korean horn bow problem

hi muzzler,I treat my koreans with hot air in case of twisting limbs:
when the bow is unstrung,I fix it with clamps on a board.The twist shall show down to the board,I put one clamp to the handle,one to the correct limb
and one close to the twist.I heat the hornside of the twisted limb with a
`hot air pistol`,but gently,I take only the first gear and control permanently
the heat by touching the bow.I has to feel warm,never hot, otherwise you can damage it!When the limb?s got the right temperature,I put one or more small wedges underneath the twist until it comes up.I overstretch it slightly!

After cooling down,the limb should be all right,if not you can repeat the procedure.I also heated a strung bow and re-bent the limb by handforce
but that?s quite dangerous and you shouldn?t start with that!

Good luck Stefan

Koreans work in their sock feet, heating the bow over a small brazier or electric hot plate. The strung bow is crushed to the wood floor with the foot and so no excessive over bending is used. The bow is supported by the floor. Also a bow bench is used for the same purpose. I have seen this done. The strung bow has a string keeper on the limb not being used.

Needless to say great care is used. I have used Adam's method of heating with a heating pad. The warm bow will nicely yield.

please tell me more about korean bow
I seem to fix twisting porblem all is ok.
My korean horn bow's back sinew covere with birch barck without varnishes. May I use that bow in rain weather? I want ti cover back with varnishes but korean bow master tell me that is not need to do.

Muzzler; Birch bark is completely waterproof such that some cultures make cooking containers out of it. However, the seams are not waterproof. Shooting in the rain is discouraged. In antiquity, bows were probably kept from the moisture at all costs and brought out when necessary. There was also the issue with the string being even more vulnerable.

Maybe your bow is synthetic in which case it might not be susceptible to moisture. The horn version is another case.

In Korea, the master often keeps the horn bow in a dry-cabinet and checks the tiller every time it is strung and used. It is a very sensitive, high performing tool.

I have my friend local bow master but only Turkish bow. I fully sure that my bow consists of fully natural materials. Then my friend has seen my Korean bow he is surprised that after unstrung it ever become like ?C? letter against Turkish bow which only new bow looks like ?C? letter but after a few times of using become like so-called ?boat? shape. That?s why y friend starts to talk that my bow consists of not fully natural materials.
What you think about using fish glue for Turkish bow I told about 120 lbs bow?

If your bow returns to a deep C shape then it is an authentic horn bow. I have a semi-horn bow with horn and synthetic and have also owned a totally synthetic version. Both of these are made in long rather than circular shape. The synthetic will not accept so much bend as to make it into a circle. Korean synthetic and semi-horn bows come in a new case which is long, the Korean version of a boat shape.

Fish glue would be the best, only somewhat better than others, though.

what do think about horse sinew? Somebody in Russia told me if bow was covered with only horse sinew and even glue from horse sinew that bow you can use in cold weather.

What do you think about using Ostrich sinew for bow?

Never used either but there is a long discussion on this forum about ostrich. Some have said that horse sinew is hard to break down. I used to use horse hide glue when I could find it.

the heating pad: is that a thermophore like you'd use for a sore back?

Yes, like for a sore back. Adam is right that the heat is not too intense but can be left for a while so that the heat is to the center of the bow.

What about spine of bamboo arrow for korean hornbow 65 lbs
Somebody has wrote that spine of arrow shaft need for korean hornbow need not 65 lbs but more harder about 75-80 lbs is it right or not?

The spine of an arrow is a personal thing. Test different arrows before getting (making ?) an entire set.

I find it is very necessary to nock high on my semi horn Korean bow.

[external image]
When the korean archer shoot he try to twist the bow to opposite of arrow direction if the arrow placed on right side of bow archer try to twist bow to the left side and after shooting bow position in perpendicular to archer.
That is why using harder arrow fly straightly.
I think the so spine contribution that has been shown on image is important only in sport archering then you aim only by one eye.

I've seen a lot of films of making korean hornbow, and I never saw that korean master heat the belly side of hornbow but he ever heat back side of bow. But Adam Karpovich has wrote that twisting can solve by heating belly side horn.

Hi muzzler.

[Twisting handle with lower three fingers] is the main of korean bow shooting method for arrow's straight flying.

Traditional Korean hornbow, it is much sensitive to use, easy to fragile, and hard to keep.
So i recommend to use laminate bow till become an advanced archer.
Mastering korean bow shooting method should be the first.(with laminate one)

May i see your hornbow images?

And i know The Moscow national (orient or east) meuseum has old korean bow(donggae bow), bowcase/quiver(donggae).

Have you seen them?

I really hope to see them.