Bowstrings

[GregH]

I have a project to make a self-bow, string and arrows from first principles but am having trouble with the string. Does anyone have a method for combining short lengths of flax or hemp together to make a string strong enough for the bow, as the two ply "rolling on your leg" method does not seem strong enough.

Please help and thanks in advance.

 

[RobertRogers]

yes, I have run into this myself when trying to use cordage gotten from the common milkweed plant.

 

[Brendan]

Some other things you could look into using are...

Horsehair breaks at 15 pounds.

Cotton breaks at 18 pounds.

Catgut breaks at 20 pounds.

Silk breaks at 22 pounds.

Irish linen breaks at 28 pounds.

Chinese grass fibre breaks at 32 pounds.

I tried with nettle and it was too weak by far for my longbow!

These days authentic bows generally use Irish linen I think and use 50 or more threads depending on weight of bow.

 

[Toddy]

Make your string fine and then ply it up repeatedly to thickness. Remember flax spins up best when damp and will give you better control of the even-ness and quality of the cordage you make. Once made and dried either oil or wax the bowstring.
Nettle works well this way too, but try to break out as much of the fibre from the skin as possible first.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Dave Budd]

I've never made a bowstring from natural fibres, but I've made plenty of cordage for other strenuous purposes. So I'm with Toddy, nettle fibres are strong enough by a long way. Make thinner pys and multiply the strands up to what you need (useful bit on working this out in teh Bowyers Bible).

Remember the 6-P's.
Proper Preparation Prevents P*ss Poor Performace!
so get the fibres clean before laying up It's amazing what a little bit of bark/'skin' will do to a string under tension :O

 

[GregH]

Thanks for all the info., particularly the breaking strains Brendan. I think I'll try nettle fibres first (as they are most readily available in Cornwall) and if it's not strong enough go for the flax.

Much appreciated.

 

[Brendan]

I guess I'll be trying the nettle again and brush up on my technique a we bit

 

[Toddy]

Nettle is deceptive. There's a huge temptation to just use the long lengths of stripped off skin as is, but the stuff that you really need is the fine, white, 7 to 10cms (3 or 4 inch) long fibres, and there's only about 1 or 2% of the weight of the dried nettle is fibre. Flax usually manages 11 or 12% so it's the more useful commercial crop. However, good nettle beats linen, hemp and cotton for wear and comfort in clothing or domestic textiles. I reckon flax still has the edge for bowstrings though.

cheers,
Toddy