Ash bow
I finished this bow a little while ago. It’s 57 inches nock to nock. I haven’t had a chance to measure the draw weight yet, but I would guess it weighs in at between 45 and 50 pounds.
The bow is backed with linen and painted using earth pigments in a hide glue medium. The overlaid nocks are horn, the fur dampeners are rabbit and the handle wrap wool. The string is three-ply cordage I made from waxed linen.
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So do the horn nock covers glued over the ash nocks with hide glue? Also, are the 2 rabbit fur dampeners added to quiet the bowstring after release (when it “slaps” into the bow)? Beautiful work, although I would think that the bright red geometric pattern wpuld draw attention, which you would want to prevent during the hunt. I’ve seen snake skins applied, which look amazing & add natural camouflage.
Thanks Eric. The horn nocks are glued over the ash yes. I’ll try and post up a side-on pic. Yes, the fur dampeners are to avoid string slap, but they are also for decoration. Alternatively you can wind the dampeners into the string.
Snake skins are great. Remember though that many animals are colour blind. Also, the visual ‘hum’ of complementary colours such as red and (in this case grey-)green, along with the lines that appear to ‘run off’ the bow, break up the outlines that allow us to recognise objects on the edge of our field of vision. Camouflage is a fascinating subject, and can sometimes seem counter-intuitive.