{"id":2553,"date":"2016-04-20T09:28:43","date_gmt":"2016-04-20T14:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.3riversarchery.com\/blog\/?p=2553"},"modified":"2020-06-26T12:25:15","modified_gmt":"2020-06-26T17:25:15","slug":"how-to-serve-a-bow-string","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3riversarchery.com\/blog\/how-to-serve-a-bow-string\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn Two Ways of How to Serve a String"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Stephen P Anderson<\/h2>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Learning to serve your own bow string is a simple and valuable skill to learn. Really, it\u2019s as easy as learning how to start the serving, how to tie the serving off at the end, and acquiring a feel for maintaining good tension in between. Of course, we need to select the appropriate material for the particular application.<\/p>\n

As far as traditional bow strings, there are two main string serving applications to be concerned with \u2013 center serving and endloop serving (for an endless loop bow string). Center serving is a great place to start learning. It\u2019s the most likely serving to need replacing during the life of the string. Plus, both Flemish twist and endless loop bow strings have center servings. Only an endless loop bow string will require endloop servings.<\/p>\n

The center serving stratifies two main purposes. Number 1 \u2013 it protects the bow string from direct contact with clothing, fingers, nocks, etc. and #2 \u2013 it creates the appropriate diameter and release material to accept the arrow nock. Most modern serving material for traditional bow strings measures .018\u201d-.022\u201d in diameter. The three typical materials are polyester, spectra, and nylon.<\/p>\n

Selecting the Material<\/h2>\n

I love Brownell #4 Nylon – .018\u201d serving material. I make a LOT of B-50 bow strings. I use #4 serving material on all the endless loop end servings and on all center servings for my 14-strand strings accepting classic glue-on nocks. If I were serving a 12-strand string for classic nocks \u2013 I\u2019d probably select the slightly fatter .021\u201d Halo serving material<\/a> for a better nock fit. Halo is also a good choice when working with some of the skinnier low stretch materials as well, as it grips tight.<\/p>\n

Starting the Serving<\/h2>\n

\"StartingThere\u2019s more than one way to start a string serving.<\/p>\n

The objective is to catch the first loop of string so that it holds as we add successive wraps over the tag end and begin moving our serving along.<\/p>\n

One experienced string builder I know starts with a simple overhand knot. Another standard method is to simply lay 2\u201d of serving on the bow string and just start serving over the tag. My favorite method is to split the string in half, and pass 2\u201d of tag end through the strings and start serving over the tag end. It\u2019s best to set those first few revolutions by hand before letting the serving tool snug up to the string to take over and speed the process.<\/p>\n

\"StartingFor my first hundred or so Endless loop bow strings I built, I used an inexpensive Bohning plastic string server and it has done its job well. More recently I\u2019ve obtained a metal AAE string serving jig<\/a>. I notice marked improvements in the tensioning system, weight, and slightly shorter height of this jig.<\/p>\n

Center servings are typically 7-10\u201d in length \u2013 according to preference. The idea is to start about 2-3\u201d above where the arrow is nocked, and end somewhere near the bottom of the grip. You want enough coverage above and below the nock point where you contact with your fingers or arm.<\/p>\n

Spinning the Jig<\/h2>\n

\"StartingWith a bow laid out in front of you, and the top limb to the right, begin the serving approximately 2-3\u201d above the nocking point on string. Lay down 8-10 wraps over the tag end of the string (I do these all by hand). At this point, move the remainder of tag end out of the way and continue wraps with the string jig until a good length of center serving has been laid down.<\/p>\n

Tying off the Serving<\/h2>\n

There are various techniques for tying off the serving, but the two most common are back-serve and needle pull through. I use back-serve to tie off all of my endloop and center servings. Back-serve is a difficult technique to explain without showing (watch our YouTube video below for a visual). But once you\u2019ve tried it and understand it, it\u2019s magic \u2013 it becomes immediately understandable and\u2026easy.<\/p>\n

Learning the techniques to build and serve my own endless loop Dacron bow strings has given me great freedom. Suddenly, it meant used bows became cheaper. You can get a great price on a vintage bow with no string \u2013 or a damaged string and build your own in a half hour. Bow string and serving materials are cheap. I found Anthony Carrara\u2019s book, Shooting the Stickbow, <\/em>to be a valuable learning resource and reference guide for this.<\/p>\n