Flemish Twist or Continuous Loop?

albatross

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
A fellow archer saw I am using flemish twist 8125 string on my #36 olympic recurve. I said I used them because they were less trouble to make and they work for me. He then asked the following. " Are 'well made' flemish twist strings slower than the same material and strand count as continuous loop strings"? I could not give a definitive answer. What is the general thinking?
 

bimble

Well-known member
Supporter
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
AIUK Saviour
I would have thought (ie - I've no idea, but what the hell), that as weight difference in the middle of the string (where is does the most movement) makes the biggest impact on speed, and that if the two strings have the same number of strands and material they should be of similar speed. There might be some affect from the greater mass of string material at the ends of the string, but I wouldn't imagine it would be worth more than a few feet-per-second.

I now look forward to hearing from someone who actually knows and learning something! :D
 

thepensbybowman

New member
Like Bimble, I have no idea but I was under the impression that the laid in loops reduced shock by having a certain amount of give - wouldn't this "give" reduce the energy going into the arrow? .and if so, by how much? I think I know what I am making tonight and trying out ASAP. A bit of practical experimentation and another excuse for shooting ;-)
 

Rik

Supporter
Supporter
My personal experience: it's not noticeable.
I just made my first laid in string, and I'm not seeing any major differences in sightmarks, for a string made of the same material as my endless loop strings.
 

4d4m

Active member
I always wondered what the empirical evidence was for the difference in arrow speed between different string materials, and things like brass nocking points that are said to "slow down" the arrow. My gut feeling has always been that sort of mass differential would be negligible.
 

dvd8n

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
I'm surprised that you find flemish easier than loop; I always found loop strings a doddle. But, each to their own; the world would be really boring if we were all the same.........
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
There's less serving to do , which takes up quite a bit of the string making time. I don't serve my end loops so I only need two posts for the jig.
Wind round the posts, serve the ends while the string is still on the jig in its initial set up. Put string on the bow for centre serving.
 

Valkamai

Member
I dislike serving which is why I prefer Flemish string. I also like the fact that with a Flemish string a 16 strand string will have 16 strands in the loops as well as in the main body of the string. This is even though I have no evidence to suggest that the loops are more stress bearing than any other part of the string, and that I know that a single strand has a breaking strength almost equal to the poundage of my limbs. But I still find it strangely reassuring. 🙄

Sent from my HTC Desire 626 using Tapatalk
 

bimble

Well-known member
Supporter
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
AIUK Saviour
I always wondered what the empirical evidence was for the difference in arrow speed between different string materials, and things like brass nocking points that are said to "slow down" the arrow. My gut feeling has always been that sort of mass differential would be negligible.
it's also important where the extra weight is. brass nocks at the nocking point is putting extra weight at the point where they would have the most affect. In the manner that limb savers closer to the riser than the flexing point of the limb have little affect on the speed of the limb, but closer to the tip can be detrimental to the efficiency of the limb.
 

albatross

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
I'm surprised that you find flemish easier than loop; I always found loop strings a doddle. But, each to their own; the world would be really boring if we were all the same.........
I can make a flemish twist string while I talk to my wife sitting in our front room. I don't have to use the 'heavy and cumbersome continuous loop string jig' I made previously. As geofretired said I don't have all that serving to do either. But as you said. "Each to his/her own".
 

JohnK

Well-known member
Baljinima Tsyrempilov, a former member of the Russian squad, shot with flemish twist strings.
 

dvd8n

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
So is there any advantage / disadvantage of continuous loop over Flemish twist, other than any perceived ease of a particular methods of construction?

I'd always assumed that continuous loop is more modern and hence better, and and Flemish more traditional, but that was just an assumption on my part.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
You can make a Flemish twist string from all the short bits of string left over from the ends of rolls that are too short for a continuous loop.
 

Rik

Supporter
Supporter
I don't know how easy it would be to make a Flemish twist string with a machine...
 

albatross

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
I don't know how easy it would be to make a Flemish twist string with a machine...
I did make a form of machine for ensuring the main strands were evenly laid after the first loop was formed. It consisted of a rail with at one end a post to hold the top loop. At the other end it consisted of a post on which I mounted a disc with hooks pointing toward the top post which were free to revolve independent of the disc. The disc was rotatable. After the top loop was mounted on the post the (in my case three) each of the bundles of strands was separated and then tied in turn to each of the hooks. I rotated the disc and at the same time reverse rotated each hook. This meant the the strands were laid evenly and under some tension, rather like a steel wire rope. I don't use it any more as I find it just as easy to twist the strands when I put the string on my stretcher. I think it is still it's somewhere in my workshop gathering dust.
 

albatross

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
Your wonderful machine instinctively knows when it is being put aside in favour of an even more wonderful machine.
.
How true. But it was a very interesting problem solving exercise, and it did work very well. But you cannot beat 'eye hand coordination' (and a warm environment with a comfortable chair. It beats standing in a workshop especially in winter).
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Another advantage of the Flemish twist is to have a string ready made that can fit any length bow. Make a loop on one end and tie a bowyers' knot on the other.
 
Top