Hello to everyone,some time ago I made an endless-loop string with the best linen thread I could get(Barbour N.35),and after a few hundreds shots I found that 1/4 of the threads were broken at the nocking point.Then I made another string using silk:the very same story.In both cases the serving was still sound.What can I do?How were made the old strings?Maybe raw undyed silk would be stronger.Any advice will be useful.Bye
Francesco
redhawk
hi Francesco, just one 1 hour ago, the linen-string of one of a member of my last bow-class broke at the same point, the serving(silk) was o.k.
But he has forgotten to wax the linen, before he served it, and he has forgotten to smooth the nocks. 2 reasons for the break.
But anyway I don?t think that a linen-string is able to stand more than 1000 shots, nevertheless I?ve shot one linen-string about 8000 times.
And I?ve found out that the linen harvested in the hot summer of 2003 is very weak, flax likes wet climate. The best flax grows near the seaside in Ireland, Belgium, Northern Germany.......
Michael
Bede
Raw, undyed silk was the preferred variety. In fabric terms it is called filament silk because it is unwound from the coccoons in single strands and then twised into threads.
Ordinary spun silk is nowhere near strong enough. Wulff's Traditional Crafts of Persia detailes the making of warp threads for silk carpets and the technique appears the same as described in Saracen Archery for bow strings. Even the same word "chillah" is used.
Redhawk's advice is sound. The are many grades of linen, and when it was regularly used for bowstrings, the makers were very particular about what they used.
sosohi
Hi, Francesco
Why don't you use beewax?
Beewax may bind threads together into a firm sring
You can rub it on the string, then scrub the string with clothes.
arsilan
Hi
Old Turkish masters were using a mixture which contained beewax and fish glue for their string loop.
Alessi Francesco
I will try with unspun silk (if I can get some...).I wax carefully every string:I think that the problem is the sharp angle that form the string at the centre in such short bows,that wear out the string quite quickly,even if the serving is still sound.
Thank you
Bye
Francesco
istanbuli
If the only reason for breakage is the rough corners in the nocks why do not you use the two extra loops at both ends of the string? So that the worn loops can be replaced with the fresh ones and it may also help some of us to decide and adjust the exact length of the string for a particular bow.
redhawk
arsilan, how is it possible to blend fish-glue and beeswax? Maybe with heat, but maybe the old turkish bowyers first soaked the loop with fish-glue, then they coated it with beeswax?
It is a matter of course to smooth the edges of a bows?nocks, but anyway, sooner or later a string will break here, cause the fibres of the string are in a more or less angle to the direction of the strings power.
I guess this is what Francesco said.
I?ve read somewhere that the Mongolians were making endless strings of unspun silk, with the loops covered with leather?
Francesco, here you can get unspun silk: www.f?rbehof.de , english please, maybe they know a supplier in Italy too.
redhawk
Francesco, sorry the adress is: wolle-stoffe-seide-pflanzengefaerbt.de
Stephen Selby
I?ve read somewhere that the Mongolians were making endless strings of unspun silk, with the loops covered with leather?
It was normal to use chamois leather around the loops. I have seen many examples of this right back to around 700BCE. (See below.) I didn't mention it before because I had misunderstood that the string breaking problem was occuring at the arrow nocking point.
S.
Adam Karpowicz
I think Francesco has asked about breakage at the arrow nocking point. It happens to silk or flax strings, because of extreme flexing there, serving, whether good or bad, has nothing to do with this, although can help somewhat. Filament silk breaks too.
The loops I have seen were made of single filaments, tightly twisted and impreganated with what appeared to be glue, at least mostly glue. The glue can be mixed with resin and wax if the concentration of glue is high enough. The loops were always thicker than the string, obviously made thick for durability. It is very difficult to keep the loop knots from un-winding on heavy bows, above 90lb. Only loops which are well soaked in the glue-resin-wax mixture have enough friction to hold, even the wrapping with thread, used on the knots, will not prevent the slippage. If too much glue is used, the loops become brittle and can break.
Adam
Alessi Francesco
Adam is right,I meant breakage at the arrow nocking point.I made the string in 3 pieces:silk for the central part(endless loop),and linen for the loops(see the picture).As you can see I generally put a piece of thin leather to protect the loop at the bow's nocks.So,I renew my question:if every natural material will break quite soon,how were made the old strings?How many shots were supposed to last?
Thank you again.
Francesco
Stephen Selby
In English, there's a colloquial expression: "having a second string to your bow". That probably answers your question: they didn't have a solution. :wink:
Bede
I have to agree with Adam about the exciting behaviour of strings with separate loops on heavy bows. Often you experience a sudden, unexpected increase in string length just as the arrow leaves the bow.
I have an original Turkish string at home so I will photograph the loops and post it here for your examination. Sometimes there are craftman's tricks for doing things that are hard to guess but easy to copy.
