Ozbow

You can buy the sort of bamboo you require at Bamboo Australia: http://www.bamboo-oz.com.au/pricetimber.html Scroll down to "Bamboo slats and palings". If you order some you should stipulate that each piece should be free of splits and worm holes. I think you will also benefit from a palin...

Here is a link to the data sheet for Techniglue: http://www.atlcomposites.com.au/files/epoxy_products.adhesives.r60_structural/tech_glue_r60.pdf Note the HDT (Heat Distortion or deflection Temperature) of the various hardeners and whether or not they have been 'cooked' after the initial cure. I don'...

I use a small file, a 6" or 8" flat bastard file. I use it on its edge. I support the shaft by pressing it against a wooden block, the position of the cut should be a few mm past the end of the block. I cut the arrow by filing it as close to the end of the block as possible. I cut until th...

Tyy 3 Rivers Archery in the USA

http://search.3riversarchery.com/search ... =3riversar

If you want to use uni carbon, the best material I tried was uni fabric wher the weft threads were carbon fibre. I only stopped using it when the local supply was exhausted. I spent hours searching for an alternative supply, to no avail. That is when I started using carbon tow to make my laminates. ...

If you grip the bow as you would grip a hammer, the string will be very close to your arm. When you draw you will try to move the bow in the hand and when you release the bow it will tend to snap back to its original position. This may be the cause of hitting you on the wrist, but normally it would ...

I have tried the full width uni carbon of the same type to make my carbon lams. You will have to be very careful about the weft or cross thread. I found that on the belly the threads began to come through the varnish because while the carbon was still solidy bound up in the epoxy resin, the weft thr...

Go to the Yellow Pages and look for "Fibreglass" in the index.

Any firm which sells epoxy resin and polyester resin should sell uni fibreglass. It is about 1200mm wide from memory and it is only a few dollars per lineal metre.

Carnaubra wax is better than beeswax as it is a lot harder and a lot more durable. You should be able to buy it at your local hardware store in the paint department. Here is a link with a photo: http://www.feastwatson.com.au/WaxesWax.asp Out of the tin it dries very hard and requires a lot of effort...

I build double carbon hybrids which are quicker than any longbow of the same draw weight. I don't use phenolic or glass on my limb tips. I mould a shaped overlay using layers of veneer timber, each is about 0.6mm thick.

So far the string loop has not even worn the varnish.

Try Cabel'a in the USA. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/index/index-display.jsp?id=cat20084&navAction=jump&navCount=1&cmCat=netcon&parentType=category&parentId=cat21424 I bought a coyote from them about four or five years ago. It took about 10 days to reach me. When i...

If you are concerned about the loop of an endless loop string damaging the nock, try serving each loop with a double layer of serving material. I use Fast Flight serving and the loop on a 12 strand string is about 3mm thick. The fastflight does not wear like braided nylon and the shock of the recove...

The first thing we need to do after being interested in a gathering is to find out where we all live.

I live in Hobart.

Don't waste your time and money on woven fabric because it is unsuitable. It is subject to "crimping" which is the movement which occurs as the limb bends and recovers and the glass fabric tries to adapt. The over and under weave causes the epoxy to break up and the fabric will fray. If yo...

I stretch my strings (I only use Fast Flight) before I serve them. I hang one loop of the the string on a sturdy bolt about 2200mm off the ground. I then hang weights which exceed the draw weight of the bow on the other loop. I then leave the string under tension for 48 to 72 hours. I serve the stri...

Hi Jeff What you note is correct, but the twisting which results from the second loop is in the required direction anyway. The problem is that if you twist the first loop and you then twist the second loop without reverse twisting or straightening the threads the twisting of the individual skeins is...

Vertical bamboo is normally used as a core in a laminated bow with glass on the back and the belly. I think you will find that if you use only the vertical bamboo it will make a very light bow, that it will take condsiderable set and that it may splinter on the back. But hey, give it a go. What have...

If you take the trouble to remove all the twisting from the skeins so that the individual threads lie flat and parallel before you twist the second loop, you don't need to do the reverse twists. For what are the reverse twists supposed to achieve, if not to compensate for the twisting in the skeins ...

Try rolling up a piece of coarse abrasive paper so that it fits into the shaft. Then rub it up and down and round and round. This will remove any residue from the epoxy which binds the carbon fibres together. The end result is a better bond. This is also essential if you lose an insert and you want ...

Is Loctite 406 still available and if so, what sort of container is it packaged in?

I used to use a Loctite gel which came in a blue tube about 100mm long but it is no longer available and it is not on their web site.

I agree with Daryl. Before you do anything else I think you should buy a copy of Clark's book. When you have read it and built a few bows to a formula, then you can start to experiment. I would not try to build a bow from parallel lams only. You will probably find that it will fail in compression at...

If you go to this site you can buy all the bamboo you will ever need.

http://www.bamboo-oz.com.au/pricetimber ... TS_PALINGS

Stipulate that you want the palings to be free of splits and borers.

Now go back and read my first post where I wrote that it is not necessary to put glass over carbon laminates on the back and belly of a bow.

I have no idea why Binghams and John Clarke recommend the use of glass over a carbon laminate. I could surmise that in both cases they want to avoid a public liability claim and therefore they favour a belt and braces approach. Therefore they recommend that glass is applied over carbon to prevent it...

Hi Graham

So according to your source my bows, OL Adcocock's and Arvid's from Black Swan should not be functioning at all.

It seems to me your source is mistaken.

On two occasions I have read that Carbon Fibre laminations must have Glass Fibre laminations over them when building limbs. Now this may sound stupid but, "Why"? I suggest that you go back to your sources and make sure that they said "must have glass fibre laminations over them"...

I have used nothing but carbon on the back and belly of my bows for about five years. I do not put a layer of glass over the carbon as it is not needed. Most of the myths about about using carbon fibre on the back and belly of a bow are, I suspect, based on the vulnerability of a carbon fibre fly ro...

I have used nothing else but fletching tape for about five years. Fletching arrows with the tape is a continuous process, there is no delay between fitting fletches to an arrow. Some hints: Clean the shaft which will accomodate the feathers with metho or acetone to remove any oil from your hands. Pr...

Thanks Dennis, as always your views make interesting reading.

Hi OL I am onto the second generation of my home brew carbon lams. I now use 56K carbon tow. They are far better than the lams made from fabric. How is the bow performing which you made from the carbon lams I sent you? I have not heard much from you after the first couple of emails about its initial...