Help!....1st bow string made....now I have some questions

leteus

New member
Hello
Fairly new on here and have just made my first (let's have a play) of several Dacron strings (before I attempt a proper one in 8125).
The string made was 12 strand Dacron, with Brownell No 4 nylon serving and apart from trying to get hands and fingers to accomplish an unfamiliar task the only real problem I had was serving the ends over the loops. The loop ends were staggered as seems to be recommended (presumably to give a tapered effect) the problem comes at the point where the serving steps down from 2 served loop thicknesses to one and then down from one onto the string itself, at which point I end up with a gap in the serving (which I must say I haven't noticed on ready made strings)..............Is there anyway to stop this or is it just something I'm doing wrong??

Advice and help would be much appreciated by string makers on here.
 

buzz lite beer

Well-known member
When you make the initial serving and you serve back over the loose "tail" of serving leave it long enough so you can pull it really tight this will give you a tapered down part to serve down on when you complete the loop and will help eliminate the step somewhat , also if you offset serve back a little on the other side of the already served part of the loop the chances of a gap forming is reduced too :)
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Just to clarify Leteus.
You serve the part that will become the loop, then fold that served section round the post to serve the two sides together.
The two sides are staggered so it thins down from two served then one served then just string.
When you start to serve the two sides of the loop together, where are you starting with that final serving?
Are you, for example, starting where it is two sides served, so you serve over both, or where it drops to one side served, so you serve over one serving and one bare string?
 

mf78

Member
Musta dmit this is the bit I find tricky to get just right. I've found the strings shoot just fine with a slight gap, but the perfectionist in me wants to get the look just right. Thinner serving can help a bit too.
 

leteus

New member
When you start to serve the two sides of the loop together, where are you starting with that final serving?
Are you, for example, starting where it is two sides served, so you serve over both, or where it drops to one side served, so you serve over one serving and one bare string?
Yes, Geoff........I'm starting the serving at what will be the base of the loop i.e. the 2 sides served side by side then carrying on over the short staggered end of one side of the loop serving and then on over the longer staggered loop end and the off of that onto the string itself.
 

leteus

New member
but the perfectionist in me wants to get the look just right.
Me too................
Just hope I don't have nightmares about standing on the shooting line holding my bow with my left and an arrow with a broken string dangling from the nock in my right:pessimist
 

buzz lite beer

Well-known member
Thanks for that buzz lite.........not sure I quite understand the quoted part above though!
this is going to be hard to describe without pictures but will have a go, instead of continuing the winding on of the serving down the string just stagger it back a little so that it is running downwards \\\\ instead of downwards //// that way :boggled:
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Yeah, I know the gappy thing, sometimes I do a bit of sort of figure 8 whipping where the two sides of the loop meet as a Y, e.g I serve a couple of times round to pull the two sides together, then I go back a bit and go through the hole in a 8, dunno if it really helps much 'cos onece I've got the darned thing on, I don't pay much attention to it!
Del
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Leteus, I see what you mean now.
I guess that there is a fairly large drop in thickness from the served section to the bare string section.When you serve over that "edge" the new serving "drops off" leaving the gap.
I have never tried this, but how would it be if the serving was done from the string the other way, towards the loop. That way the step down would be a step up and the serving would be easier to control.
 

Osmosis

New member
Hi,

This is what I do to avoid the lumps and gap:

1) Start by putting the serving through the middle of string.
2) Now serve as normal but NOT over this loose end. You want to keep it free.
3) When you move the posts to begin bringing the two halves of string together (forming the loop), hide the loose end (from point 1) between both halves by pulling it down and toward you so it loops round its own half of string threads, then lay it between both halves of string.
4) Continue serving over this and finish by backserving.
 
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