storing longbows ?

[alanesq]

It occurs to me that now I seem to be amassing a collection of bows, some of which dont get used for months on end I should consider how I am storing them?

At the moment they are all leaning against a wall in the corner of a room but I suspect this is the worst way to store them ?

Where / how do people store theirs ?
are they ok in a centrally heated house or should they be in a cool area etc. ???

[gino]

they shouldnt be anywhere near a radiator or anything of the like. Best to store them somewhere where they don't reach extreme changes of temp. Also I've been told to either have them standing up straight with as little lean as possible or to lie them flat on their back.

[Bald Eagle]

Hang them in their bowsox in a constant teperature, not next to a radiator as was said earlier. Never store a bow, any bow, leaning on it's bottom limb.

[Owweeee]

I agree, I find the best place is on top of the wardrobe

[Mad Archer]

My understanding of this is as follows:

- Temperature - As people have already said you want somewhere that avoids the extremes

- Storage - The general principle is that if you stand it up then the weight of the bow will cause it to take a greater bend, so your storage should aim to eliminate this. The ideal storage is to support a longbow in two places a little either side of the handle, perhaps 18" to 2 feet apart with the bow resting on its back. The next best method is to support them so that they hang from the top nock - I have a row of hooks for this. I believe you should not be hanging them by the bag, as this is pretty much the same as standing them in a corner, i.e. the weight of the bow is resting on the bottom nock

[English Bowman]

Absolutely as above. MA is 100% correct there. The only thing that I'd add to that is to treat them as a new bow if they are left for a long time, and shoot them in gently again. If you store a bow for a few months then bring it straight back to full draw you are risking damaging or even breaking it

Daniel