How to string one?

[Tarkwin]

Having been looking at mongol, horse, hunnish etc bows, I can't help wondering how easy it is to string one. Particularly those where the nocks are forwards of the hand position when unstrung.

T.

[Mrs_Radar_UK]

Easy, buy a stringer for it, Carol Edwards made one specifically for me, cost £6

[ThePinkOne]

Originally Posted by Tarkwin

Having been looking at mongol, horse, hunnish etc bows, I can't help wondering how easy it is to string one. Particularly those where the nocks are forwards of the hand position when unstrung.

T.

It's easy- but there's a knack. You basically wrap it around your legs and pull it around then drop string into top nock, there's instructions on the Grozer website I seem to recall- (it's known as the "step through" method I think). My mongolian bow was the only one I could ever string without a stringer but using this method- in spite of being a 45# draw.

If you look in Klopstegs book (Turkish Archery) he shows how the Turks used to string their powerful flight bows- the stringer was quite like a modern one, but bow limbs braced against feet, stringer hooked to a belt loop and the person leaned back to bend the limbs.

Some of the more reflexed bows in China were strung using special formers and a bench- gradually wrap limbs onto them then strung- Selby has a description in one of his books. Obviously these bows were left stung for a season or so though.

P.

[Greenman]

Tay bugha writting around 1400 described about 140 methods of stringing Turkish bows, including one of my favourites "How to string your bow when stood in the middle of a river". An abridged (and translated) version can be seen at [CAAMA INDEX go to Texts then look on Essential Archery for beginners.

[ratty]

Originally Posted by ThePinkOne

It's easy- but there's a knack. You basically wrap it around your legs and pull it around then drop string into top nock, there's instructions on the Grozer website I seem to recall- (it's known as the "step through" method I think). My mongolian bow was the only one I could ever string without a stringer but using this method- in spite of being a 45# draw.

If you look in Klopstegs book (Turkish Archery) he shows how the Turks used to string their powerful flight bows- the stringer was quite like a modern one, but bow limbs braced against feet, stringer hooked to a belt loop and the person leaned back to bend the limbs.

Some of the more reflexed bows in China were strung using special formers and a bench- gradually wrap limbs onto them then strung- Selby has a description in one of his books. Obviously these bows were left stung for a season or so though.

P.