Sinew Backing the Bow

Here are some clips of me getting ready and applying sinew to the back of a bow I am currently working on.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Sinew
• sinew backing
• bow building
• traditional bow building
• recurve
• long bow
• self bow
• horse bow

[R3ALSimShady]

where do you get the sinew and what glue do you use

[bcgrover]

@R3ALSimShady I traded for the sinew, and made the hide glue from scratch. I can get you the info for the guy with the sinew if you'ld like. Can't help you with the glue, but some people use Tite Bond III.

[lpilk2007]

I have a question...Do you tiller the bow to its full draw length before putting on the sinew? or wait untill the sinew goes on before tillering?

[bcgrover]

@lpilk2007 I get it bending evenly, but not quite to full draw.

After applying the sinew I finish tillering it.

[tuseroni]

@R3ALSimShady (cont) for sinew you cut off the tendons and hit them with a flat rock (make sure to move perpendicular to the sinew do not hit at an angle or you will cut it) chewing works well too. this will separate the strands so the look like in the video.

animal glue can be fun to make btw, give it a try sometime, you can make hide glue from rawhides you get at the pet section of any store. just boil and reduce then let it set like jello (which is a very similar substance)

[tuseroni]

@R3ALSimShady you can buy it if you are lazy or make it if you are man (or tough woman)

make a sinew backed bow from scratch has a bit tricky since you need to kill an animal first so you have to make a normal bow, then kill the animal, then make the sinew backed bow (again assuming a survival situation)

a deer will yeild glue (boil the skin, bones, or hooves to make different glues, after an hour or so of boiling let the water reduce til a film forms on the top, remove the rest)

[R3ALSimShady]

where do you get the sinew

[rubnayr]

@bcgrover Good point with the glue compressing. Cheers for the advice.

[bcgrover]

Doesn't sound like it would work real well. Horn is used because it is strong in compression. If you chop it up it loses it's strong compression and the glue is now what it being compressed.

You need to saw the goat horn into thin strips about 1/4" thick, soak them in warm/hot water until they're flexible. When you glue the strips down, if they're not long enough, be sure the ends of the strips are butted tightly up against one another. Reinforce with sinew at these locations. Good luck!

[rubnayr]

@bcgrover Can you please tell me your opinion, I don't have long enough or flat enough goat horn locally, have you ever seen, or do you feel chopped horn closely packed in a glue matrix may work for the horn side? Thanks for the videos BTW, a good way to keep an old art alive.