how many strands?

[ichiban]

how many strands (of B-50) do you guys use for various weight bow strings made in a flemish twist? (not including reinforcements).
i personaly have been in the practice of using 10 strands for 30-40lbs. 12 for 50lb bows. oh and this is for straight limbed bows? what do u guys use??

[pdccr]

I use 2 x 6 strands for all my bows up to 50#. I forget where i saw that info but thats just me.

[Stickbow Hunter]

I use 2 x 6 strands for all my bows up to 50#.

That is fine IMO. I no longer use B50 as I use Dyna Flight as it is a much better string material IMO.

Jeff

[ichiban]

good stuff, im sure dynaflight, fastflight etc are beter but the few FPS arnt worth the extra 50 dollers per spool imo

[pdccr]

I agree, i have never shot anything other than B-50 so i wouldnt know any different, and its cheap.

[kimall]

Its about a lot more than a couple of FPS I have yet to find a bow that is not heaps quieter and smoother with the newer string material.It can be as extreme as a differant bow altogether so if you pay 50 extra and get even 25 strings fron the roll it is great value.If you use the bow for hunting then you will also find it great the way the newer strings dont fluff up as much when the bow is being carried in the scrub.Just MHO.
Cheers KIM

[pdccr]

Is there a reason why fastflight is faster than B-50?

[kimall]

Less stretch mate and thinner strands means less mass in the string I guess.
Cheers KIM

[pdccr]

Ah ok. Makes sense

[ichiban]

it has been my expeiance that good linnen is about the same as B50 as well. but i guess u guys are right since we havent used dynaflight etc we wouldnt know, heck make me 1 and ill give it a go hehe. i have also noticed b50 has gone up a bit in pice so i may have to shop aound soon any way

[Glenn]

I will never use B50 again on any of my bows, I only use the non-stretch string material even for my selfbows, the differance in performance and feel is very noticable, as Kim said, feels like another bow. The non-stretch material is more expensive than dacron but it is lighter and as the spools are sold by weight you do get more yardage on the non-stretch spools and you use less strands as well which means more strings....Glenn....

[GrahameA]

Morning All

Add me to the list of Dynaflight users.

I have a few rolls of B50 and use it for the odd bow. And in some cases you have no choice - re Rules. However, I would choose a more modern material given a choice.

The cost is not an issue - you can buy small spools of Dynaflight if you want to decrease your initial cost. When you amortise the cost of your bowstring over a a couple of years the cost is neglible. You will spend more on petrol going to and from the range/hunting than you will ever spend on your bowstring.

It is the same story with serving material - yes you can use No 4 nylon - but there are lot better materials available. Personally I use Halo - and a great choice it is as well.

As has been said many times - "The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price".

[Glenn]

Grahame, what's Halo, I don't think I have heard of it,,or maybe I just hadn't taken any notice...Glenn...

[Gringa Bows]

same here i use D97 .............Rod

[GrahameA]

Hi Glenn

Grahame, what's Halo, I don't think I have heard of it,,or maybe I just hadn't taken any notice...Glenn...

It is a Spectra based serving material made by BCY. Not cheap but very good and very smooth which aids in a consistent release.

Have a look atbthe BCY Catalogues this page. http://www.bcyfibers.com/technical_shee ... -17-08.pdf

1.jpg (33.27 KiB) Viewed 3605 times

From the BCY site:
Question: What is the best center serving to use?
Answer: This is really a personal choice. Some archers still prefer the traditional monofilament because of the consistent diameter and the “sharp” way the nock leaves the serving. However, the durability of most monofilaments is limited and re-serving is frequently needed. Braided Spectra is extremely durable but has proven to be difficult to hold in place although our new Halo serving, when served tightly, grips quite well.

No. 62 braid, a blend of Spectra and polyester, grips well and has high durability. It should suit most archers. It is available in three diameters - .018, 021, and .025. Also offered is 62XS serving which is similar to regular 62 but with a higher % of Spectra for even better durability.
Many finger shooters (compound, traditional and FITA) prefer our Halo, 100% braided Spectra material.

[Glenn]

Thanks for that Grahame, I will do that. I have been using a braided serving which is very strong but it is also very course....Glenn...

[pdccr]

Well, after so many people agreeing that B-50 is inferior i might have to jump boat.

[ichiban]

hehe yeah sounds like it huh, im still stuck in the mind set of my old job where i made nooooo money, but hey not any more, whats the truth about using the extreemly low stretch stings on ALL timber bows? because i do hear alot of horror storys?? i bet that a good hard wood overlay and sufficiant padding would do the trick

[Coach]

Just buy a string from the String King and find out

[TomMcDonald]

Coach. I like it lol.

Ichiban.
I use 8 strand of d97 on my 60lb bows but I pad the loops with b50 for protection. I will usually add an extra 4 0r 5 strands in the loops.
This decreases harshness and protects the tips in the event of a dry fire (hopefuly).
Tom.

[Stickbow Hunter]

I have shot 65# selfbows with no overlays at all for years with no ill effects from 12 strand DF97 strings. I pad the loops with four extra strands.

Jeff

[Glenn]

I have shot low stretch strings on my selfbows for years with no tip overlays whatsoever. I always add extra dacron strands to the loops to make it up to 20 strands on the loops. I saw a fibreglass laminated longbow recently that had had the bow tip cut right off, he had been shooting a no-stretch string on the bow for a while that he had made himself but did not pad the loops with dacron, that was always going to happen to that bow....Glenn....

[ichiban]

yeah thats the kind of thing im tying to avoid, wouldnt no stretch strings increase string twang when shooting light arrows?

[Glenn]

To stop string twang you may need silencers but you do see a lot of silencers placed too low on the string where they wont work properly, you need to place them up higher, near the bow tips and not halfway down the string. I don't like the bunge cord type either as they are too heavy, I like polar fleece which are light and waterproof as well....Glenn....

[ichiban]

hmm interesting, since i dont hunt it wouldnt be an issue anyway, i agree that most do put the silencers to low, in "bows and arrows of the native americans" some of the bows jim hamm shows have the silencers swen onto the bow itself just below the nock.