Chinese thumb ring??????

Ray,
Yes I have and they are fast and good with heavy bows. You hold the string under the ridge. Mine is very roughly made but it still worked. The shape spreads the pressure from the bow string over a larger area of your thumb.

Bede,

If I understand correctly, the string sits to the right of the raised ridge with the slope of the bottom part of the ring holding it in against the underside fo teh ridge.

I imagine the side of the index finger also helps to push it against the side of the raised ridge.

Right now I am using one of the prong type thumb rings. Do you think switching to something like this would help with the bow slapping problem I am having?

Ray

Ray,
The thumb ring is upsidedown in the photograph. The extended lip sits on the flesh of the last segment of the thumb near the joint. The thumb is turned slightly so that the angle at the base of the ridge traps the string. Only slight pressure from the base segment of the index finger is needed to keep it in place.

When you release, the thumb opens and the string should fly off without touching the rest of the ring.

The male Korean rings are outside my experience. I imagine that fit and proportions are just as critical as with standard rings. I have some qualms about using them with heavy bows from a physiological point of view: they look like they could put a lot of pressure on the thumb knuckle. Thomas Duvernay is a better person to comment on their characteristics.

Bede,

I think I am going to make one of these out of horn or impregnated wood to try it. I think I will like it better than the one I am using. I am new enough at this that I don't know what I will like until I actually make and try it.

If I like it I have a chunk of Mokume Gane I can make a finished one out of. Or maybe some fossil walrus ivory.

I would like something nice once I find what I like.

Ray

Ray,
There are many shapes of thumb rings to choose from and they are a personal choice. Eventually you find the right one for your thumb and your shooting style.

It is important to remember that the external shape doesn't necessarily reflect the internal profile of a ring. For instance, Korean rings are thick at the tip of the lip and thin near the opening. Turkish and Persian rings are the reverse, but you can see rings that look very similar.

Speaking about Chinese thumbrings, I saw an interesting one in Panjiayuan Market (Beijing) this morning.

The seller says it is Warring States. Bronze, its size is OK for me.

However, the price he asks for it is very high... about the same as a crossbow mechanism, which is much bigger...

He answered : mechanisms are plenty, this is rare !

What do you think Stephen ? is it THAT rare ? and THAT expensive ?

Romain,
I have a thumb ring almost identical to your picture that came from Iran or Turkey in the twelfth to sixteenth centuries. This might not be Warring States, but it might be much rarer.

It is so frustrating that they are not digging these up in proper archaeological excavations where we might be able to date them.

Stephen will have more comments, but mine are as follows. If it is Warring States it looks like the precurser of later Middle Eastern rings. Otherwise it might be a relic of the Turks or Mongols in China. If it is real, it could be very significant.

Bede,

Could you post a picture of your ring ?

Is it also made of bronze ?

I agree that this ring is Turkic and not Chinese. It may date from Yuan times.

Thanks very much for your answers, Bede and Stephen.

If one of you has a picture of a real Warring States ring, I'd like to look at it :)

If one of you has a picture of a real Warring States ring, I'd like to look at it

The one on the top-left is ornamental, for protecting the body after death.

Thank you stephen for the pictures. It appears that hard stone was the material of choice to make thumbring at that period, instead of bronze.

Stephen,

I have seen several rings on the net like the ones above. What significance do the appendages have? Are they purely decorative or do they have a use?

Ray

When used on the correct hand (i.e. the spur pointing upward), they serve to secure the bulb nock from falling forward without exerting pressure on the arrow with the forefinger.

Well, That answers another question I had.
I had been wondering how archers kept those open ended nocks from falling off the string.

Does that system offer anything in the way of accuracy over a snap on type nock? or was that just one more way to solve the problem of keeping the nock and string together?

Ray

There was no snap nock technology then. The alternative was to make the jaws of the nock longer and have the nock snugly on the string. But the disadvantage is that there is greater risk of breakage, and the arrow does not come off the string so cleanly.

Also, the shallow bulb nock is easy to feel onto the string without looking when on horseback. The jawed nock can be fiddly.