Older Selfbow

[nek4me]

Trying to determine what I have here. Under the missing handle wasn't finished and is a light colored wood. Is this Hickory with Walnut added front and back to make the handle? It is 63.5" nock to nock, feels like about 30# at 26" and stringfollow is about 1.75". The limb cross section is D shaped being flat on the back and rounded on the face.  It had a small hole through the top tip for a string holder and the old finish had deteriorated to like alligator skin on the belly side. There are no markings on it. I'm thinking of stripping it and finishing with Tru-oil and replacing the handle wrap to get it shooting again. Happy New Year!

[Roy from Pa]

I would guess Yew or Lemonwood..

[Pat B]

My money is on lemonwood. What do the nocks look like? My guess it from the 1940s, probably homemade since no numbers on the bow. Under the handle wrap is where you'd find numbers if not elsewhere.
If you decide to use it be sure you reeducate the wood to bend and recover.

[nek4me]

Thanks guys. So far it's looking like Lemonwood.  Here are the nocks.





And a close up of what appears to be an inletted side plate. It doesn't look to be a piece of wood unless it was painted and it is flush with the riser. I could only find this type of contact point on one picture of an old English LB and it was the same shape and placement but was white. Anyone have details on these? I would be shooting it from the other side anyway.



Just got it yesterday and don't how long since it was last shot so I have been keeping it strung during the day and unstrung at night. What else should be done to reeducate the wood?

[McDave]

I wouldn't leave a selfbow strung unless I was actually using it, because it will just encourage the string follow that is already evident.  To educate a selfbow, I draw it slowly to 1/4 draw and let it down a few times, and repeat that at 1/2 draw and 3/4 draw before I draw to full draw.  If I haven't used the bow for a week or so, I would repeat this process before shooting it.

[Pat B]

Good advise from McDave.
The inlet arrow pass might be fiber board, like old Masonite. It was used as backing on some of the old bows.

[Sam McMichael]

It looks a lot like a circa 1942 Lemonwood Ben Pearson bow I have, except that mine is backed with a black fabric. If my memory is right, there was a bow just like this one but without the backing. That was in the 1942 catalog. I found a copy of that catalog on-line years ago but have not been able to find it again. Naturally, I failed to print it out.

[Pat B]

I have an old York catalog, early 1940's. They offered selfbows, bows backed with fiber or backed with rawhide. Prices started at about $7 for a lemonwood selfbow.

[tippit]

If I were going to shoot it, I'd start pulling it on my tillering board small increments at a time. That way you break it in...but more importantly if it explodes it's not in your hands.

[nek4me]

Thanks for the replies. I stripped the finish and it was so old it just jumped off the wood when scraped with a knife edge. I didn't sand at all just kept the original surface and character marks.  Finished it with several coats of Tru-Oil thinned 50/50 but noticed what appears to be a hairline crack on the back side at the string nock. Think you can see it in this picture. It was more obvious before the finish filled it in a bit. The back is basically flat do you think a walnut overlay will hold it together for an occasional few shots? Would like to do more than hang it on the wall if possible. Think it looks nice compared to the original pictures.



Here is close up of the face side. Looks ok here.

[Pat B]

I'd try to get thin super glue down in the crack, clean the surface and add overlays. That would probably fix it.
You could use super glue, TB glue or epoxy, either would work well. Be sure both surfaces mate well. Rubber bands wrapped around the tips works well as a clamp for the overlay.