From the Lions' Den - A freestylers' journey.

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
Yep, making it work will be one task, then making it 'legal' will be another. Anyone care to guess which will prove to be the hardest?

Time to share a wee bit of good news though :D

(& I consider archery to be the major contributing factor)

I had my review appointment today with the diabetes nurse, following a reduction in my 2nd med (Gliclazide) a few months ago - not only is my blood sugar stable but my weight-loss continues (which was a worry as a side effect of that med is weight GAIN) I've lost another 4 kg since May making 12 kg in total since re-starting archery :D

- I'm a shadow of my former self at a flyweight 143 kg! (OK, even I'm laffin' at that ;) )

Anyhoo, nursie was so pleased that she's authorised the ending of that med, starting immediately. I'm due a blood test in January to make certain all is OK, but I'm well happy that I'm only on one med (Metformin) for diabetes now.

Shout it loud & proud -

ARCHERY IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

So in 'celebration', I sent off my applications for both the Killingworth Open & the Ivernia Open this morning.

Nice new arrows...
Thank you! <3
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
... while the part within the athlete’s line of vision does not exceed 2cm in a straight line before bending.
Seriously... someone wrote this rule? 2cm before bending? I can guarantee that fibre optic will be bending immediately it leaves the point that fixes it in position. The amount of bend may well be tiny! :)
 
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Emmadragon

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
That's 'does not EXCEED', not 'is at least'. So if the bend is immediate, that's not a problem. At least, that's how I read it.

And hey, Aslan, great news there, I'm really pleased for you. 👍 Type 2, I presume?
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
OK, you might swear blind that it's Friday 11th, but it was very definitely Friday 13th for me!

- like as in, just about everything that could go wrong (on the range) did :(

Starting with arrows going almost a full target (60 cm) left!

The first end was a good group in the red/blue at 5 o'clock - on the other target on the boss.

"OK" I thought "Obviously my midweek tweak of the pin-length was a bit over-enthusiastic" (I'd altered it 'coz on Sunday it was pretty much hard right on the block, I wanted it centered - borderline OCD?) So out with the spanners. Four 'shoot one & re-tweak' ends later, I'm a couple of inches right - Yes, on MY face!!!! - and a couple of inches low (I'd totally ignored the vertical up til this point). 6 'ticks' of vertical later, & a couple of mils right, over 3 ends- and sod-all has changed.

Then, the rest came off.

The foamy middle bit totally split. Gluey bits still totally intact, both on the riser & on the rest base. Spare pad - and the IPA to de-gunge everything - at home, 40 miles away. I sat down & watched a handful of ends while I thought about possible solutions. Finding none I packed up & headed off, secure in the knowledge that I could enjoy the 2nd half of the England game when I got home. That didn't exactly work out either.

Yep, a day to write off & consign to the cylindrical floor file. Lots of 'maintenance' to do on the morrow - not sure yet whether to use the spare pad or use it as a good opportunity to give the wrap-around rest a run out. Just a cheap one from 'the bay', less than a fiver, arrived weeks ago, wanted to see the difference before I even thought about one of them (over?) fancy Spigerelli ones.


IPA = IsoPropyl Alcohol just in case anyone was thinking 'what has beer got to do with it?'
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
The order arrived as promised this morning, but if it has any optical properties at all, I can't find them. I've requested a refund.

I looked at getting a Shibuya fibre as in the video, but.... well, if you read the other thread I posted in today you'll know why that ain't gonna happen.

I've gone with the wrap-around rest for now, if I hate it I still have the option of going back to the stick-on now I've cleaned all the gunge off & fitted the spare pad to the plate.

I'll have a lot more spares with me when I shoot tomorrow afternoon.
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
Happy to report that my arrows are going where I want them to go again :D

- Have to conclude that Fridays' issues were being caused by the unseen disintegration of the sticky-pad on the rest.

I'm liking the new wrap-around, even though it was a mere £6.52 delivered. Took very little bending to get it exactly where I wanted it, did what it says on the tin ;)

- To the degree that I now have a nock that looks like a vee-sign! I'm thankful that the pin was spared though, this time.

Deffo ready to have a go for a 500+ Pompey on Friday night now, today I was just enjoying things making sense again - I've even got the pin centered in the block! (& taken back all of those 6 vertical ticks from Friday).
 

Finch

Member
When I bought my bow it came with the nasty plastic Hoyt Superrest - you know, the one that lasts about 6 arrows before it starts getting floppy?

My Level 2 coach recommended an Arco Sport Spigarelli wraparound at about £22 and I haven't regretted it for a second. For the price it is a cracking bit of kit and less than half the price of the one you linked above. Do I want a more expensive one? Yes. Do I need it? Nope, this one is perfect for the moment!
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
Yeahmon, I dumped my plastic rests within a couple of weeks of starting shooting in favour of magnetic. The one that failed last week was my 2nd, an upgrade yes, but still suffering the inherent weakness of any stick-on rest - even the really expensive ones (Up to ~ £28 for a W&W).

I've decided to get a 2nd rest, same as the first except a) in Red (so I can tell the difference) & b) the current price has gone down to £5.02 :D

- So I can leave one set up for X-Busters & have the other set up for A/C/E's.

'Unfortunately' ;) that means a 2nd plunger too. Sometime before Easter. I'd like to get another ZX229, I'm quite happy with it, but also in red to match the 2nd rest.

Now here's a thing-

At 9.08 this morning, an email was sent from eBay saying my refund claim for the 'optical cable' had been accepted in full & the money had been returned to my account. No need to send anything back.

While I'm pleased that I don't have to have a fight to get satisfaction, I see it as deeply suspicious that they paid up so quickly - makes me think that they knew they were selling a maguffin from the start. The JW in me wishes I could prevent anyone else from getting burned but I'll bet the advert is still there in a week.
 

Emmadragon

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
Tried the new bow out on Saturday...and I can report that it's fabulous to shoot. No kick-back, no stacking, no vibration to speak of...just lovely. Admittedly, it should be for the money, but the difference between my old bow and this is just stunning. Not better scoring (yet), but just a so much nicer experience.
 

chuffalump

Well-known member
I've had a Shibuya stick on rest on my recurve set up for years without trouble. Always carry a cheap spare for emergency use though. Before that I had a Spigarelli ZT wraparound. Great in the wind because of the deep hook but the little adjuster screws just stripped if you looked at them sideways. Scrapped it. Hope the newer types are better quality.
 

Graham Smith

Active member
AIUK Saviour
I've had a Shibuya stick on rest on my recurve set up for years without trouble. Always carry a cheap spare for emergency use though. Before that I had a Spigarelli ZT wraparound. Great in the wind because of the deep hook but the little adjuster screws just stripped if you looked at them sideways. Scrapped it. Hope the newer types are better quality.
I messed around with different stick on rests for a while before buying a Shibuya. It was the best thing I did. It's been on there for two years and
gets adjusted for carbon and aluminium arrows without a problem. You get what you pay for I suppose.
 

Emmadragon

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
I've got a Shibuya, too, and the only problem with it is that our club prevailing wind is right to left, so on a very windy day my arrows will get pushed off the comparatively flat rest. I carry spare stickies with me at all times in my little tool kit (pliers, spanners, nocking thread, lighter, scissors, and so on), but I've never had the Shibuya fall off.
I'll take some pictures on club night on Wednesday. It does look great, I had the whole club going 'oooo-carbon' at it.
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
(Yet) Another win for Milliput!

Having made a reluctant order for a pair of Shibuya fibres, I decided to spend today getting the sight prepped & ready for their arrival. Taking inspiration from the stock Shiby version, a wee blob of Milliput moulded to the free end of the pin and a 1.2mm hole at a shallow angle (and a lick of black acrylic) leaves me ready to rock as soon as the fibres arrive.

Decut 1.jpg

Decut 2.jpg

OK, you can't see the hole in these pix, but it will be obvious when the fibre is fitted. The shallow angle will help ensure that the 2 cm forward limit isn't exceeded. Any issues & I'll do another fibre guide with Milliput, attached to the alloy joining piece.

- But as the Shiby doesn't need one, I don't anticipate having to make one.
 

Emmadragon

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
Ok, now I'm curious - what will hold the fibre in place in the sight itself? I can't see anything obvious... 🤔
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
I'm also a member of NADA the National Association of Disabled Archers, they've just revealed the design for their shooting shirt

aren't they GORGEOUS?

NADA shirt.jpg

(I only wish I could afford more than one :( )
 
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