Skinny Horn Strips, Any Use?
I bought a gemsbok (oryx) horn and split it with the bandsaw, then attempted to flatten it. Things went well on the base end, but as I got to mid-horn the thickness and near-round profile caused me problems. I apparently failed to get it hot enough and it cracked. Since the single crack was right down the middle, I simply split the two halves into quarters. Now I have four pieces, but they are more skinny than I planned.
I worked on two pieces last night, I cut off the really bumpy base part and then used the belt sander to make two flat strips. They are curved to the side somewhat but I assume I can straighten them with heat. They are only 7/8" wide at the widest, tapering to less than 1/4" at the tip end. The strips are about 22" long. They are slightly less than 1/8" thick.
Are these strips of any use in making a composite bow? Should I prep the other two pieces and splice them somehow? Would it be possible to use two half-width pieces, the length of the belly? Or should I use the wider parts of all four, butt-splicing them and not using the skinnier upper ends?
I worked on two pieces last night, I cut off the really bumpy base part and then used the belt sander to make two flat strips. They are curved to the side somewhat but I assume I can straighten them with heat. They are only 7/8" wide at the widest, tapering to less than 1/4" at the tip end. The strips are about 22" long. They are slightly less than 1/8" thick.
Are these strips of any use in making a composite bow? Should I prep the other two pieces and splice them somehow? Would it be possible to use two half-width pieces, the length of the belly? Or should I use the wider parts of all four, butt-splicing them and not using the skinnier upper ends?
Gemsbock horn is really not the best choice for a hornbow. If you use it for a hornbow you had to heat-flatten it, but horn is the ultimate material for a bow due to its reconstitutional capablities. Even if you flatten it, it wants to go back to its original shape and could cause breakage of the glue-line.
If you use it anyway take the wider parts and butt-splice them, secure the splice by wrapping it with sinew.
It is also possible to lay small hornstrips lengthwise on the belly of the core.
Michael
If you use it anyway take the wider parts and butt-splice them, secure the splice by wrapping it with sinew.
It is also possible to lay small hornstrips lengthwise on the belly of the core.
Michael
The strips aren't reverting to a cupped shape to any extent. And gemsbok horn is mostly straight so there's no tendency to revert to anything curved either. Really, I didn't do that much heat-flattening on the part I am using, mostly just sanded things down to a strip. I did heat-flatten the base section, but it is so bumpy and thin in between tha I cut off the first 6" or so. I expect to use those pieces for some decorative purpose.
I'm going to go ahead with the project, Not entirely sure about whether it'll entail butt-splicing or running parallel strips down the belly. I'm tempted to make a skinny-limbed bow and just use the first two strips and save the other two.
Thanks for the input. Anybody else have an opinion?
I'm going to go ahead with the project, Not entirely sure about whether it'll entail butt-splicing or running parallel strips down the belly. I'm tempted to make a skinny-limbed bow and just use the first two strips and save the other two.
Thanks for the input. Anybody else have an opinion?
I realized that the horn strips were almost exactly twice the length of the working limb. This means I could cut the horn strips in half and splice them onto the belly. So that is what I did. I'll have to use something else in the handle, and I'll either wrap the siyah glue joints or put soem cow hor on them for reinforcement. although I made the siyahs arched so I think that will keep things from bending well enough.
Don't know if I mentioned my construction, the bow core is bamboo about 3/16" thick, spliced 8" black wlanut siyahs at about a 30 degree angle. Put a little backset in the handle and glued on a walnut reverse handle. May use either walnut or osage on the belly side of the handle as my horn spacer. The whole bow is around 45" long, tip/tip. Working limbs are about 12".
I glued the strips on with resorcinol glue, a two-part resorcinol/formaldehyde with wood flour to provide gap-filling properties. The strips had slight cupping so I put that on the glue joint side, I figure the resorcinol will fill any gaps. The clamps seemed to flatten things pretty well though.
The horn is glued now, I will pull the clamps in the morning and if things look good I'll sinew tomorrow. I have sinew prepped although I'll probably run it through a comb to make it more fine. I want to try making strips like in the Korean video, that looked like a good way to work with sinew.
Here are a few pics of where I'm at now.
http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l200/ ... ite%20Bow/
Don't know if I mentioned my construction, the bow core is bamboo about 3/16" thick, spliced 8" black wlanut siyahs at about a 30 degree angle. Put a little backset in the handle and glued on a walnut reverse handle. May use either walnut or osage on the belly side of the handle as my horn spacer. The whole bow is around 45" long, tip/tip. Working limbs are about 12".
I glued the strips on with resorcinol glue, a two-part resorcinol/formaldehyde with wood flour to provide gap-filling properties. The strips had slight cupping so I put that on the glue joint side, I figure the resorcinol will fill any gaps. The clamps seemed to flatten things pretty well though.
The horn is glued now, I will pull the clamps in the morning and if things look good I'll sinew tomorrow. I have sinew prepped although I'll probably run it through a comb to make it more fine. I want to try making strips like in the Korean video, that looked like a good way to work with sinew.
Here are a few pics of where I'm at now.
http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l200/ ... ite%20Bow/