Yumi making: Phase 6 (b): Bow shaping – second attempt

The bow was left to dry for two days. The shape is more or less OK; maybe the bend where the grip will be (near the rope coils on the picture above) is too sharp – the radius should be bigger / the bend more gentle. It should also be a bit closer to the […]

Yumi making: Phase 5.5(b): Gluing the full bow – second attempt

During the week I cleaned the parts from the glue; it took less time than I expected. I used a combination of water + heat; I sprinkled the glue with a lot of water, then heated over the hob. The glue then got soft and it was easy to remove it without impacting the wood […]

Yumi making: Phase 6: Bow shaping

After one day of drying in the corner the bow should be ready for shaping on the fixtures, before it is left to dry / set for 3-4 weeks. After unwrapping the cord it looks like this: Not bad – it is straight (as in, not twisted to the sides), and looks like there are […]

Yumi making: Phase 5.5: gluing the full bow

Following up from previous post, there were few things that I had to prepare before I could start gluing the bow, namely: Bow parts: outer face X (need planing) inner face X (need planing) sekiita x 2 X (need shaping) Equipment: wedges x 150 X (have 70-80 done, the rest need […]

Playing with heat & final checklist

The final preparation step for the bamboo faces is to heat treat them, in order to caramelize the naturally occurring sugars in the bamboo, and to drain any remaining moisture out. Apparently this could also carbonize bamboo fibers, creating a layer of “carbon fibers”: http://www.asahi-archery.co.jp/kyudo_en_jp/pc_obj/take_care.pdf My main worry working with raw bamboo before is that […]

Easter lessons

Due to the Easter I had several days off work, and as the weather was fine, I’ve spend quite some time at the range. Especially last evening, when I shot for 3 hours straight, until it was too dark to see. I didn’t think it would be possible to shoot for that long, but with proper form that […]

Natural release mechanics

Hanare (離れ, ばなれ, 離=detach, separation) – release. Good hanare should be natural, meaning that it is not done consciously by opening the hand. Instead it should occur on it’s own, out of nowhere, surprising the shooter. The reason behind this is that the release should happen at the point of highest tension; releasing consciously results […]