What are you doing today?

[Rocky998]

Cool. What are you shooting? I'm pretty out of practice myself. I think that profile pic last fall might have been my last practice session. Usually muscle memory kicks in fairly fast once I start shooting again.

I'm shooting a simple styrofoam target.

I'm trying to train my muscles to get used to it.

I'm about to start putting the finishing touches on a hickory recurve I've been working on. I scorched one of the tips when I was heat treating it, so it might break, but I'm reasonably optimistic.

Oh sweet!

 

[JuiceBox52]

Congratulations @Lanpenn . What is the article?

@JuiceBox52 wow, hope you get connected with someone soon. We used to treat atlantoaxial subluxations in my last job (animals obs), very delicate surgery. As long as it was diagnosed quickly enough the animals were in quickly for treatment. I find it crazy that people with this condition have to wait so long for treatment when it is a condition that requires swift attention. Strangely enough, I treated someone with this condition last week, and know how debilitating it can be, they also had to wait for treatment. I hope the symptoms aren’t permanent and reverse once you access the care you so urgently need.

Yes, I have atlanto-axial subluxation, and atlanto-occipital dislocation. It’s definitely crazy how long the wait is

 

[jaylach]

I'm shooting a simple styrofoam target.

I'm trying to train my muscles to get used to it.

Oh sweet!

Way back when I was a teen I did some archery, strictly target, although I did go out with my uncle once and brought down an 8-point buck. Decided then and there that I wasn't hunter material no matter how much I like venison. I did keep up with targets for quite a while though, mostly at a local YMCA. I ended up with all the 'award ribbons' they had available. I guess it was a long bow as I had to tilt it to keep the bottom tip off the floor. Don't know if this is true ore even viable but it was supposed to be composed of bone and lemon wood. After I reached a certain level I was allowed to use it at the YMCA but under the condition that I didn't allow anyone else to use it. A guy got ticked off that I wouldn't allow him to use it and slammed the door when I was leaving and caught a tip in the door jam killing the bow. Such a waste as the bow was given to me by my mom and she got it from her father who got it from his father. Can't remember for sure but I THINK it was rated at 60 pounds. Never even got anything from it as the guy's mother worked the front desk at the YMCA and swore that her son was not there that day and the guy that ran the archery refused to dispute her. The guy that ran the archery privately apologized to me saying that it would cost his job as she was rather high level at the YMCA. I can sort of understand but it still ticks me off every time I think about it. That pretty much ruined my archery experience as, even though I got a different bow, I just couldn't get into it any more.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I'm shooting a simple styrofoam target.

I'm trying to train my muscles to get used to it.

Oh sweet!

What kind of bow?

Don't worry too much about accuracy at first. Get really close and just work on form. It's kind of fun just slinging arrows and not worrying about whether you're hitting anything or not. (Safely, of course) Once your form is consistent, then start working on accuracy. Getting yourself one of these can really make it a lot more fun and less stressful.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Way back when I was a teen I did some archery, strictly target, although I did go out with my uncle once and brought down an 8-point buck. Decided then and there that I wasn't hunter material no matter how much I like venison. I did keep up with targets for quite a while though, mostly at a local YMCA. I ended up with all the 'award ribbons' they had available. I guess it was a long bow as I had to tilt it to keep the bottom tip off the floor. Don't know if this is true ore even viable but it was supposed to be composed of bone and lemon wood. After I reached a certain level I was allowed to use it at the YMCA but under the condition that I didn't allow anyone else to use it. A guy got ticked off that I wouldn't allow him to use it and slammed the door when I was leaving and caught a tip in the door jam killing the bow. Such a waste as the bow was given to me by my mom and she got it from her father who got it from his father. Can't remember for sure but I THINK it was rated at 60 pounds. Never even got anything from it as the guy's mother worked the front desk at the YMCA and swore that her son was not there that day and the guy that ran the archery refused to dispute her. The guy that ran the archery privately apologized to me saying that it would cost his job as she was rather high level at the YMCA. I can sort of understand but it still ticks me off every time I think about it. That pretty much ruined my archery experience as, even though I got a different bow, I just couldn't get into it any more.

Wow, people are jerks sometimes. My first longbow got destroyed by being slammed in a car door, but it was an accident. I've heard lemon wood makes a really nice bow, and a lot of older longbows are made from it. I've never gotten to try one. Was the bone just for tip overlays? Sounds beautiful. Sorry it got wrecked. If you still had it I'd ask you to send it to me--sometimes it's possible to resurrect a broken bow.

 

[jaylach]

Wow, people are jerks sometimes. My first longbow got destroyed by being slammed in a car door, but it was an accident. I've heard lemon wood makes a really nice bow, and a lot of older longbows are made from it. I've never gotten to try one. Was the bone just for tip overlays? Sounds beautiful. Sorry it got wrecked. If you still had it I'd ask you to send it to me--sometimes it's possible to resurrect a broken bow.

Sorry but it is too long ago to answer on the bone and I'm not sure what you mean about 'tip overlays' but assume that you mean the grooves to hold the bow's cord as the bone would be harder and resist wear. To be honest I'm not sure. If the bow was viewed from the side it had what appeared to be layers of a blonde and white. I just always assumed that it was laminated with layers of wood and bone but don't really know. Still I think you may be right about the cord mounts being bone as I seem to recall the tips being white but am not totally sure. I assume this would be due to bone being harder than wood and less wear would be seen from the cord being slipped. Just from thinking back I THINK, from a profile memory, that the body was actually layers of wood and bone.

The danged thing was strong. I could not just bend and slip the cord over the tips. I had to wrap it around my leg to bend enough to mount the cord on the tip.

To give a little better idea as to the age and build of the bow as you obviously know a lot about this stuff the arrow 'rest' ... where the arrow sits on the body ... was made of cut down feathers. Don't know what kind of feathers but they were a yellowish red color but not orange. They were also VERY solid, short and tight/almost hard to the touch.

Again I don't really know for fact but the bow was supposedly captured from one of the old American Indian wars.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Sorry but it is too long ago to answer on the bone and I'm not sure what you mean about 'tip overlays' but assume that you mean the grooves to hold the bow's cord as the bone would be harder and resist wear. To be honest I'm not sure. If the bow was viewed from the side it had what appeared to be layers of a blonde and white. I just always assumed that it was laminated with layers of wood and bone but don't really know. Still I think you may be right about the cord mounts being bone as I seem to recall the tips being white but am not totally sure. I assume this would be due to bone being harder than wood and less wear would be seen from the cord being slipped. Just from thinking back I THINK, from a profile memory, that the body was actually layers of wood and bone.

The danged thing was strong. I could not just bend and slip the cord over the tips. I had to wrap it around my leg to bend enough to mount the cord on the tip.

To give a little better idea as to the age and build of the bow as you obviously know a lot about this stuff the arrow 'rest' ... where the arrow sits on the body ... was made of cut down feathers. Don't know what kind of feathers but they were a yellowish red color but not orange. They were also VERY solid, short and tight/almost hard to the touch.

Again I don't really know for fact but the bow was supposedly captured from one of the old American Indian wars.

Interesting! I strongly doubt it was really captured from the Indian wars if it was made of lemonwood, as lemonwood isn't native to North America and wasn't used by Native Americans (I think it's from either New Zealand, south Asia, or the Caribbean; can't remember which). Most NA tribes used osage orange, hickory, juniper, or assorted native hardwoods.

Yeah, wooden bows often have tip overlays of a harder material--usually horn, antler, or bone on older bows--so the string won't cut into the wood over time. Feathered arrow rests are still made today, but not very often as there are easier ways to do it.

I've never had a chance to try lemonwood, but from what I've read it makes really nice bows, usually backed with rawhide, sinew, or a strip of hickory. It was considered a prime bow wood by American and English bowyers in the mid-1900s. I've never heard of bone as an actual bow component, but it isn't impossible. It's also possible that the layers you remember were just variations in the wood, layers of fiberglass, or layers of some other wood.

Whatever the case, it sounds like it was a treasure, and I'm bummed for you that it got wrecked by a jerk throwing a temper tantrum. Any archer I know might ask someone (with great reservations) to shoot a bow like that, but I can't even fathom getting upset at someone for saying no.

 

[Rocky998]

What kind of bow?

It was this but a little different...
I got it years ago at a store when I was younger and I never got to use it really...

Don't worry too much about accuracy at first. Get really close and just work on form. It's kind of fun just slinging arrows and not worrying about whether you're hitting anything or not. (Safely, of course) Once your form is consistent, then start working on accuracy. Getting yourself one of these can really make it a lot more fun and less stressful.

Yah, I'm not too far from the target, I just want to be able to at least hit the blue-red areas consistently and get the proper stance down.

Thank you for the tips!!

 

[jaylach]

It was this but a little different...
I got it years ago at a store when I was younger and I never got to use it really...
View attachment 337498

Yah, I'm not too far from the target, I just want to be able to at least hit the blue-red areas consistently and get the proper stance down.

Thank you for the tips!!

Yes, stance is important but being relaxed is more so. It isn't that much different than shooting a rifle as, in both cases, you cannot be tense.. Just chill and relax and you will get there.

 

[Rocky998]

Yes, stance is important but being relaxed is more so. It isn't that much different than shooting a rifle as, in both cases, you cannot be tense.. Just chill and relax and you will get there.

Thanks!
I usually try to get in a good stance, then take a deep breath, try to relax, aim, then release the arrow.

 

[Back in the fold]

Today I’m going down to the fabric store to pick up the sewing machine I ordered . I cannot find a decent anorak mountain parka at a reasonable price anywhere so I am going to make one . There’s an outfit in Eugene Oregon called thegreenpepper.com that sells patterns and coated rip-stop nylon . How tough can it be ?

 

[Essjay]

Just wait till you can't find a zip in the right colour or the right length. I want 8 zips to make 8 cushion covers. I got 4 from one shop, my husband tracked down 2 in another shop and 1 in a third. Can we find anyone else stocking them? Lots of different colours and different lengths but not the ones I need for cushions cover #8

Edit to add -
If I buy the last one on-line, it costs twice as much, and as we have bus passes, it costs nothing to travel round the local towns looking for zips

 

[Back in the fold]

Just wait till you can't find a zip in the right colour or the right length. I want 8 zips to make 8 cushion covers. I got 4 from one shop, my husband tracked down 2 in another shop and 1 in a third. Can we find anyone else stocking them? Lots of different colours and different lengths but not the ones I need for cushions cover #8

I am fully aware that there are new challenges in every field of endeavor and I do not expect to be exempted from various trials . My first project is going to be curtains for my fishroom . Simple and easy . Then another simple project and so on until I have the basics down then a trial run through on the anorak pattern using cheap material and finally the anorak itself in that slippery nylon which I’m sure will be a challenge all its own . New worlds to conquer . We used to have several fabric stores in my town but most have fallen by the wayside . I’m quite sure your problem will eventually visit me .

 

[Essjay]

I've just made curtains for the lounge and now cushion covers from the bits between the pattern matches.
There is one shop locally which sells curtain fabric. They have an on-line shop which has a lot more stock than the actual shop, but you have to have it posted from the on-line shop. So I bought the fabric I wanted from an on-line shop miles away. Luckily this shop provides small samples free.
Then there's the curtain tape. I wanted 3 inch pencil pleat tape with solid/woven pockets. But most shops, real and on-line, sell curtain tape with strand pockets which I hate. One shop (Dunelm for those in the UK) had it on-line, but when we went there wasn't nearly enough left in the box. Most on-line places sell curtain tape in 5 metres, 10 metres, 15 metres and I needed 11 metres. Luckily a couple of eBay sellers had what I wanted, and by the metre so I could get just 11 metres.

Shops selling fabric of all types have disappeared. The ones which survive are mostly on-line. I have more local fish stores than shops selling fabric.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Today I’m going down to the fabric store to pick up the sewing machine I ordered . I cannot find a decent anorak mountain parka at a reasonable price anywhere so I am going to make one . There’s an outfit in Eugene Oregon called thegreenpepper.com that sells patterns and coated rip-stop nylon . How tough can it be ?

Sounds like a cool project. Keep us posted!