Vacation – Stretch band!

I’m just back from a couple weeks of vacation with my family. Prior to leaving ,the thought of bringing my bow, briefly crossed my mind, but it really wasn’t practical, and bringing it, would have very likely detracted from the memorable family adventure we ended up having.

I did have some concern about losing ground on the work I’d been putting towards my form though, so I packed a stretch band.

This turned out to be a great solution, It took minimal space, was light and it allowed me time in front of a mirror in the early mornings to practice. I discovered that the mirror/stretch band combo gave me good feedback, and helped me identify posture issues and inconsistencies in my draw.

Me, while on holiday, looking a bit serious for the camera.

On the travel end, we didn’t check any bags, and I carried it onboard in my backpack with no issues from the airport security folks, although halfway through the flight I did consider tying up one of my kids with it…

Kiddos aside, the stretch band worked well for me, I found it helpful and an easy peasy solution to a bit of archery in your bag, travelling or otherwise.

C.

 

Removing glued in points from carbon arrows

I recently had to swap out glued in points from a set of carbon arrows. I was going from lighter points to heavier points to weaken the arrow spine. The arrows points were set in with hot melt glue, so I knew I would have to apply a heat source to the points in order to soften the glue enough to remove them. I checked the internet for options.

I found many suggestions on the web, torch, lighters, and others, but the two methods that caught my eye were offered by Dennis Lieu, archery coach at UC Berkeley, in this article. He suggests using hot water and or a hair dryer as the heat source. This appealed to me as these heat sources seemed more benign than a fire source and I didn’t want to over do it on my first time and risk ruining perfectly good arrows.

I don’t have a hair dryer so the water method came first while I put the word out to borrow a hair dryer. Dennis Lieu’s water method is to place a cup of water in the microwave, bring it to a boil, then dip the arrows in and pull the points, re-heating the water as necessary as it cooled down.

Water boils at 212 degrees and I wondered if I could do it with less temperature. I boiled water in a kettle, and in a sturdy glass put in 1/4 of room temperature water to 3/4 boiling water, then placed my wife’s candy thermometer to see what I had.

About 154, 155 degrees

The thermometer was reading in the mid 150’s, I placed two arrows in the water, gave them what I felt was enough time (20 – 30 seconds) and tried pulling the points with a pair of linesman pliers.

I used an old pair of linesman pliers with adhesive cloth tape wrapped around jaws, so as to not mar arrow points.

The points pulled out fine, I flexed the arrows afterwards and visually inspected them, all seemed well.

Meanwhile, a hair dryer had come through via a friend in town. The hair dryer was 1875 watts, which translates to plenty of heat. After getting the water temperature I was curious what temperature the hair dryer generated. I used the same thermometer and had it consistently top out at 165 to 170 degrees.

I set up out on deck for good light, and heated both the point and the first few inches of the arrow. I rotated the arrow while doing it and kept the dryer in motion to keep the heat even. I had the dryer about an inch from the shaft moving it quickly around the shaft.

I had no issues pulling the points, as with the water method I flexed and inspected the shafts afterwards and could not detect any problems. Since then I’ve also shot these arrows and I can’t find any damage to the arrows using these methods.

The hot melt glue used in these shafts is Flitemate hot melt glue which is a low temp glue designed for carbon arrows, you may (or may not) need higher temps if you are using a regular temperature hot melt glue.

Dennis Lieu’s methods worked really well for me, it allowed me a lot of control and a mild approach to removing glued in points. In the same article he also describes his method for gluing points in with hot melt, worth a read. Find it here.

 

Tyler Benner teaches Archery Physics

I ran into this video some time ago, it shows Tyler Benner, co-author of Total Archery, explaining archery physics to High School students, very interesting.

 

 

Summer Arrows

Hurricane Arthur is passing offshore of us and it is pouring, pouring, pouring. I am reminiscing of how sweet last weekend was, when I was nestled amongst the gardens, feeling the sun, in my world, letting go of arrow after arrow.

On days like those, archery feels like meditation. I think it is the intense, and single focus on target and or shot sequence, that allows the mind to push everything else aside. I feel centered, and with every arrow, I’m letting go.

There aren’t that many things that I do that allow me that “in the zone” sort of experience. Does archery ever make you feel that way? Let me know, leave me a comment if it does.

 

Father’s Day

Happy Father’s day archers, and Happy Father’s day Dad!

My old man with Buck and Marmot

Bowfishing for Carp

 

 

Gillo Gold Medal G1

Vittorio and Michelle Frangilli have developed a new riser, the Gillo Gold Medal G1.

I have been following their progress on Facebook and Archery talk where they’ve been dropping hints of what’s to come. This past week they posted pictures and information about the riser. Vittorio Frangilli wrote the following:

Michelle Frangilli will debut the G1 in competition in Antalaya, Turkey for the 3rd stage of the World Cup.

“This riser is the sum of our 20 years experience in riser design, made by archers for archers and targeted to people that know what they want from a riser: performance and reliability, with minimum frills and minimum price”.

The riser is designed so it can be used as either a barebow platform or for recurve archery. Michelle Frangilli will be debuting their riser on June 10 in Antalaya, Turkey where the 3rd stage of the World Cup is being held.

The Frangilli’s have a long history of design and testing with risers such as  the Bernadini Ghibly, Best Zenit, Spigarelli VBS 2001, and the Luxor 27″. Their objectives as put by them, are:

• ” Make a riser based on Best Zenit super tested winning geometries, but more versatile in balancing for both recurve and Bare Bow.”
•  “Make a riser cheaper than Best Zenit, more close in price to the Best Moon in the basic version. Target retail price in Europe for the 25″ is 399.00 Euro only”

By the way that is aprox $ 550 US. Details on the G1 below:

G1 optional accessories:

Bare bow Cover – external weights:

Internal handle disk weights:

With six stabilizer holes, integral weights in the body and a combination of external barebow weights available, this riser will provide an archer many options for apportioning weight, and balance to their bows.

This is what Vittorio had to say on the subject:

“This riser is born to make all archers happy about the number of possibilities they will get to make its balance different. Combining all standard options available, you will be able to reach more than 150 balance combinations without adding any stabilizer or weight to the 6 (six) x 5/16-24 stabilizers holes. But then you wil have even more possibilities adding additional weights to the 3 front holes of the special Bare bow covers, if you use it. A real toy that will fill your time for a long future… just trying to find the right combination for you.”

The riser has plenty of nice details, like a partially recessed sight window to keep clicker fasteners out of view, and I really like the windows that allow you to see limb information and limb bolt inner works, see pics:

 

If you are a barebow archer this riser is like hitting the jackpot, the Frangilli’s have really made great efforts in providing BB accessories. The barebow external weights in aluminum (270gr) and in steel (790 gr) can also be mounted upside down for a totally different feel. Somebody on the net calculated 320 different ways to add weight and personalize the feel of this riser by also using the holes on the barebow external weights.

So, where do you get one?  The ones I know about are (undoubtedly more to come):

• Perry  Archery –  http://www.onlinearcheryequipment.co.uk/gillo-g1-riser-x28ilfx29—new-pre-order-2456-p.asp
• Alternative Sporting Services –  http://www.alternativess.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi/shop/dev/main.htm?
• Arco e Frecce – http://www.arcoefrecce.it/arcieria/

Congratulations to the Frangilli’s on what appears to be a real winner.

Tuning cheat sheet

Do you have a hard time remembering tuning rules?

I do.

To help myself out I made a reference card that hangs on my quiver. It is helpful when I can’t remember if tightening the spring on my plunger moves the arrow left or right, or if bareshafts left of the fletched group indicate stiff spine or weak spine, etc.

I am right handed so the stuff on this sheet is of course for right handed shooters. There are plenty of rules missing, I just jot the rules I can’t easily remember.

Not all the rules are on this sheet just the stuff I sometimes have to scratch my head a bit to remember.  It saves me having to stop what I’m doing, go inside and look it up. It is also helpful at the range where I don’t want to carry a reference book around or to help somebody out who is tuning their rig.

I find having one useful. If you decide to make one up, customize it with the info you need.

C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archery and numb fingers

I first experienced numbness and tingling in my fingers while shooting barebow with a thin Damascus glove. The numbness didn’t go away, so after dealing with non-feeling fingers for a while I tried a bit of medical tape around the affected fingers in addition to the glove.

The tape worked but was a chore because I had to apply it every time I picked up a bow. I also had to be precise with how much tape I put on, as varying amounts affected my shots differently. Suffice it to say that it didn’t take me long to make my way back to the land of tabs, and leave the Damascus glove behind.

A tab with two layers of leather was certainly better than my thin glove had been but after breaking it in, I found myself experiencing numb fingers again. This time, I did some research on the web and in the varying archery forums. I found that this wasn’t uncommon. I also learned that it wasn’t something to mess with as it could be a sign of amongst other things, tissue damage and or nerve damage. Yikes!

Should this be happening to you, stop. Take a break and give your fingers time to heal, you may also consider checking in with your doc. Nothing to mess with.

While searching the web for answers, the recommendations that made sense, and seemed to be voiced over and over were as follows:

• Vittorio Frangilli, author of The Heretic Archer, coach, and father of champion archer, Michelle Frangilli, suggests 1mm of leather on your tab for every 10 pounds of weight being pulled.
•  1 tab layer for every 10 pounds of weight.
• Deep hook – Using proper deep finger hooking technique will help keep your fingers safe and numb free.

Top to bottom layers – Cordovan leather, super leather and suede at the bottom.

I was already using a deep hook so I focused on rebuilding the leather layers of my tabs. I knew I wanted strong and smooth cordovan for the face or first layer. I wanted a good solid second layer but I wanted it to be less money than cordovan. Economical but tough Super leather fit that bill, as for the bottom layer or the area which rests against your fingers. I went with the comfortable, and traditionally used, suede.

One of the challenges of adding extra thickness is that the fasteners, for my AAE Elite finger tab, now had less reach. On my first tab which had a used cordovan face, the fasteners fit fine. I had to push while turning to get them to bite, but it worked.

Using a number 2 Phillips screwdriver as a rough countersink so the fasteners will seat into the leather.

On my second tab which had newer layers and a whisper more thickness, I couldn’t get all the screws to catch. I happened to have a number 2 Phillips head screwdriver nearby, with it I worked the holes of the suede layer, rotating the screwdriver to and fro with a bit of pressure. This acted as a coarse countersink and allowed the remaining flat head machine screws to seat into the leather and thread into the aluminum face. I used blue Loctite on the threads, as I’ve had the screws work themselves loose in the past, and be lost forever.

The next step in the process was to shoot the new tabs in. The additional layer, did in fact do it’s job, and eliminated the tingling and numbness in my fingers. I had also read an interesting comment by John Magera, (archer, olympian, coach and online mentor to many) that the additional thickness of the tab would help to smooth the release. I found this to be true. His exact comment in Archery talk’s FITA/JOAD forum is below:

“Another benefit of adding enough layers to your tab is that it promotes a more relaxed string hand and can lead to a smoother release. When both hands are comfortable and relaxed, you can focus on the tension in your back much easier.”

I had gone up one additional tab layer and replaced a bunch of my old leather with new leather. Now that it was all assembled I was curious as to what the thickness of the tab layers was so I used a simple caliper and measured 5 mm of thickness on my older tab and 5.5 mm of thickness on my newer tab which had all new leather.

My older tab,  2 new layers and 1  broken in layer, measured in at 5 mm.

My newer tab with all new layers measured in at 5.5 mm’s.

By Frangilli’s guideline (1mm for every 10 lbs) I should be able to pull up to 50 pounds with the 5 mm of leather in place, I achieved 5mm of thickness with 3 tab layers. The other guideline noted was, one tab layer for every 10 pounds, so the same 50 pounds would be 5 tab layers. A difference of two tab layers for the same theoretical weight.

Is somebody wrong? I think not. The thing to remember is that these are guidelines, places to start, both could be correct depending on the quality and thickness of materials used. Think cordovan vs a softer material, like suede.

I would say that every archer has to make the decision of what to use for a schedule of materials based on what they’re pulling for weight, feel, trial and error, money, and whatever else makes it right for them.

As for myself, the numbness is gone and my shot is improved. Life is good!

 

Make a grip

I’ve been on a quest of sorts, to improve my recurve bow grip. I’ve spent time checking out commercial grips, I’ve searched the web and studied pictures of grips, and read what I could find on the subject.

Total Archery – Inside the archer by Kisik Lee & Tyler Benner

Some of the better information I found was in the book “Total Archery” by Kisik Lee and Tyler Benner. The chapter titled “Grip Positioning” walks you through the theory of gripping the bow and is nicely illustrated with photographs to clarify and support their points. Within that chapter there is a page dedicated to making your own grip, where you can get some straight dope on what to do.

I also found great theoretical info in the World Archery (FITA) Coach’s Manual -Recurve Bow Shooting Form Module. I believe  coach Kim Hyung Tak, wrote this module (see pg 8 of the module).

In crafting a new grip, there were a few things I wanted to achieve. One I wanted the left edge of the grip to be closer in line with the lifeline on my hand (I’m right handed), providing a wider base so I could feel the bow well supported and not as if my hand wanted to roll around the left side of the grip.

Two, I also wanted a grip that easily let me repeat the same hand placement time after time by providing some hard edges to use as reference. Three, I didn’t know I wanted until I read about it, which was to angle the grip from left to right so it is higher on the lifeline side, placing the pressure point on the right hand side of the grip or put differently, the lateral center of the bow. (see pic below).

Slight angle left to right

This has been and continues to be an evolution, I started with a high grip but found it more difficult to use well so I sanded it down to a medium grip which I prefer. I had a pronounced left to right angle but after using it, I’ve brought it down to a more subtle angle. The face is currently dead flat, time and shooting will decide if this too will evolve.

Fortunately making changes isn’t hard. I’ve been using 3M’s Marine Premium Filler.

3M Marine Premium Filler, easy to sand and shape, dries quickly

What I like about using this filler is it kicks off fast, I can be sanding within a half hour of application. It sands easily, so some 80 grit sandpaper in hand or on a hard block will get you all the shapes you want.

This is a two part product, you mix the filler with a toothpaste like hardener. I mixed it on top of a cardboard square and, then used a couple putty knives to apply it. I applied more than I needed and then sanded down to the shape I wanted. This is stinky stuff, if you use it or a product like it make sure to read all the instructions and warning labels.

At the crux of all this shaping, marine filler, reading, changing and adapting is the marriage between hand and grip. It is creating a shape that meets your hand and solidly directs the force of effort, centrally from hand  to the bow minimizing left, right or other movement of the bow at release. It is really a small technical improvement that helps the greater effort of becoming a better archer.

If you’ve adapted your grip, let me know what you did or what product you used. I’d love to hear it.

C.

 

Carbon Express Medallion XR’s

Because of a recent shoulder injury I purchased a set of ultra-light 14 pound “rehab” limbs, which at my draw translates to 16 pounds on the fingers. I tend to be fussy about my arrows being well tuned to the bow, so I went in search of arrows that would work with such a light setup.

There were some challenges, one finding a high enough spine and two finding a long enough arrow, for my 29 1/4 draw. The only arrow I was able to find that would fit both these parameters was the versatile Medallion XR made by Carbon Express. Not only did they have a 2.000″ spine arrow, they had it in a 29 inch length which fit the bill perfectly.

The Medallion XR is an ideal target arrow for light weight draw bow setups or youth looking for a quality carbon arrow in a spine that fits them.

I’ve posted the arrow specs below:

• Spine selection tolerance: ± 0.0025″ max.
• Weight tolerance: ± 1.0 grains
• Straightness: ± 0.003″

SPECIFICATIONS:

    * Bare shaft weight

Model	Size	Qty	Grains/Inch*	Spine	Diameter

Model	Size	Qty	Grains/Inch*	Spine	Diameter
SHAFT
50413	2000	12 pack	5.1	2.000″	0.176″
50414	1800	12 pack	5.3	1.800″	0.177″
51560	1500	12 pack	5.9	1.500″	0.183″
51561	1300	12 pack	6.4	1.300″	0.188″
50403	1100	12 pack	4.6	1.100″	0.224″
50404	1000	12 pack	4.9	1.000″	0.226″
50405	900	12 pack	5.2	0.900″	0.228″
50406	800	12 pack	5.6	0.800″	0.230″
50407	700	12 pack	6.0	0.700″	0.233″
50408	600	12 pack	6.7	0.600″	0.239″
50415	500	12 pack	7.6	0.500″	0.244″

Carbon Express has also updated their arrow charts and added a Light Recurve Target Arrow Chart which is a good starting point in figuring out the right shaft for your setup.

A few things to keep in mind about these arrows are the accessories. These arrows take glue in points, pin nock adapters and pin nocks. The pin nocks adapters come with the shafts. Depending on the size shafts you purchase there are different points. All of them allow you to adjust the weight of the tip. See Carbon Express’ Component chart below:

Name	Model#	Arrow Size	Weight	Qty
ADAPTERS
	Medallion™-XR Pin Nock Adapter	50410	500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100	8	12 pack
	Nano-Pro™ Pin Nock Adapter #2	50123	1300, 1500, 1800, 2000	6.9	12 pack
NOCKS
	Soma Nock #1 (14-18 Strand Strings) Small Green	50136	Fits all standard pin nock adapters	3.4	12 pack
	Soma Nock #2 (20-24 Strand Strings) Large Green	50137	Fits all standard pin nock adapters	3.4	12 pack
	Soma Nock #1 (14-18 Strand Strings) Small Yellow	50138	Fits all standard pin nock adapters	3.4	12 pack
	Soma Nock #2 (20-24 Strand Strings) Large Yellow	50139	Fits all standard pin nock adapters	3.4	12 pack
	Soma Nock #2 (20-24 Stand Strings) Large Lime Green	50231	Fits all standard pin nock adapters	3.4	12 pack
	Soma Nock #2 (20-24 Strand Strings) Large Pink	50232	Fits all standard pin nock adapters	3.4	12 pack
POINTS
	Medallion™ XR Target Point	50411	500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100	110-60 adjustable	12 pack
	Medallion™-XR Stainless Steel Target Point	50412	1300, 1500, 1800, 2000	60-40 adjustable	12 pack

On the money end I paid about $12.25 for a complete arrow to include vanes. 

In summary, I would say that these are sweet, well made, shafts, they come in a great range of spine offerings and  in long enough lengths to accommodate not only youth archers but also older blokes like me who for one reason or another are shooting lightweight bows.

C.