Time to start checking that string.

[theoldarcher]

Growing up as a kid, I have always been drawn to shooting a bow. I got my first bow when I was 13 years old and it started a love affair that has lasted for 38 years. Of course, sights were a luxury I couldn’t afford back then, so I learned to shoot instinctive. It taught me the discipline needed to make clean ethical kills on game ranging from Squirrels, Rabbits and of course Deer.

Over the years shooting mostly recurves with an occasional compound bow throwed in I learned that speed was not the most important thing in a bow as much as confidence in your equipment, your shooting ability and keeping your shots at close quarters. While all that was important, the one thing that I noticed with some of my buddies was that they overlooked a lot, was maintaining their bow and the string. It was not uncommon for one friend of mine in particular to have strands on his string hanging loose where the strands had broken because of his lack of attention to it.

Let’s face it, today our crossbows may be able to shoot 300 + feet per second, but if you don’t take care of the string then you might as well be throwing rocks. The strings on our crossbows are worked harder than the recurves strings that I had as a kid. Unless you wax them and the serving they will die a premature death, and unless you have had a string slap your face when it brakes or splintered a set of limbs on the count of it, then it may not have sunken in how important it is to keep that string waxed and maintained.

I wax my string every 30 to 40 shots and my serving about every 10 to 20 shots when I’m out shooting on the range. During hunting season I check my string and serving every morning before heading in the woods. If it needs tender loving care then I throw a little wax to it before hitting the woods, especially if I hunt in wet weather. I believe that is a good practice to get in the habit of.

One of the tricks I learned along the way, was when I put a fresh bowstring on my bow, I would coat the string well with wax, then use a hair dryer to soften it up and rub it into the strands well. Don’t hold the heat in one place long, just move the hair dryer back and forth along the string enough to soften the wax and then rub it in over the length of the string (just the string, not the serving) including the loops. It blends into the string and keeps the strands coated.

Good Huning

[MarkMarine]

Sage advice and much appreciated. I treat the string the same way as i do my rifle: I check it everytime I go out and again when I return for the night. Like you, especially in inclement weather. My oldest son's first compound bow got to looking like "It" off of the Adams Family lol Once his string snapped and slapped some sense into him, he began to appreciate what a little preventive maintenance can avoid

[papa bear1]

Some of my friends tell me i wax my strings too much,, but i'm from the old school; of learn the hard way!~!~! As far as i'm concerned you can't overdo; your string!!!!! I have been like!! a lot of you!! been shooting bow's since before they had wheel's on them. . and i have learned everything the hard way!!!!! we never had a forum! to help us out.;; My 1rst. bow was a ben pearson colt!! man i thought it was the most beutifull thing i had ever seen! it was 46lb. draw weight, but i didn't even know what that meant, and as for as draw length?? I am 6' 4'' tall weigh 240lbs. and i got a wing span like a condor . now that i know a little bit more, on my vertacal,, i can draw31''. well not any more; too busted up;;;;; well sh;t i think i got away from the subject... (SORRY) . but back to the subject. wax wax it's good for your string,serving and your rail,......

papa bear1

[Cossack]

Got newly made, per-stretched, 40 strand 452X Flemish on each of my bows and several backup strings ready to go. Gillie suit is aired out, stands in place. Hard part is waiting for the darn opener.

[DeepSouthHunter]

It's time for me to replace the string on my Exocet 200 and I can't remember for the life of me if I have to twist the new endless loop string at all or not before installing it. Common sense tells me to twist it some but I can't find anything in the instructions saying to or not. I figured this would be as good a place as any to get an answer so I hope nobody minds the slight thread jack.

[abbyfireguy]

Boo and others recommend not using external heat sources to melt in the wax.
Enough heat seems to come from your fingers rubbing the wax in. Think I'll stay with what is working for me so far. I am also using Dalton's wax which rubs in very well with your fingers.

[strum]

It's time for me to replace the string on my Exocet 200 and I can't remember for the life of me if I have to twist the new endless loop string at all or not before installing it. Common sense tells me to twist it some but I can't find anything in the instructions saying to or not. I figured this would be as good a place as any to get an answer so I hope nobody minds the slight thread jack.

its best to have some twists in it but a new e loop probly will have a high brace height. put a couple in it and see where you are ..if your at or a little above the highest mark then go ahead and shoot. itll stretch over time .

[wabi]

I still remember the welt a string left from my thigh to my shoulder when I tried to get too many shots from an aging string on a stick bow.

Since that day my practice has been:
Check strings frequently, care for them well, replace them if they look worn or have been stressed excessively (such as a dry-fire)!

[DeepSouthHunter]

It's time for me to replace the string on my Exocet 200 and I can't remember for the life of me if I have to twist the new endless loop string at all or not before installing it. Common sense tells me to twist it some but I can't find anything in the instructions saying to or not. I figured this would be as good a place as any to get an answer so I hope nobody minds the slight thread jack.

its best to have some twists in it but a new e loop probly will have a high brace height. put a couple in it and see where you are ..if your at or a little above the highest mark then go ahead and shoot. itll stretch over time .

Thank you for the reply. I did add a few twists and the brace height is above the highest mark so that is why I was asking the question. I will shoot it a few times when I get a chance and see if it settles in.