Building a take down long bow.

[TMiddleton]

Good idea using a fan in the bow oven, might have to add that to my setup

[bassmatt72]

Good idea using a fan in the bow oven, might have to add that to my setup

I have it wired in before the thermostat so it runs continuously.

[bassmatt72]

Ok. The limb/riser issue??? I don't like how the limbs sit way out on the riser.

Ooo! I was looking around in my scraps and found a really nice piece of Bubinga that was left over from building his son's bow!

I'm going to use it to build up the riser and "move" the riser profile forward and make the transition from limbs to riser smooth. I'll post better pics of what I mean when I start shaping the riser and attaching the limbs.

Cool! More Bubinga...limb tips! This is cool, it will make a special connection between the two bows.

[bassmatt72]

Materials are to expensive to make mistakes so I like to build and mock up risers out of cheap softer scrap woods. "Practice riser block" glued up and drying.

Real riser block epoxied and clamped ready to put into hotbox.

[bassmatt72]

Now we're getting into the "meat and potatoes" of the build! Materials laid out.

Work space cleaned and covered.

Form covered with regular kitchen plastic wrap, helps keep form clean from epoxy and the finished limb to release from form.

[crumrw]

Awesome! I'm in!

[bassmatt72]

The paste wax in the earlier picture, put it on the form just incase some epoxy gets on it. The wax makes the epoxy come off the form a little easier. But, be extra cautious to not get any on the limbs it will really mess things up! I wear gloves when I put the wax on the form, toss them and put on new gloves before I even think of touching the lams.

[bassmatt72]

I kinda feel like a little bit of a tease. The next steps for me are so messy with epoxy that it is hazardous to the camera. So, very few pictures. The limbs are built up from a fiberglass lam, then a tapered, a parallel, a wedge, tapper and then a fiberglass lam. Apply epoxy to both surfaces of each lam, except the outside of the fiberglass. Now we have several long thin pieces of wood and fiberglass covered with slick epoxy. Try and hold them in place as we put them into the form. Fold plastic wrap over them and use strapping tape to hold them down until we get the top of the form on and fastened. Sometime we need to use some clamps to get the form closed. Then we add 60lbs of air to the air hose.

Everything placed in the hot box.

Throw a few old moving blankets over the hot box to help keep temps up, and let it cure for 8-9 hours. After that turn off the hot box and LEAVE IT CLOSED!!!! This is tough!

We must let it cool on its own time, don't rush it. I usually try and let it have several hours. So, overnight we wait. I work tomorrow but I will do my best to get some pics before I go in and try to post them tomorrow night.
That's it for today.

[Jason Fry]

That's a complex process, Matt! Impressive.

[TMiddleton]

Letting the forms cool down to room temperature is the hardest thing to do. I'm like a kid at Christmas, I can't wait to unwrap it and see what I got!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[stickbowcoop]

Nice work man. I built a lot of bows, I started with Bingham's form plans and bow designs, then moved on to my own designs later. I lined my hot box with foil insulation because of how cold it got in PA in the winter.

[Biggs]

This is cool!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WTK]

Your attention to detail will benefit you. I am concerned that using two different forms for the limbs will cause differences in the limbs so I wish you the best on them.

[bassmatt72]

Your attention to detail will benefit you. I am concerned that using two different forms for the limbs will cause differences in the limbs so I wish you the best on them.

I've thought about that too. I have done a lot to try and duplicate identical forms. Used the same pattern on them and measured 15 ways to Sunday. We'll just have to see how things work out tomorrow when I can get back out in the shop.

[bassmatt72]

I managed to get into the shop for just a little time this morning before work. Hot box was turned off yesterday evening and stayed closed and cooled overnight. Took everything out and getting ready to open the forms.....

Plenty of excess epoxy oozed out, that's better than no epoxy!