ATARNarchive

returning to the thumb ring

2 posts2010live thread
Justin Ma
After some months using a leather tab, I decided to return to using a ring. It's been a while since I made a ring, but after having success using one of daryush's boiled leather rings, I got the inspiration to try again. (For my current poundage bow, the string exerted too much pressure through the soft tab and caused some bleeding underneath my thumb nail.)

This is the latest thumb ring I've made out of a billiard ball. The design is simple and takes advantage of the pool ball's preexisting curvature and polish. It doesn't use a string groove (this makes carving simpler). The lip is tapered and triangular, and the sides are thicker and more protective than what I've previously made.

http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~jtma/chines ... 45_web.jpg
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~jtma/chines ... 47_web.jpg
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~jtma/chines ... 29_web.jpg
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~jtma/chines ... 43_web.jpg

So far it feels good. I'm getting used to using the ring without pinching the skin.
Bede
Justin,
It's a nice ring, but bleeding under the thumb nail is usually caused by too tight an index finger rather than the leather tab. This can be an unconscious problem. Blistering and bleeding under the leather tab usually is the result of an unfortunate shape of the lip of the tab or a thickness problem.