First glass bow glue up

[skeaterbait]

I don't hold out a lot of hope for this one since I made a series of mistakes in getting it ready for the hot box.

I didn't mix enough epoxy, I didn't prep anything to hold the lams from sliding out the side, I didn't clamp the riser tight enough so as I clamped one limb, the riser slid over about 4", which I didn't notice until I was clamping the other limb. I went to put it in the hot box and discovered that the box is not wide enough to alternate sides with my clamps so I had to move them all to one side...

I am willing to bet there are other mistakes I don't even know about yet.

BUT, I had a good time doing it anyway.

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[Trux Turning]

Sounds like the first one I glued up... hopefully it works out well

[Bvas]

Ahh the joys of bow building.
My first glue up also included lots of cussing and a little bleeding. Come to think of it....so did the second and third.

[kennym]

Stuff gets slick with glue on it!! Hope all works out!

[skeaterbait]

It's all good. Kind of like deer hunting, if you shoot a huge buck the fist time you go, what have you got to look forward too.

[mwosborn]

Experience is a wonderful teacher.  Enjoy!    

[rockkiller]

I'm on bow 14 and still looking for my first without a screw up.Im thinking maybe bow 20 to 30 ,maybe.    
But its still fun.

I have made about 50 bows and I don't think I made a perfect one yet...
  Those aren't mistakes... Those are lessons learned...  Add enough of them up and sooner or later you should be headed in the right direction...

[Roy from Pa]

I've lost count of how many bows I have cut into pieces..  

[ty_in_ND]

I would say keep at this one (while being safe!). While I'm still getting bows under my belt, I can say from my own profession that one of the things that separates a novice from an expert is being able to continue on with the project after making a mistake or if something doesn't go according to plan.  So, maybe you can still get a shooter out of this bow.

Also, as long as you're learning and having fun, that counts for something, too!

[Roy from Pa]

Like Ty said, keep things safe. If the bow doesn't work out for you, make it a much lighter bow and give it to a kid, as long as it is safe to shoot for a youngster. This won't be the last bow you make, trust me.. LOL

[skeaterbait]

Thanks all for the encouragement. I will be pulling it off the form this afternoon so we'll see how much of a mess I made    :rolleyes:

And you bet I will Roy. I went crazy with selfbows and I am sure I will do the same with glass. Hopefully I learn quicker with these    

[Roy from Pa]

Heck glass bows are like making cookies with a cookie cutter.. All ya gotta know is how thick to make the dough..  

[skeaterbait]

If I ain't careful I might not get the joy of cutting this up and dumping it in the trash.

Not the most elegant glue lines but no complaints here for my first try. There really is only one that I am concerned about but it's on the riser so I am in hopes it will stay together. For a while anyway.


 
 

   
   

[monterey]

That's a pretty thick glue line, but it could be better further into the riser.  Just keep plugging away at it.  It will tell you what it thinks.  

[kennym]

Originally posted by Roy from Pa:
Heck glass bows are like making cookies with a cookie cutter.. All ya gotta know is how thick to make the dough..      

And it don't hurt to know the ingredients.....   :D

That spot is probably the worst trouble spot on gluing up bows.  It is hard to pull the glass and lams down into that riser radius. And more so with a rubber band form IMO. I like the air hose setup because of equal pressure all along the bow, but you still gotta check before you go off and leave it to cure....  

[skeaterbait]

It was a great experience and I am glad I did it or there would always be that "what if" hanging in the background.

I have a good start on air hose forms for two different styles of 3 pc takedowns (Binghams) and I am going to start on the KennyM form very soon, maybe even this weekend.

After that, stand back....   :rolleyes:

[monterey]

Like Kenny said, it's tough to pull that joint together with rubber bands.

That said, I like rubber band forms for the versatility.  Especially for the long bow style that you built.

My solution with that type of bow Is to limit the stack on top of the ramps to glass and very thin veneers or lams.  If you put a thick butted taper on top of the ramps you need a very good fit and a hose.  

Here's what it looks like with only glass and a .021 veneer on the ramps
 

[Roy from Pa]

That's not all that bad for your first glass build. Congrats.