Part 2 Making a Primitive Bowstring from Elk Gut

[Alberad08]

Thank you for sharing.

[wagouche]

Never tried to make a gut string. But I did make one basically the same way out or soft shell turtle neck skin. Was a neat project. Cool video by the way thanks for the tips.

[ShinBone5000]

@wagouche - I can see how that would make a great bowstring. Neat idea, thanks for sharing!!!

[marv5604]

Do you need to soak it in water again to make the ends pliable enough to tie your bow loops?

[ShinBone5000]

@marv5604 - Just after getting it twisted good, and some of the liquid drains out, make your loops then and let it dry.

[wizardman42]

good deal ,glad to see some one keeping the old technology alive , found out the other day , most broad head points out trumps most level 2 Kevlar !!??? woow!!

[MakeItJungle]

Is this Hunter S. Thompson narrating?

[XxXWolfireXxX]

00:22 wow....wait just a sec...are u making condoms or bowstring man ??

[XxXWolfireXxX]

@XxXWolfireXxX o sry i got it ... 02:40 its a condom ..

[Feeshmonster1]

I also learned that the first condoms where made from intestines.

[pondsj01]

Mesocolon...



[ShinBone5000]

@pondsj01 - You just made my day!!! I kind of like checking the "word of the day" and I just got a new one. Thanks again, S'Bone

[ered203]

Just think, at one time, this entire operation was undertaken by a dedicated individual with a freaking rock.

[ShinBone5000]

@ered203 - Yeah, but with his rock, he was high tech for the time... Or until a new version of FLINTROCK 2.31 came out then his rock was obsolete and he had to get the new version, etc. etc...

[magicjoey69]

you sir are amazing, what kind of poundage do you think the 3 ply could take please?? and is there a basic formula anyone knows off for each eaxtra gut string how much poundage would the string then take??? interesting if anyone had worked gut strings enough to know :D god i love these old skills :D

[ShinBone5000]

@magicjoey69 - There probably is some type of chart showing the increased poundage for each additional string but I don't have one. The three ply I made is good for a bow in the 40# range. One disadvantage of using gut vs say sinew or rawhide is it will wear out faster. It's still a neat experience to make one.

[5tonyvvvv]

@ShinBone5000 how soon can u use sinew from the animals to back a bow? is there alot of drying time?

[ShinBone5000]

@5tonyvvvv - Back sinew will dry in a day or so if you clean all the flesh and fat off of it. Leg sinew will take closer to two weeks or so as it is a lot thicker and needs time to dry.

[MrZippo113]

beef???

[MrZippo113]

cat???

[wesgue223322]

Cool. I might try it

[danthman114]

what poundage bow will it handle?

[ShinBone5000]

@danthman114 - I ran a homemade stress test on the short piece (which still had a few minor pieces of fat on it) and it broke around 55#. But for a 50# class bow, I'd probably go with six or eight strands of gut. I can tell you that if I had to make a choice between a gut and a sinew bowstring, I'd go with the sinew.

[5tonyvvvv]

@ShinBone5000 whats stronger rawhide or Backstrap sinew for bow strings? or does it depend on the animal? horse and moose I think are stronger than deer rawhide?

[ShinBone5000]

@5tonyvvvv - Wow! That's a tough one... I'm probably still going to go with sinew. As for a difference between rawhides, I'm not sure. I think it's more of a thickness issue. If you took horse or moose and fleshed the skin thickness down to the same thickness as a deer, the resulting bowstring would probably be about the same strength. That would make a neat comparison video...

[5tonyvvvv]

@ShinBone5000 Hemp and linen is suppose to be very strong, but I never have come across any? there not native to north america. they stuff at stores is not real hemp or linen..

[ShinBone5000]

@5tonyvvvv - Not sure what part of the country you are from but around here you can find yucca plant. If I didn't have access to sinew or rawhide, I could still get by with a fiber bowstring from twisted yucca leaves. The problem I've found with yucca, or other plant fibers, is that they breakdown faster than sinew or rawhide. Perhaps if you kept them waxed they would last longer, not sure.

[5tonyvvvv]

@ShinBone5000 Thanx man, and thanx for writing me back! I wish there was more people into this ancient archery stuff, I know the Mongolians used Hide and there bows went over 100lb pull. but Sinew is amazing stuff!

[5tonyvvvv]

@ShinBone5000 Do you think Yucca will hold a 65lb Mulberry longbow? 

[ShinBone5000]

@5tonyvvvv - Yes, you can make a yucca bowstring strong enough for a 65lb longbow. The durability of fiber vs. sinew will still place sinew over fiber in the long run.

[danthman114]

never thought of using sausage casings...

[xpez]

couldnt you boil off the fat on the string?

[ShinBone5000]

@xpez - I think boiling would cook the intestine and soften it too much to use as a bowstring. But I could be wrong... The only treatment I used was salt to help preserve the skin and keep it from breaking down.

[MrSnorreke]

Breathless, only i can say. Thank you very much for these more than useful videos.greets from Serbia.

[ShinBone5000]

@MrSnorreke - Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Are you able to acquire Roe, Stag or Chamois where you are? I bet they would work great to make a bow string. Take care, S'Bone

[MrSnorreke]

@ShinBone5000 I am not familiar with deer breeds here in Serbia since i am not hunter but there's hunting places in North Serbia (even for bowhunting, though it is too expensive for our hunters). Your videos are very useful 'cause i need to get a proof about using catguts in making bowstrings for  serbian medieval composite bows replicas. I didn't realize how to do it but now...it is clear, man;-) Big greets!

[gotrocksinhead]

Great video!!!!!! I have always wondered how to do that. So you just twist all the plys together at once... NOT like sinew cordage where each ply is reverse twisted. Is that correct? Thank you for the very imformative video. Dan

[ShinBone5000]

@gotrocksinhead - You can do two, or even three, separate plys but due to the gut being as pliable as it is, it tends to merge together anyway. Initially I thought I made this bowstring too small (diameter) so I decided to see how much it took to pull it apart. Well, it was a lot stronger than I thought. I need to hang weights from the test string and then start adding weights to see what the breaking level is. I'll post that in the comments after I find the weight the string breaks at.

[ShinBone5000]

@5tonyvvvv - I'll have to go with sinew. If you've cleaned both a rabbit and a squirrel, you know that the squirrel hide is much tougher. Rabbit hide will pull apart even if it's not cut with a blade. In a pinch, rabbit will work if you make the width of your rawhide strips much wider then you do for squirrel and go with an extra ply or two. You still will probably have problems with a larger poundage bow as the bowstring will wear out much sooner.

[5tonyvvvv]

@ShinBone5000 can gut work for a 60lb bow?.how much weight can gut and sinew hold?

[5tonyvvvv]

@ShinBone5000 I wish archery shops would sell good quality hemp and linen fibers ..or sinew strings..I know dacron and modern strings last longer ..but this stuff is cool man ..Great Vid..

[WeTheLibertyLovers]

@5tonyvvvv There is a retailer called Harbor Freight and also they have a website under the same name, that sells hemp twine. I use it for Gillies suites. It is sold in 750 yd spools and is three ply. They have it waxed or un-waxed. You could separate the three ply's and you'd have all the hemp fiber you need. They also have Flax twine made the same way. I love these types of twine for the garden and hundreds of other uses too. Hope this helps!

[ImaPRIMALFREAK]

Great Video...