Grip, Arrow Plate, and Bowscale.

Got the grip and arrow plate done. The Mother of pearl looks great against the dark pinkish red leather, but it's a pig trying to catch it in a pic'.

I've shot over 100 arrows through it now and it's performing well.

I bought a new spring balance yesterday from poundland, it's only a dirt cheap plasticky thing sold as a luggage scale. It goes up to 50# and actually works very smoothly, it's ideal for lower poundage bows as it gives a better resolution. I can spot calibrate it for accuracy against my other scale. With most measuring instruments it's best to be using them somewhere near the middle of their range, so this is much better for a 25# bow than using my 200# scales.

Working Mother of Pearl is slightly tricky, it will saw, grind and file if you use a light touch, a decent saw blade and letting the weight of the saw do the cutting and cuts through quite easily, it's a bit brittle and will crack if gripped too hard. I put a scrap of rubber sheet around it and nip it up gently in the vice.
Final pic is the modified scale from Poundland (I've seen 'em in the 99p shop too if you want to save 1p!)
I've added a double hook of stout steel strip like an archers fingers so I can hook it onto a bow string while the bow is on the tiller.
It gives a lovely smooth reading with half pound resolution. I've spot checked it at 30# against my big scale and it actually seems to have less backlash and stickiness in the movement. On the big scale I have to allow 2 pounds for the weight of the scale and tapping it can make the reading shift by a pound or so.
I've very briefly taken the bow back to 28", which shows it has plenty of room to be grown into, I was also thinking that this might just ease off the draw weight a pound or so. I'm continuing to shoot it in using something nearer my full draw, probably about 26-27" rather than deliberately short target style draw. Hopefull by next week it will be thoroughly settle in and any adjustments I need to make won't then result in sudden tiller changes or sharp losses of draw weight.