Lower limb splintered on a Ben Pearson Colt **update**

[GA native]

My Dad gave this old recurve bow, and one of the limbs has a splinter. The splinter is right at the nock, about an 1/8" thick and six inches long. It's a one piece bow, laminated wood and fiberglass.

My first thought was duct tape. And my next idea was fiberglass bondo.

But then I thought I'd throw it out here, and see if there is a proper fix. Or am I better off to just retire it?

 

[GA native]

I have also had the thought of gluing the splinter back to the limb, and then wrapping the limb with nylon twine. Sinew would look authentic, but I have no sinew.

 

[GA native]

So the bow went on the back burner for a while, as I cast about on the interweb looking for a fix. Everyone kept talking about Loctite 420. I didn't feel like spending $20 for six inches of glue, so I bought some Pliobond from Ace Hardware, for $6. Zip tied the splinter to the limb. Let the glue cure... and success! Not bad for a thirty year old bow.

 

[Jake Allen]

Nice job. That ought to work, until it does not work anymore.

 

[GA native]

I've put a few dozen arrows through this bow so far. The glue is still holding. So I can endorse it.

I want to finish it with a leather wrap over both limbs. To clean it up, and reinforce the repair.

 

[olcop]

Artificial sinew is available at numerous places on line, and most hobby shops have it too.
BTW, when you ask for it in a hobby shop, be prepared for a blank look, or to be told they don't carry it, or they never heard of it, whatizzit, and on and on---- finally went looking in the store and they had it by the foot or a big spool of it available---found it in the leather section.
I'm not a bowyer by any means, but I would reinforce that repair sooner than later, don't know if it will work, but you could try heat shrink tubing over the glued area and then over wrapping it with the sinew, but I wonder if you should apply the same repair to the undamaged end to keep the bow "balanced".

olcop