I had a lot of time in between coats of Tung oil so I started making some of the accessories Josh will need for the bow. The first thing he needs is a bow stringer.
I took an old bungee cord that I had removed the hooks from because I needed them for some other project and I cut off one end.
Then I trimmed off one side to create a flat surface. The flat is the surface that will contact the bow limb when being used. It took two cuts to get it where I wanted it.
The other end of the stringer will slip over the limb. This part, I made out of a piece of scrap leather.
I folded it in two and punched the stitching holes
Then sewed it using white, braided, waxed line.
Then I added a grommet for the rope to attach to.
Both ends were then connected using a strong nylon rope.
To use the string, On end is slipped over the lower limb tip.
And the rubber end is placed on the upper side of the other limb. The knot is tied far away from the rubber end to allow for clearance for the bow string to pass through.
I had Josh try it out on my old longbow since the Tung oil was still wet on his. One hand lifts the bow and the other hand slides the loop of the bow string into the string groove on the limb tip.
With the string finished, I moved on to a limb tip protector so that nice white antler limb tip won't become damaged when he sets the tip in the dirt.
I started with two thin pieces of suede leather and stitched them together to make a nice tight fit over the limb tip. I then cut a long slot in the back side for the bow string to pass through.
It is a tight fit and that will keep it from falling off.
I then trimmed away the extra leather around the outside and tried it with the bow string in place.
I still need to make a string keeper, an arm guard, a finger tab and a case for the bow as well as a set of arrows.