lo peeps.

[Dennis La Varenne]

Erron,
I won't be able to do any pictures until I get a digital camera. Film is too much trouble.

Dennis La Varenne

[erron]

I can bring mine over if you've got some time on the weekend? Or next, or week nights ...

it would be cool to get some snaps of your selfbows up on here, if you're willing



cheers,

Erron

[TheSilentBugler]

I'll try to post some pics over the weekend, perhaps of my string jig if I get it done.

[gilnockie]

Silent Bugler
All your recent responses have spurious error messages. If they are intentional, it might be a good idea to remove them. If they are not, you might want to scan your hard drive for a virus.

Dennis

I tried screwing a handle back onto the stave when I first started building longbows. I could not make it work. If anyone needs to do this and you want some timber veneer to cover the scrws, let me know.

[gilnockie]

Dennis

You can get excellent quality digital photos by asking your film lab to output them onto a CD Rom. They will be about 900Kb each so you will have to scale them back by reducing the density. Microsoft Image Composer allows you to do this via a Wizard. If you have a camera which uses 35mm film, it is cheaper than buying a digital camera.

When you come to repair the split in your Lemonwood bow. Try the following. I repaired a split in the timber core of one of Eric Schneiders recurves using this technique.

You will need epoxy, rubber gloves, cotton fibres, electrical tape, newspaper, paper towels or a rag for wiping up surplus epoxy.

When you mix your epoxy add some cotton fibres. You should be able to buy them at any good supplier of fibreglass materials. You will only need a few teaspoonfuls maximum, depending on the size of the crack. This will thicken the epoxy and enable it to bridge gaps if required. Do not use micro ballons or silica powder. These will make the epoxy brittle.

The mixed epoxy should be thick but not stiff. It should still be a fluid, not a paste.

Cut a piece of wood about 25 to 26" long, 42 X 19mm Radiata pine will do.
In one end cut a concave notch which will roughly fit the grip of the bow. In the other end cut a generous nock which will fit the string.

Cover your work surface with newspaper, if you are doing this indoors say, on the kitchen table.

Have a thin sliver of timber or a piece of thin wire wire handy to push the epoxy deep into the crack.

Mask the area around the crack with electrical tape. Epoxy will not adhere to it. Make sure the edges adjacent to the crack have been pressed down firmly so the epoxy will not ooze under them

Mix the epoxy as required.

Draw the bow and place the piece of wood on the string and the riser.

Lay the bow on your work surface, crack facing up.

Fill the crack with epoxy and remove all air bubbles. This will take some doing as the epoxy will trap air bubbles deep in the crack. This is where the sliver of wood or a piece of fine wire is essential.

When the crack is filled to over flowing, remove the wooden brace and un-string the bow. Remove waste epoxy from the limb.

Put it aside, crack uppermost for 24 hours and do not disturb.

Wwhen dry, remove the tape and scrape off any epoxywhich has dried on the limb. If possible, place the bow in a warm environment for a few hours. eg, if it is a sunny day, place it against a window which faces north and draw the curtains, or, place it in a car on a sunny day. In any event, leave the bow for at least 72 hours before using it.

I hope this helps.

[TheSilentBugler]

Silent Bugler
All your recent responses have spurious error messages. If they are intentional, it might be a good idea to remove them. If they are not, you might want to scan your hard drive for a virus.

For your sake I'm going to assume you're attempting humour.

Are you telling me that you disapprove of my sig image...?



/back on topic.

I didn't get a chance to get anything done over the weekend, Hopefully get my jig done tonight.

[erron]

you posts sure are colourful!

Dennis,

you can put pretty much anything in your signature, even spurious error messages. Why anyone would do that, well, you'll have to ask SB

E.

[Dennis La Varenne]

Norman,
Thank you for the advice on remedying a split. The use of cotton fibre is a new one for me. I have used a roughly similar technique myself, but not quite as good.

The use of the wood screws which I mentioned earlier was not neant to be the primary fastening system. The glue always is. The screws are only for added insurance and can mean that if the glue line pops again, that it doesn't separate entirely from the limbs and the limbs blow up. The riser still in place will give it something to brace against so it doesn't go in the hand.

To SilentBugler, some of us thought that you had a genuine problem with your computer which may have adversely affected this site, and of which you may not have been aware. We did not realise that it was your particular brand of humour.

Dennis La Varenne

[TheSilentBugler]

To SilentBugler, some of us thought that you had a genuine problem with your computer which may have adversely affected this site, and of which you may not have been aware. We did not realise that it was your particular brand of humour.

Dennis La Varenne

Ah, ok.

I'm used to posting on PC tech type forums, don't take offense anyone, 'tis all in fun...

[gilnockie]

Dennis

The cotton fibres are sometimes called "micro fibres", not to be confused with the clothing fabric of the same name. It is a white fluffy powder which is used to thicken epoxy where required.

Silent Bugler

I sought of guessed that with a handle like that and a cartoon of a chuckling dawg for a monika, the messages would have to be contrived. I just wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.

[Dennis La Varenne]

SB,
No offence taken. I was just concerned and thought you had a problem. It makes sense now.

Norman,
I understand now what you mean by cotton fibres. These are fibreglass filaments aren't they?

Dennis La Varenne