# Recurve bow help



## Juztin3o2 (Jan 11, 2008)

I got a recurve bow from my friend and i think he left it in a old truck out in the sun for the summer and one end of the bow is bent and twisted and i wanted to know if there was a way i could rebend it?


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

If it's not to badly twisted you can often twist it back into shape by hand.

With all due respect, what kind of bonehead leaves a trad bow in a truck out in the sun all Summer?


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## Juztin3o2 (Jan 11, 2008)

Yea hes not very smart and when i twist it like it should be it just bends back.Maybe i can put it in a vice or something to hold it for a while?


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## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

i think you would do best to just hold it in your hands and twist, as the vice will likely mar the finish. also if the bow was left in the heat you should examine the limbs closely and make sure ythat they are not delaminating, which can happen in that situation


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

Like nmubowyer said, take a look to see if the limbs have started to seperate or delaminate, if that's the case and the bow is not a take down it is pretty much firewood. If it is a take down recurve see if you can find some one to make new limbs for the riser. That could be just as spendy as buying a new bow, it all depends on what you want to spend. Bending back a twist will take some time, if not impossible if twisted too far. Do you know if the bow was strung or un-strung while it was sitting in the car?


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## Juztin3o2 (Jan 11, 2008)

The limbs still look good and i dont think the string was on it.
And i put the string on it to see if it would straigted it but that doesnt work.
For some reason it straighted itself a few months ago and he shot with it for maybe a month and then it twisted back and thats why i thought maybe i could get it straight.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Though I have not tried it personally the traditional way to straighten bows and wood arows has been with heat. At least thats how I understand the indians did it. Heat straighten and hold until it cools. You might locatea custom bowyer on the web, call and ask.


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## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

i dont know that i would heat a laminated bow unless that was my last option. The indians probably heated their bows to sytraighten them becuase their bows werent fiberglass. I would be afraid of delaminating the bow by heating it. After all the glue on that bow was probably cured between 150 and 180 degrees. Heat does work fairly well on wooden arrows though for straightening them.


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

I meant to hand out another tip about recurves and longbows since we are talking about a mistake someone made by leaving a Trad bow in a vehicle in warm temperatures. With today's laminated bows it is totally ok to leave them strung, no need to un-string them when you are done shooting. They can be strung for many months without any harm done. If any damage is going to be caused to a recurve or longbow it will be done during the stringing/unstringing process. Storage of Trad bows, do not stand them up on end in a corner of a room or closet, they need to be stored horizontally or hung vertically. Mine is stored horizontally on the wall by pegs under the bend in the limbs. Keep the string waxed, it will extend the life of it dramatically.


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## non-typical (Dec 24, 2007)

DRAW IT BACK 50-100 TIMES AND SEE IF ANYTHING CHANGES IF NOT CAN IT! :withstupid:


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## Dodgedude (Dec 30, 2007)

If the limb is only twisted, but not de-laminated, try steaming it.

May have to create a jig to hold it in place as it cools.

De-string it and use the good limb for a pattern.


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