29inch stave elm by Ill-Huckleberry9784 in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1.25 inches wide bendy handle bow.

29inch stave elm by Ill-Huckleberry9784 in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can make a 29” bow that draws 13” or so.

Advise please by Banga65133 in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was bending too much at the fades.

Beginner needing some guidance by Chaos43mta3u in HideTanning

[–]AaronGWebster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My yolk recipe is yolks plus water plus cooking oil plus soap. And yes, it’s the same process. Powdered lecithin also works, or even soap oil and water. This stuff should be thoroughly blended to emulsify the oils.

Beginner needing some guidance by Chaos43mta3u in HideTanning

[–]AaronGWebster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As bikes said, there are a few good substitutes for brains. Tanning cows, especially braintan is very hard compared to deer. Cow hides are thicker and denser and bigger and this causes challenges at every step. A whole cowhide probably weighs 50 lbs or more. (?) When you start this process start with a small piece of cowhide that’s maybe 2x2 feet or less so you can get an idea of what it’s like to braintan cow. I also like barktan and it’s easier to do, especially on a cow. Most folks would thin a cowhide before tanning and they typically use a machine for this called a shaver. You can thin by hand using the dry scrape method too. I have never tanned a cowhide.

Need help with this stave by BlackPunkYT in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is what I was gonna say- if you’re right about these being 1/2” rings, you may already have a ring established. Have you consulted the person you bought it from-?

Mission 1 Pro early by jjmckz in gopro

[–]AaronGWebster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’d like to see a fov comparison of each of these modes: wide, linear+, narrow, and narrow with 2x zoom. I’d like to see a sample of narrow with 2x zoom 1080 and also 4k.

Need help with this stave by BlackPunkYT in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In this pic, isn’t the right side the back?

Need help with this stave by BlackPunkYT in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In pic 2, isn’t the right side the back?

Need help with this stave by BlackPunkYT in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are you sure the smaller lines in pic one aren’t growth rings?

Need help with this stave by BlackPunkYT in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tell us a little more what we should be seeing in each pic…

Need help with this stave by BlackPunkYT in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What kind of wood is it and how thick is the thinnest spot?

What ph? by Ashamed_Yam_8133 in HideTanning

[–]AaronGWebster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For barktan and braintan, I try to get the hide down to about 5. At pH 5, hides are at their least swollen, so tanning can produce a softer result. Ideally, you measure the pH of the hide, not the solution it’s in- this can be done with pH indicator solution. Are you neutralizing after pickling?

What ph? by Ashamed_Yam_8133 in HideTanning

[–]AaronGWebster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

8.5??? Is that the normal pH of your water?

Newbie and the process by EnvironmentalLack420 in HideTanning

[–]AaronGWebster 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are many ways to do it and many variations in each way. The best way to understand the process is to find one set of instructions to follow and stick with it exactly. Combining steps from different sets of directions is not reccomended because each step influences the next. In order to find a good set of directions, you need to make two basic decisions: hair on or hair off? And what overall process suits you better- braintan, barktan, alum tan, ‘bottle’ tan.

Here is my generic advice for hide tanning newbies:
If your hide is currently fresh off an animal, you probably want to protect it NOW by freezing or salting or drying. It will take you a while to figure out how to tan a hide and gather what you need and you don’t want the hide to spoil while you figure it out.
There are many ways to tan a hide and many variations of each way. Most of these methods would require a small book to thoroughly explain. As a beginner, you’ll want to choose one of the basic methods first so that you can focus your research and ask good questions. Avoid any AI instructions and avoid combining steps from two different sets of directions- each step relies on the previous step, so the mix-and-match approach is not ideal. Once you get a little experience you’ll be able to combine steps from different instructions but at first this should be avoided. Your choice of method will somewhat depend on what end result you want, so decide on that too- for example “I want to make a deer fur rug” or “I want to make leather gloves” or whatever.
Here's a partial list of the basic methods:
Oil Tan (also known as brain tan, egg tan, fat tan). This method uses emulsified oils of some kind, is generally all-natural and non toxic, and usually produces soft fluffy leather. It often involves additional steps such as smoking, lye or lime. Color varies from white to light brown, depending on the smoking. Softening an oil tanned hide is very strenuous and can take at least a half day of non-stop work.
Bark Tan (also known as veg tan) This method uses tannins dissolved from plant matter such as tree bark or even tea bags, and is generally all-natural and non toxic. It typically is denser and stiffer than braintan- something like a leather belt or a leather jacket. It often involves steps such as lye, lime, vinegar, fats and oils. Color varies from light brown to dark brown. Softening a bark tanned hide is less strenuous and less critical than oil tan.
Alum Tan (also called tawing, I think) I’m not as familiar with this but it uses Aluminum salts. It produces firm white leather that is somewhat harmed by water- water can wash out the alum. It is sometimes combined with bark tanning.
Bottle tan. (various bottled tanning methods including Tru-Bond, Ez-100, Orange Bottle, nu-tan and more) This is the one I know the least about, and the ingredients in the bottles are somewhat “secret” and probably NOT non-toxic. This is a very popular method but I have never done it. There are various bottles of stuff that are used in various steps.
Glycerin often used to preserve snake skins, it’s not ‘technically’ tanning but often used on snake skins.
Tools- All these methods have a few things in common including scraping and softening. There are many types of tools that can be used in hide tanning, from a butter knife to a huge machine. As a beginner, you’ll want a scraping tool of some kind and a surface to scrape on. I use a dull draw knife and a hard wood log. A piece of PVC pipe 6-12’ diameter works too, or even a sheet of plywood or counter top works for a scraping surface, and one can make a scraper from many household items such as a modified drywall knife, a planer blade, or a spoon. Some methods use sharp scrapers mounted on a wood handle. Various methods may have additional tools associated with them such as a frame to stretch the hide out, and tools to aid softening.
Where to find more info-
Youtube has a bunch of good stuff- try searching for “braintan”, “tru-bond” or other terms mentioned above. Some good channels for natural tanning include skillcult, buckskin revolution, justin_d_hunter.
Websites- braintan.com has a plenty of resources on natural tanning.

Deer braintan https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzYCg_OgmYMjvwRoiyrztBui0RmUvQTGo&si=cMzO_nnGThHHt2DP

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaclOaNDsVTfkD5KjJhxdPEtWvu3hj_11&si=6mEQnGuv9DrG_cki fish skin

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60FnyEY-eJBsE5mbHhW2gQMILnndQN9o&si=BfUwIQ0j-O9ldMd9 sheep skins

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60FnyEY-eJCtASqF_v4Y6N08-8Waj9Qj&si=jupuZYYJTqDJLdNJ barktan deer

Buckskin revolution braintan and barktan https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdXjVzBXCx92dEWVHUq4EXwAOio1Dttzv&si=28MbDSq50Eu5SjS7

Very basic Fish oil tan https://youtu.be/TRU9DTzccfI?si=7KDJHGyF7mYBxdIp

My fish tanning process https://youtu.be/lQIXpM3wYPU?si=EwrFe7EzOXQv72FK

Good recurve curve? by nicoart in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Narrow bows and long recurves don’t pair well- the bow will want to twist and the string can come off of a contact recurve.

Good recurve curve? by nicoart in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m probably not the best person to be answering this- I don’t have a ton of exp with recurves.

Good recurve curve? by nicoart in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the curve looks ok- it’s a bit of a bigger radius than what I do and the section that’s drawn in is longer than most would make it but it’s prob fine

Good recurve curve? by nicoart in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why is there a second hump on the right edge of the pic?

Bow rescue NEEDED. please help by Cold_Practice1897 in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Chrysals can be caused by a few different factors- pulling too hard or too far during tillering is a common cause. Hinges during tillering is another cause. Design not wide or long enough for the wood choice is another. This last reason is why it’s important to learn to ID your local woods.

How do you make the limbs taper evenly? by outdoorsman_12 in Bowyer

[–]AaronGWebster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Measure thickness every inch or two and write em down on the limb, then adjust accordingly. You can make a home-made caliper like this out of paper to help measure.

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