Long bow repair

Cap'n

Active Member
Anyone know about repairing a long bow. I just pick one up at an estate sale that has some of the , looks like glass laminate broke off.
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I guess I'll take a crack at it. My son has been building long bows from scratch for about a year. I've learned a lot, but take what I write with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Here's a link to a YouTube that might be helpful. I don't know if it's the best one or the worst one. It just seems to address the issue.

You know, what's broken thereis the bow backing. There's some question if it really is broken -- the backing -- of if it just stops before it gets to the tip. There's some thought the backing doesn't need to go tip to tip. The stresses from the draw are in the middle.
Another thought is, it might not be fixable. Simply slapping another piece in there brings some balance problems into the picture. The bow might shoot worse - or it might not.

Is it wood or fiberglass?
 
The bow is wood with 2 thin layers of fiberglass layed on top of it all they way end to end, with the exception of the end pictured.
I do have an option if I can't figure out how to fix it. My brother is a prosthetec, he makes artificial limbs. He said he has laminates that they use that are unbreakable. If all else fails I guess I can try that.I only gave $17 bucks for it so..... As if I need another project.
 
Call 3rivers, they are great people to talk to for trad. Word of warning you already know, I've had 2 bows break on me over the years and it could be ugly. Never know where this guy stored this thing, maybe in trunk of car or attic. I've still got my bought used 1969 bow and while its prob safe, I wouldn't string it again no matter how much I would love. Be careful.
 
Call 3rivers, they are great people to talk to for trad. Word of warning you already know, I've had 2 bows break on me over the years and it could be ugly. Never know where this guy stored this thing, maybe in trunk of car or attic. I've still got my bought used 1969 bow and while its prob safe, I wouldn't string it again no matter how much I would love. Be careful.

Don't scare me like that ! My Red Wing Hunter is probably early '70s vintage and I still shoot it some.
 
Call 3rivers, they are great people to talk to for trad. Word of warning you already know, I've had 2 bows break on me over the years and it could be ugly. Never know where this guy stored this thing, maybe in trunk of car or attic. I've still got my bought used 1969 bow and while its prob safe, I wouldn't string it again no matter how much I would love. Be careful.
Really? I bought it from a neighbor that passed away, he was in his 80's. He was quite the hunter and fisherman. I imagine the bow has been taken care of but is old. I appreciate the heads up.I hadn't considered that.
 
Really? I bought it from a neighbor that passed away, he was in his 80's. He was quite the hunter and fisherman. I imagine the bow has been taken care of but is old. I appreciate the heads up.I hadn't considered that.

Don’t get me wrong I love that bow. But I’d be tempted to restore and display. It’s prob safe and he took good care of it and great to have such a history. But when they break at full draw it is quite an explosion speaking from experience. Awesome find for you. Congrats


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Yeah your right. I may just display it in my office with an arrow that a friend of mine made me from cedar with turkey feather vanes. He also knapps so I can put an arrowhead.on it. That would look good together.
I can always pull out my '85 Bear Whitetail II if I want to get nostalgic with my deer hunting.
 
I've got an old 60's model Herters recurve that was my fathers. It had not been strung in years and the laminate had some hairline cracks in it. I was afraid to string it for fear of it exploding. A friend of a friend works at Black Widow bows not far from my home. I took it there and he gave it a close inspection and said it was good to shoot as is. He built me a string and shot it ( very well actually) at a target a few times before I tried it.
My point is whether it is structurally sound or not should be determined by someone first hand that has the knowledge to make such a call. No disrespect to Dogghr's comment. He's likely forgotten more than I know about such things. I just wouldn't give up on it yet. Best of luck.
I still can't shoot that Herters bow worth a crap!
 
Yeah It makes sense. And if I can't shoot it I can just hang it up in my office. I used to shoot a recurve but I got all caught up in the compound thing an I dont even remember what happened to it.Thanks.
 
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