Leaving bows strung

aquatoo

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If a bow is made of wood I can see good reason not to leave it strung for long periods, but what if it's made of carbon, foam, plastic or any other man made material?
Has anyone any evidence that leaving such limbs strung will affect their performance or alter their structure in some way? Bow manufacturers should have some ideas, I imagine.
Surprisingly, in all of the archery books I have read, the various forums I peruse, and even the instructions that come with bows I have never come across any discussion on this topic.
There does exist on YouTube a short video on the subject but it is inconclusive.
 

Timid Toad

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I have seen limbs that have taken a set at the butts. It was from one of the big 2 manufacturers and all synthetic.
However, just because it's got carbon in it, there may still be natural materials in there, which may change. Plastics too will deform over time. Some manufacturers don't worry too much, but are more concerned the bow stays out of the heat.
 

vinniebleakley

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If I'm not mistaken the question was asked on a recent Easton Podcast and GT has a bow in his office that has been strung for the last 7 years with no problems.

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dvd8n

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All the information that I have seen suggests that modern limbs will probably be ok. I've never felt inclined to bet my ?500 limbs on that 'probably'.
 

bimble

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one day I may unstring my compound... but hopefully not for a long time... ;) modern limb materials are fine with being left strung
 

Timid Toad

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Compound limbs are short, fat and move little. No similarity in construction or form to a recurve.
 

bimble

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but still indicative that limbs made from modern materials can survive being left under tension for long periods of time (ie - years) with no damage caused. Especially as they are left under a lot more tension than those on a recurve.
 

Timid Toad

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Interesting point, and sorry to the OP for getting sidetracked... but at rest, *are* compound limbs held under greater pressure than recurves?
 

bimble

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It always surprises me when I do things like change the strings, that compound limbs tend to be straight. For instance, in the photo below you can see the limb has a distinct bent in it at rest. But without the strings/cables that limb would be straight. And it takes more than a stringer to get the bend in to put the strings/cables on!

 

geoffretired

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Compound limbs are under a huge amount of pressure at rest. Try pulling the string for about 1" and the strain is obvious, but it is geared down several times by the cams, so in reality it is far more that it seems.
Another way to get a sense of the force is to try to press the limb tips towards each other. It's easier to press a car front wing down.
 

geoffretired

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It can, if you can get the draw weight measured on the axle. Clamp the bow so it can't move and pull the axle ends with a yoke of cord and a strong spring balance. I'm guessing that a peak weight of 50lb would translate to at least 4 times that. A spring balance that stops at 50lb is no good, heehee
 

bimble

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I imagine it can be done if you really wanted to. I have some spare compound limbs that I got from Geoff, and even the ones for the 35lb compound I can not physically bend...
 

Timid Toad

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So if I chopped off a set of my beloved Borders so they were the same length, I guess I'd struggle to bend them by hand, too. :)
 

bimble

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that would depend on where you tried to bend them. I bet there are areas that you could (and you don't need to cut them to try it, it's just your points of contact don't need to be at the end)
 

Timid Toad

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True. But that's the problem, isn't it? Comparing apples with oranges.
 

bimble

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like I said, using them as an example that modern limb materials can survive being under tension for years and not lose anything. The change in designs between the two limbs won't affect the properties of the material.
 

Timid Toad

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I agree, but the construction methods just might be the issue. As I said a loooong way up this thread, I have seen an all-synthetic limb with a set from being left strung.

As an aside (another!), I wonder if compound limbs gradually deform to sit closer to their strung shape, and if so do they lose horsepower, as it were?
 

bimble

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I can imagine cheaper limbs might take a set, but all the ones I've taken to parts they have almost universally gone straight*. And even without being an old bow, you would still be talking about years at being continuously strung...

* - some older compounds (such as the Merlin Max bows) had a recurve to the limbs
 

KidCurry

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My brother leaves his hoyt strung for months on end. Never a sign of a set. My old compound Hoyt Vantage Carbon Plus was 48" ATA before I took it apart due to a cracked riser. I check the draw weight before doing so. 27 year old bow. Peak weight still 61lb :)

I have a Synunm bow press so I should be able to measure the pre load on my pse compound with my bow scales quite easily. Just going by memory it feels like I need about a 50lb pull to compress the bow by about 1/2". The Synunm should give me a 4:1 advantage so I'm guessing the pre load is about 200lb. Now, what on earth did I do with my bow press :)
 
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