Increasing draw weight of compound jelly bow?????

philhoney

New member
Hi,
My grandaughters step sister is half way through her beginners course and is using a 10lb compound jelly bow. She is using this as she is tiny and all the other club bows are too powerful for her to use for a full afternoon lesson. The 10lb bow is a bit light for her and restricts her to about 15yds.
Is there any way I could "back" the bow to increase the DW by about 5lbs so that she could shoot with the other beginners at 20yds.

Please don't suggest buying a new bow as although she is a lovely little girl and very keen it is not down to myself or my son to kit her out as she is not related to us and her parents don't seem all that interested in supporting her in archery. My son did pay for her beginners course as a birthday present and will probably pay her club membership as a Christmas present.
As well as that we do have recurve and compound bows that my grandaughters have grown out of waiting for her as soon as she can manage them.

Back to the backing (Did I make a joke then?)
Would glass fibre reinforced sticky tape do anything? It is advertised as the strongest tape in the world. It may be the strongest under tension but would the glue hold up?
I've got some slats from a wooden venetian blind. They are about 1" x 1/8 x 18". Could I cut these to size and epoxy them to the limbs? If they prove too heavy they could be sanded down until they do what I want. Any ideas?

I have posted this under general archery because I am hoping for replies from anyone who has backed a bow, any bow, for any reason.
Phil
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I have seen pictures of bows somewhere, that have four limbs. It looks as if a slightly curved jelly bow has been stuck ,only at the grip, to a straight piece of wood or fibreglass.The extra piece is fixed to the proper bow on the side further from the archer, and is a single length, not two. To up the draw weight, the straight length is tied loosely at its ends, to the proper bow, so it is still straight when the bow is not drawn. As the bow is drawn,the string between the two bows tightens and both have to be bent. By shortening the strings that join the two, the poundage can be gradually increased till you reach what you need.Also ,that way, you are not dependent on a glue line to hold them both together.
If you think the odd appearance would be off putting, perhaps the extra wood could be bound at intervals, to give a "single bow" look.
 

philhoney

New member
Hi,
Thanks, that is worth thinking about. It would get the tounges wagging if nothing else. The only problem I can see is that the bow has a moulded plastic grip / arrow shelf that goes right round the bow. I might have to remove that and make a wooden one with a purpose made arrow rest.
Phil
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Hi Phil, I wondered afterwards if that would be the case. would it,then, be possible to have a short tapered piece top and bottom above and below the grip to imitate the shape of the one piece hunter riser shape?
 

philhoney

New member
Hi Phil, I wondered afterwards if that would be the case. would it,then, be possible to have a short tapered piece top and bottom above and below the grip to imitate the shape of the one piece hunter riser shape?
Hi Geoff,
That would work but I was thinking of the other way. If I made the middle of the second bow thicker I could cut out a gap for the handle to sit in. I could then serve it in place above and below the grip, no glue, nothing permanent so that it could be removed if it didn't work.
The biggest problem is that I am working with very light weights. How do you make a 5lb bow?
I do have a 10lb jelly bow that is just a flat length of glass fibre with a rubber grip and nocks. I wouldn't mind using that if it could be done as it's not likely to be used for anything else.
Phil
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Hi Phil, I like that idea: much neater than mine.
I think you can adjust the weight of the finished bow(s) by the length of string used to tie the end of the new part, to the limbs of the original.
If you look at the Penobscot bow that English_archer linked us to, you will see the string goes from end of new to end of original. Shortening the string will pre bend the new part and push up the draw weight. Tying end of new to somewhere short of the ends of the original will lower the weight.
 
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