Warming up the Bow

[sparrowfoot]

I've just bought an Internature flatbow. I was given the advice to warm it up before stringing it to protect the wood, by rubbing the limbs. How important is this? How warm should it be?

Given it's 68" long you can't warm it all! Which sections need doing most?

I believe that these bows are fibreglass and wood laminate (not sure which layers are which - is the back glass?). My recurve limbs were fibreglass and wood too but I never warmed them.

[FlourPower]

Fairly important if you don't want kindling!

Just rub it along the length in a way that leads to much innuendo.

[sparrowfoot]

Yes it did cross my mind that this was advice for newbies, along the lines of "Go and ask for a long stand", "left-handed screwdriver" etc.

The surface of the bow is very smooth so that it doesn't heat up much.

[FlourPower]

I have heard it suggested that all bows coming from a cold car to a warm indoor shoot should be left to acclimatise. I think this is what is being asked of you here. So it's not just a 'look at the n00b his stick!' although you will get that.

[King Custard]

One way to warm all longbows, flatbows and the sort is over a lit match...then 'warm' the string...and the fletchings...finally the draw fingers and eyeballs, finishing off with the nether regions.
...all the time contemplating if you should have bought a recurve...

Honestly that's very interesting in that the bow needs this attention...is that why you stick stringers have such good relationships with your bows?

NOTE: NEVER TAKE A naked flame to your bow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bkupris]

Sounds very strange to me... I have been bowhunting abroad all my life with wood and glass recurves in sub zero temps.

[sparrowfoot]

I've not seen much bow rubbing going on. ELB-stretching after stringing, yes.

[robtattoo]

Originally Posted by FlourPower

Fairly important if you don't want kindling!

*cough*cobblers*cough*

It's not important in the least. Glass backed, laminated wooden bows will cope with a huge range of temperatures. Here in the UK we don't experience anything cold enough to warrant warming a bow.
If in doubt, just leave it permanantly strung! There's no need at all to remove the string, ever.

Folks seem to think that there's something a bit 'woooooooo....mystical' about shooting traditional bowstyles. There really, really isnt! Treat it the same as you would any other modern bow, cos that's exactly what it is!

[sparrowfoot]

Thanks for the reply. One of the attractions of the AFB over the ELB was the low maintenance. So now I have a range of opinions - which is right?

[Windknot]

What Rob and bkupris said- string it up and shoot it. Never heard of warming a glass backed bow either. And I shoot them all the time.