There is no shrinking. There is no curling up on the sides which can lift it off the back.

If you have any questions, holler.

[2treks]

Bowjunkie, What kind of hide glue do you use and where do you get it? Do you make it?

Thanks,

CTT

[mwosborn]

Thanks Pearl and Stiks - going to give it a go.

[Bowjunkie]

Two Tracks, I use only real, dehydrated hide glue, that you must reconstitute in water, not the liquid stuff. You can get it from most traditional archery suppliers or many places online.

[2treks]

Thanks Jeff, Thats what I have,just never used it.


CTT

[razorback]

How thin do you guys make your raw hide.

[monterey]

I'd pass on the rawhide and go with some other backing.  Admittedly, I'm no expert on rawhide backs, having only done three, but they seemed to slow the bows down quite a bit.  I used a very thin goat skin from Tandy.

Just my less than .02 cents on it.

[Pat B]

I've never noticed and loss of cast after backing a bow with deer rawhide. The Trade Bow I,m making has a deer rawhide backing and it shoots very well.
 About like heavy brown paper, Razorback.

[PEARL DRUMS]

My little rawhide backed recurve might argue that with you Monterey! I will try to keep her on the rack so she doesnt see this post!