Four of us from the club went to a field shoot at Totem Archers, two were shooting longbow, one a Horsebow and I was shooting Twister (a primitive). The leaden sky was pouring rain on us and a Bamboo backed longbow of one of the group gave up when being strung and the belly collapsed... not an auspicious start. The guy shared a longbow with the other longbow archer and after a while settled into it and we all shot well.
It brightened up after about an hour but nearing the end of the shoot the malfunctions struck again.
With just 4 targets to go, I was waiting to shoot and 'Twister' gave a kick in my hand... What on earth could it be? I looked down and initially thought the string had slipped off the lower nock, but closer inspection showed the horn nock overlay had slipped off and slid down the bow, the glue line had given way, the tip of the bow was a bit damp, and maybe the occasional bump on the ground an the damp had caused it fail.
It brightened up after about an hour but nearing the end of the shoot the malfunctions struck again.
With just 4 targets to go, I was waiting to shoot and 'Twister' gave a kick in my hand... What on earth could it be? I looked down and initially thought the string had slipped off the lower nock, but closer inspection showed the horn nock overlay had slipped off and slid down the bow, the glue line had given way, the tip of the bow was a bit damp, and maybe the occasional bump on the ground an the damp had caused it fail.
One of the guys jokingly suggested a couple of nails might do the job, and on consideration I may take up his suggestion in part, and add a tiny silver nail for extra security. I shall clean it up and re-glue it using 24hour epoxy rather than the 10minute variety I usually use for nock overlays.
I contrived to loose one arrow and smash two, but it was still a most enjoyable shoot , 40 3D targets in extensive woodland with some targets tucked tantalizingly behind trees (hence the smashed arrows). Thanks to all at Totem Archers for their hospitality and an excellent shoot.
I finished the last four targets shooting the Horsebow and Longbow getting a total of about 560, Roy got the best score with his longbow, about 620 or thereabouts. Considering the weather I think we did well, I always think a score of 10 x the number of targets is a comfortable and easilly clculated benchmark (e.g 400 on the day) For an experienced archer it's not too hard but for a beginner it seems impossible. That's an average of a second arrow wound.
I finished the last four targets shooting the Horsebow and Longbow getting a total of about 560, Roy got the best score with his longbow, about 620 or thereabouts. Considering the weather I think we did well, I always think a score of 10 x the number of targets is a comfortable and easilly clculated benchmark (e.g 400 on the day) For an experienced archer it's not too hard but for a beginner it seems impossible. That's an average of a second arrow wound.
The pic illustrates how the nock had slipped along the limb and also shows how big the glued surface was, I wouldn't expect that to fail.
I got home to a cup of tea a hot shower and roast Chicken... bliss. Of course I left some wet weather gear in Tom's car!
Here's a pic of the repair. I glued it overnight with a lamp close over it for a few hours before I went to bed and this morning to get it warm and ensure a good cure of the epoxy. I then drilled a 2mm hole through the horn and deep into the sapwood, countersinking it slightly. A length of 2mm silver rod was filed to a nail point and tapped home (just hard enough so the rod started to bend). The rod was then snipped off leaving a couple of mm protruding to be tapped with a hammer to spread the end like a rivet into the countersink.
A good clean up and polish gives a decent finish, next time I see the guys I'll say I took their advice and whacked in a nail.
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