twisted bow

[huntingfortails]

From what I can tell my bow is a bit twisted but only a little so I was wondering if there is any way that I can fix it. Or at least make it a little better. Thanks for any advice!!!

[21st Cent.]

huntingfortails,

What type of bow do you have? (longbow, recurve, ?)

How did you determine that it was a bit twisted?


Milton Callaway
21st Century Longbow

[huntingfortails]

It's a martin recurve x-2000. it appears to be a bit offline with the dip carved it the bow to fit the string. Only by like an 8th of an inch though. THanks for any help
nick

[Arthur P]

I'm going to assume you have a recurve and the string isn't tracking down the center of one limb tip. First thing to do is string the bow, using a bow stringer. Make sure the string loops are centered in the limb nocks first. Having the loops off center can often make a limb appear to be twisted when it's really not. That's usually with a lighter poundage bow though.

Now, if it's just a slight twist, I'd be inclined to leave it alone and not do anything. If I did do something about it, this is what I'd do.

String the bow and twist the limb just a tad past where the string centers, then turn loose. If the string stays centered, draw it a few times and see if the string always returns to center. If it does, it's fixed. That's what we call 'bumping' the limb.

If that doesn't fix it, and the bow still shoots okay,I'd be even more inclined to leave it alone. But, if it bugs you,you've got to get a little more involved.

You can unstring the bow and heat the limb, then twist it beyond straight and hold it there until the limb cools. Then string it up and see if you've done any good. Keep heating and twisting until you get the thing straighted out. When you think you've got it, draw the bow a few times and see how it does. Sometimes the twist comes back in a few tugs. Sometimes it never does. Just keep an eye on it.

For heating the limb, my preference is to go to the bathtub and run hot tap water over the twisted limb to heat it through. Some people say that water can get into the limb and mess it up. They prefer dry heat with a heat gun. Personally, I'd rather take my chances with the hot water, because I think it's very easy to get the limb too hot with a heat gun and cause the limb to delaminate.

Just be very careful with the heat if you use a heat gun. Never get the limb too hot to touch with your bare hand!And it's important to be patient though the straightening process. Most twisted limbs can be worked back straight, but someone that gets impatient can kill a bow real easy.

Sometimes a bowyer can fix one that you can't work in with the heat method. It'd mean losing a few pounds of draw weight, but the bow would still shoot. Assuming the bow is worth the money it'd cost to have it done. If not... "Honey, sweetheart, dearest!I gotta get a new bow!" [8D]

Edit: That's what I get for typing a long post. You posted whilst I was typing. From what you describe, I'd bet all you'll need to do is bump the limb a few times.

[21st Cent.]

Nick,

The problem that you described is more common with recurves.

The reason it is more common with recurves is because the limb on a recurve is thinner from belly to back than a longbow or selfbow. The thinner limbis part of therecurve design. Recurves have a lot of reflex, and this allows the limb to be thinner because the reflex will give you more preload and will allow for a thinner limb. The advantage of a thinner limb is that you have less virtual mass and the limb will recover faster. If you observe different bows what you will see is that the less reflex you have the thicker the limb will have to be to achieve the same draw weight.
I have always maintained that if I was inclined to build a recurve, that I would bury a laminate of biased glass within the limb to give it lateral stability.

Now that I touched on the why, I will suggest the fix.

By hand, simply twist the limb in the opposite direction. By twisting it you will get a temporary fix but over the course of shooting you will probably see the twist come back.

I know and shoot withrealy talented recurve shooters and if you examine their bows it wouldn't be a surprise to see a bit of limb twist. They (the talented) do not worry about a small amount of twist and I would suggest that you not either.

I would suggest that you not try to heat the limb up in any fashion, but that is just an opinion from someone who builds bows for a living.

Good luck and if I can help further please feel free to contact me.

Milton Callaway
21st Century Longbows