Hungarian style bow
Dear members,
My name is Ralf. I'm from Germany but living in Vietnam since several years.
First I would like to express my gratitude to all these great postings and discussion in the forum. This is a big knowledge base on many aspects of Asian archery. All the information collected in the forum helped me a lot when building this bow.
Length ntn is 142 cm, length when strung is 140 cm, grip-limb angle 160, tip-limb angle 35, length of tip 23 cm. I altered the angles from drawings by Csikos Balint found on Atarn as I thought it will be easier to deal with.
The core is bamboo, belly water buffalo horn, sinew from buffalo back. The tips are made from a local ebony, very heavy though. one reason why the bow is not fast. I guess it's about 35 pounds @ 32", my draw length.
The back is covered with grey fish leather.
Because I live in Vietnam, a country with an extreme humid climate that lets every organic substance go to be mouldy after a short time, I used modern glues, expoxy and Titebond.
One thing on the bamboo - I will not try it with this material again. I had two bows broken at the nodes, one of them some time after being finished and shot for a while. And the bamboo was even laminated with expoxy. With this one here I was lucky, and the bamboo is not laminated.
My name is Ralf. I'm from Germany but living in Vietnam since several years.
First I would like to express my gratitude to all these great postings and discussion in the forum. This is a big knowledge base on many aspects of Asian archery. All the information collected in the forum helped me a lot when building this bow.
Length ntn is 142 cm, length when strung is 140 cm, grip-limb angle 160, tip-limb angle 35, length of tip 23 cm. I altered the angles from drawings by Csikos Balint found on Atarn as I thought it will be easier to deal with.
The core is bamboo, belly water buffalo horn, sinew from buffalo back. The tips are made from a local ebony, very heavy though. one reason why the bow is not fast. I guess it's about 35 pounds @ 32", my draw length.
The back is covered with grey fish leather.
Because I live in Vietnam, a country with an extreme humid climate that lets every organic substance go to be mouldy after a short time, I used modern glues, expoxy and Titebond.
One thing on the bamboo - I will not try it with this material again. I had two bows broken at the nodes, one of them some time after being finished and shot for a while. And the bamboo was even laminated with expoxy. With this one here I was lucky, and the bamboo is not laminated.
Great looking Hun style bow Ralf. It almost looks as if it were done using wood-fiberglass composite materials. Nice clean lines. I'd like to see a close photo of the siyah/limb junction. It appears that the limbs do not taper from side to side into the siyah base where the two join. How wide are the siyahs at the joint, and how wide are the limbs?
Single piece bamboo core? How thick?
Was your ATARN drawing source by Balint called "The Magyar Bow" in a discussion called "Hungarian Archery - Revival of a long lost tradition"?? Which of his drawings did you alter? Both drawings are of much shorter bows than you 142cm.
Single piece bamboo core? How thick?
Was your ATARN drawing source by Balint called "The Magyar Bow" in a discussion called "Hungarian Archery - Revival of a long lost tradition"?? Which of his drawings did you alter? Both drawings are of much shorter bows than you 142cm.
Hi KenH,
I polished the horn and the rest does the flash light to the look, I think.
Yes, it's a single piece of bamboo. It was 7 mm but unfortunately I did some strokes too much with the rasp and it finally became just 3 mm. I think that's the reason for the low draw weight. The horn is about 4 mm at mid-limb and the horn is tapered from about 5 to 3 mm. The limbs are 35 mm wide.
The pics show some more details.
I polished the horn and the rest does the flash light to the look, I think.
Yes, it's a single piece of bamboo. It was 7 mm but unfortunately I did some strokes too much with the rasp and it finally became just 3 mm. I think that's the reason for the low draw weight. The horn is about 4 mm at mid-limb and the horn is tapered from about 5 to 3 mm. The limbs are 35 mm wide.
The pics show some more details.
I see much better now. Especially how the limb becomes the siyah. Beautiful work. Thanks for the additional dimensions and photos. I just may try something like this myself.
What are the dimensions of the handle "boat shape"?
Although it's not traditional, I recently completed a wood-fiberglass composite Scythian style bow that is performing very well. I prefer bows of lower draw weight - 30#-40# rather than the heavy war-weight bows. I would rather shoot 100 arrows a day with a light bow than 10 arrows a day with a heavy bow.
What are the dimensions of the handle "boat shape"?
Although it's not traditional, I recently completed a wood-fiberglass composite Scythian style bow that is performing very well. I prefer bows of lower draw weight - 30#-40# rather than the heavy war-weight bows. I would rather shoot 100 arrows a day with a light bow than 10 arrows a day with a heavy bow.
The "boat shape" on the handle is 19 cm long and 2 cm wide. It's a thin 1 mm layer of this local ebony, Mun Ebony (Go Mun).
With this draw weight the bow is slow, as I said. I underestimated the effect of heavy siyahs, I was more going for the look. Next time I will definitely make them as light weight as possible, most likely from maple.
I also prefer 45#@28".
Next bow I'll try is a Manchurian, when I'm in Germany. Here, I have to work at the kitchen table with very basic equipment. The tools you can buy here are crap. I will use maple for this one.
There is a discussion on these bows going on recently where I will certainly have some questions.
With this draw weight the bow is slow, as I said. I underestimated the effect of heavy siyahs, I was more going for the look. Next time I will definitely make them as light weight as possible, most likely from maple.
I also prefer 45#@28".
Next bow I'll try is a Manchurian, when I'm in Germany. Here, I have to work at the kitchen table with very basic equipment. The tools you can buy here are crap. I will use maple for this one.
There is a discussion on these bows going on recently where I will certainly have some questions.
Thanx again, Ralf, that gives me about all the hard data I need to make a similar bow for myself. I do like your version with that boat-shaped handle compared to those in the discussion.
I was in Vietnam back in the late 60s; not a fun time, but a very interesting place. I have bowyer friends living in Thailand, and they have the same issues you do with poor quality tools and beautiful woods with unknown characteristics. Makes life a challenge!
Look for my post here, shortly where I'll show the Scythian style bow I finished. I don't even have a kitchen table to work on -- I live aboard a 26 t sailboat and work on the dock alongside my hull!
I was in Vietnam back in the late 60s; not a fun time, but a very interesting place. I have bowyer friends living in Thailand, and they have the same issues you do with poor quality tools and beautiful woods with unknown characteristics. Makes life a challenge!
Look for my post here, shortly where I'll show the Scythian style bow I finished. I don't even have a kitchen table to work on -- I live aboard a 26 t sailboat and work on the dock alongside my hull!
Hi Ralf
A very nice bow, I like it, I am looking forward to seeing your next one. I really enjoy ATARN too, great posts here. I have two cores about ready for horn and siyahs now. Need to find some horn.
I expect that your kitchen table is much better to work on then what I had when I was in Vietnam, in the mid 60s. :roll:
Ken has me beat right now with his dock, I am looking forward to a yurt when a land closing happens.
A very nice bow, I like it, I am looking forward to seeing your next one. I really enjoy ATARN too, great posts here. I have two cores about ready for horn and siyahs now. Need to find some horn.
I expect that your kitchen table is much better to work on then what I had when I was in Vietnam, in the mid 60s. :roll:
Ken has me beat right now with his dock, I am looking forward to a yurt when a land closing happens.