this bow comes from nice clean stave, which was gentle heat treated and heat corrected. The lower limb has much more reflex than the upper, it was natural grown. This causes a lot of positve tiller.
The flips are also made with heat.
Backing is red and black dyed rawhide; handle overlay is bloodwood; arrow pass is artificial stone (earth pigments with epoxi).
Handle is covered with two portions of snake leather (snake was too thin) – you can see the cut on both sides, belly scales are on the belly and on the back of the bow. I got the leather in this unusual manner, the skin was cut at the back to keep the big belly scales intact!
Specs:
62” ntn
52#/ 27”
40mm max width
455 grams mass
2 Comments
This is a really beautiful one, like all of them.
I see most of your black locust bows are backed except one on this collection.
I’ve been having an issue in my black locust heavy ones as they crack on it’s back (on the wider half of them) after not such a long life.
I use to make them 160 cm long and opening them 27 and 1/2 inches or so. Arround 55 pounds, 12 cm fliped tips, 4,2-4,4 cm wide, trapezoidal cross section…
Do you thing with that measurements I should cover their back with rawhide for example?
Hi Juan,
I usually do not back BL, in case of bow no. 76 it is just a painting ground for the dye job.
Here is a selection of my BL bows: https://primitive-bows.com/tag/black-locust/, most of them unbacked.
BL is not forgiving tiller mistakes, so if you are a beginner go on the safe side and make the bow a little wider or longer. Measurements for example here: https://primitive-bows.com/wide-limbed-bl-from-a-board-no-90/
If you like the trapezoidal cross section, make the longer side bellyside. BL is much stronger in tension than in compression.
A rawhide backing can prevent lifting splinters.
Good luck for your next bows
Simon