Making strings??????

[buckskin73]

I would like to try making a string for a single cam bow. I am tired of paying the high prices. I don' t know how $5 worth of string can cost $35 to $100 bucks.

IroquoisArcher was nice enough to send me a picture of a jig he made. I am working on that part. Looks like he has this stuff figured out.

What I need to know is how to actually make the string. I don' t know where to start. Are there any pictures, books, video, articles, that explain the process and steps I need to take?

I am also researching the different strings. I have my own opinions on string material but was wondering what all the experts thought.

Thanks

[Straightarrow]

I don' t know how $5 worth of string can cost $35 to $100 bucks.

The string may be only $5 worth of material, but a company has to pay a guy wages for 30-45 minutes, to make the string; Has to pay rent, insurance, utilities, etc, on a building to make them in; pay an office staff, purchase ads, and hundreds of other expenses in running a business. Then, the company may warranty their work, deal with customers questions and with all this, they still have to make a profit to stay in business. Combine this with the fact that there are many, many places to get a string and you can see why it' s pretty difficult to charge more than the string' s worth.

Now, if you want to do all the above, expect to invest a few hundred dollars into a string jig, string material, serving material, serving jigs, etc. It will probably also take an amateur about 90 minutes to make a string. If all that is worth saving approx. $35 on a string, then the following link will get you started. By the way, I think it' s worth it, that' s why I make my own. My preference happens to be Brownell' s Ultra Cam material.

[link]http://applearchery.com/building_bowstrings.htm[/link]

[IroquoisArcher]

Straightarrow, thanks for the link. Wish I saw it earlier, would have saved some typing and it explains it better . Have you tried 450 Plus? If so how do you like it compared to the Brownells? I started with S4 but didn' t like it so have been a 450 Premium then Plus user and had no complaints. Have 8125 on the bow now but can' t see a difference between that and 450 Plus (or maybe I' m just set in my ways).

[Straightarrow]

It' s my opinion that you can make a great string out of almost any modern string material. It' s the string making technique, more than the material, that makes a great string.

I' ve come to like the Ultra Cam because it absolutely will not creep when made correctly and it doesn' t fuzz as much as most others. I' m sure you can make a great string out of the 450plus or the 8125. Some people choose a material simply based on the color it comes in, and with the quality of the string material out there, that' s as good a reason as any.

[reylamb]

Larry' s directions from that website are as good as any I have seen. Also, you can get his video on line from different places, I know lancaster archery has it.

Personally, I use the 8125 for my strings and I have never had any creep problems whatsoever.

[Straightarrow]

I also have Larry' s video and will tesify that it' s worth the price.

[CG]

I use 8125 and use a turnbuckle to add about 300 lbs. of pressure to my strings when I serve them....Zero creep and 8125 doesn' t " fuzz" like some of the others....My string jig is VERY primitive compared to most...It' s simply a 100" piece of 2" box tubing with a post on one end and a post with a turnbuckle on the other.....I use " quick-links" to adjust length.....I' ve made dozens of strings on this jig and they are are as good as any I have purchased....Total cost for jig......$24......

[Black Frog]

I use 452 for all my stuff. I like the smaller diameter of the 452, it provides a higher strand count per bundle, and it makes two color strings look nicer. No creep- no stretch. Keep it waxed and it stays nice.

[selway]

i use ultra cam like straightarrow what i like about it is i can shoot it about 15 times and its done streching. put a few twist back in it and it is done no creep whatsoever.

[BTM]

I started making my own strings a few years ago, and here are the three most important things I' ve learned:

1. The Cavalier serving jig is better than the Bjorn.

2. Buy a colored string material that' ll contrast with the black serving. The contrast comes in handy when applying the serving. Black on black is hard to see, especially with older eyes. (Plus colored strings look cooler!)

3. You don' t save any money making your own strings unless you like working for about $0.20 an hour! Maybe I' m too slow or meticulous, but I' m a tinkerer who loves " rolling his own."