started to make my own strings

Hi all here to drain more information from the vast pool of aiuk knowlage.

Can some one tell me how low can you go with fast flight string in the way of strands. at the momment I am makeing a 14 strand

[geoffretired]

Recommended number of strands is 18 for fastflight plus or minus 2.
More than 20 would make the nocks very tight, I guess.
Less than 16 might require some packing under the serving to get a good nock fit.
Do you have a reason for wanting to go less than 16; or is it more curiosity?

[Gwyn]

Are you actually using fastflight as fastflight has not been available for a while. I ask this because some of the alternatives have different strand diameters and therefore need more or less strands. i don't think strength is a problem but check which material you are using. if it is fastflight then 14 strands would be faster but more critical than 16 or 18 strands.

[slartibartfast]

What length and poundage is the string for?

[Mark L]

I made a couple 12 strand Fast flight string 2 years ago. It was for a 66'' Aerotech and G3 Limbs with a 42 pound draw.

The advantage was that the string was very fast and my sight marks went up.

The disadvantages ( note plural) were:-

THe bow was a lot noisier , no matter how I tuned it still sounded with a real Bang when I released. This didn't really bother me but it did distract people on the shooting line.

The strings were unstable , I was forever having to readjust the string for bracing height ( it got to one point were it seemed I was adjusting after every end)

The strings also didn't last very long they seemed to have only 1/3 of the life of my normal 18 strand strings.

It's always interesting to try out different ideas but these days I don't make any strings for my recurve with less than 18 strands.

[wingate_52]

Moving from 16 strand Fastflight (45# on the fingers) to 18 strand Angel Majesty lost me a few mm in sightmarks (solution, buy a sight with a longer vertical bar for 90m/100yds, o.k. less fiddling about over 20 -100 yards etc, from old Arc SX10, plus a few other excuses to change ,but it has done the trick).But the bow is quieter, the poor shots are fewer, the string has a more consistant length, and the servings no longer slip.The bracing height is constant.