Making a string is an important skill to learn. There are a few common ways of making a string, but from what I've seen, making a string with the Flemish twist, or Flemish braid, method is appropriate for most bows used by SCA archers. Other, more modern string types may also be used, but this string is easy to make and works well. To make a string, you will need a string jig (covered in a separate tutorial), beeswax (or string maker's wax), Dacron B-50 bow string (other materials may be used, but do not use a material such as FastFlight if your bow has self nocks!), and a small piece of scrap leather.
The Process:
| Strands of B-50 | Bow Weight |
|---|---|
| 12 | 20-45# |
| 14 | 45-55# |
| 16 | 55-80# |
Make 2 or more bundles of strings that add up to the total number of strands you need. If you don''t know what length of string you need, the general rule is to make it 4 inches shorter than your bow if it's a longbow, or 3 inches shorter than your bow for a recurve. You can also measure your old string to see what was on there before. Your finished string should have approximately 10-15 twists in it to be at your brace height. I shoot a 72 inch longbow, and using these steps for making a string with the jig shown on the string jig tutorial page, it takes 11 or 12 twists to set my brace height.
Wax the last 15 inches of one end of both of the bundles.
Measure out 8 inches back along both bundles.
Holding the strands together in your left hand, twist the bottom bundle towards you tightly, and then flip the bundle up to the top in from of the other bundle. (It should go over all of the bundles if using more than 2.) This should also be tight.
Repeat the "twist and flip" process until 3 inches have been braided.
Bend the braid around, and line up the bundles. Then straighten the bundles out and smooth them together. The wax in the string should hold the ends with the string as a single unit.
Continue the braiding process until you are about 4 twists past the last loose end of the strands. The staggered cut made using the string jig allows the ends to taper out seamlessly. Now tie a short piece of string around it to temporarily secure the braid.
Now remove the center ties that were put on when making the bundles, and straighted the strings out before waxing the last 15 inches of the loose ends.
Making sure th bundles are straightened evenly (you don't want more string tension carried by one bundle), braid a loop into this end and secure it with a short piece of string just like the first loop was done.
Now straighten the string again. Put one loop on your bow to hold it, and put about 10 twists into the string before putting the other end on the bow.
Pull the string back about half way a few times, and then gradually work to your full draw. The string will stretch some as you put pressure on it for the first time.
Wax your string very well, and get the wax into the bundles by rubbing it vigorously with a small scrap of leather. Beeswax will melt and flow into the string at about 120 degrees F.
After waxing, draw your bow a few more times and adjust your brace height as necessary. Now go shoot!
Once the initial stretch is out of your string from waxing and drawing a bit, it would be a good idea to put a serving on the string, and tie on a nocking point. Now use this string for a little while to get all the stretch out, coil it up and keep it with you. Now make another string just like the first and use it for your regular shooting. The next time you find yourself in the middle of a tournament and need to replace your string, you'll have one with you that will perform almost identically since you made it the same way as the one you've been using, and it's already broken in!
