Amazing video! I watched one on a VHS cassette tape that was poorly done and it really took me a long time to learn to make a proper bowstring. I just guessed at the backtwist and missed it more than once. Thanks for your help for the common archer and the experienced archer too!
I watching this video over and over as well as the part on your website explaining how to get the correct length bowstring to get this totally dialed in. Thank you Kramer. You don't have to give this knowledge away and I deeply appreciate that you are.
I did the same thing. I kept getting different strings lengths and it was frustrating. I have seen where a string should be stretched up to 2 hours. Kramer, I would like to know more about your findings. I'm not doubting you at all. Physics can't be changed. If it's a waste of time to stretch more than 20 minutes, why bother?
I just wanted to thank you for your videos. Great information and you're a really good teacher. You made this process so easy. Ironically I was in need of a 48" so almost followed you to a T mine was green and brown though haha. thank you!
I don't know how I got that wrong, I have watched your video like 10 times in the past 24 hours, including while making my Flemish twist, using your jig, making a 53" string, and ended up with a 46" string.. EDIT: I made another 53" flemish twist string today for my 56" recurve, and it turned out the correct size, and it feels amazing to shoot. Thank you so much Kramer, your videos are very informative and inspiring. To the point I'm considering becoming a Gold Patrion member to you shortly 😉
Thank you so much for all the top quality products and for the great videos. I have order about 4 bow strings now and a fiberglass backing your stuff is so great. And like I have said in other comments you guys are the reason for me making bows now. I have only completed 1 waiting on more wood. But I plan to make my first recurve next using your form design as a base.
Hey Kramer! Just recently I bought 3 strings from Shatterproof Archery over the span of 3 weeks. I used them to make my old bows like new again and I have to say that I am very satisfied with my purchase. I also bought an arm guard and tab and they're built pretty well and are very durable. Thanks for the quality purchase. I would definitely recommend anyone to buy a string from you after watching your video on which string is right for their bow. Hopefully soon I'll getting in to making my own bows and buying the supplies from your website as well!
Very nice , just subscribed. Been making and shooting arrows long before girls were discovered. Now time has caught me and I’m now a crabby old chap… haha. Really like your shows and wish you guys the best. Archery is still helping me keep healthy and outside. Thank you!
Oh thank you so much for this. Been trying to figure out what I was doing wrong the last three strings I made. All the other videos I could find seemed to be missing key details and this helps a ton!
Thank you sir, I made my first bowstring seeing this video ,I got it rite first time.thanks work wonderfully. I made a second using a standard candle for wax and funny enough it works very well enough f that's a cheaper way.thank you so much for your advice
Great video it hadn’t built a bow string in 15 years I remembered the general idea of how to make it but just couldn’t remember how to measure the strands and the little details.
I have never seen someone serve a string that way, but that is brilliant using a drill and wood disk lol. Love your content. I just bought my first bowstring from you and am excited to start shooting it!
I figured this back twist out myself several years ago because all the other videos ever made on Flemish twist either didn’t explain it right or were too vague, this is the only exactly perfect video on this subject, thanks man, where were you on 2008 lol.
I just had to go order a bowstring from you after watching this.. that's some effective marketing right there! I respect the hustle and I love to see a young person getting after it. Your videos have been a great jumping off point for me as a novice bowyer. between yourself, Swiftwood, and help from others on the message boards and fb groups, I'm slowly getting a handle on this bowmaking situation. Hoping to turn this first piece of Red Oak into a sweetie! Best wishes and support from FL.
Yeah, Flemish Twist is the stuff. I will be watching this video again. And I still would rather order the strings from you. Even if I do figue out how to make my own. Course then I'll be ordering from you anyway for sourcing material. Keep it up, you inspire. I'll have to get more wax too. Been using it for all kinds of stuff.
This was a great video Kramer! I really enjoyed your explanations and the being able to see what you were doing, WHILE you were doing it. Great work! (as usual.)
I have two of these beautiful beautiful strings. Honestly i prefer my strings because i build them for me. Im a wool ball silencer boyo and i shoot 50 to 75lbs bows. Still 10/10 product 😊
i make my own strings have done for the last year or so I use BCY B55 bowstring I did struggle at first but watched all your vids it helped I also watched some others about the flemish twist board and after a while got things worked out the strings I have are DDACRO B50 and BCY B55 I am afraid I have to economize as we have only a small pension coming in but Your advice was invaluable I am very grateful for you and your service in aiding me yours truly jaybo
I watched a few different videos on the flemish twist string, this 1 was the most useful for me. Successfully made my first today for the oak longbow I built. 65" yellow and brown twist B55, 12 strand. Shoots great, definite upgrade from the previous std. b50 string. Thank you!
Hey is it possible to make a nice strong bow string with a 550 paracord outer nylon sheath/sleeve ? I can't find any videos tutorials on how to do it professionally!! Please help !!
Hello my friend! You should try your hand at making a Penobscot bow, 4 limbs and 3 strings! They shoot hard and fast but the draw feels smooth and light!
So I have made 3 bow strings using this method and was having a very difficult time. It turns out that your instructions are based on being a RIGHT HANDER. I'm LEFT handed and basically need to completely reverse the direction the strings are rotated. The specific problem is that when you twist the right string just before putting over the other string, if you use your left hand to twist the string, the twist occurs after the 2 strings are already touching, which minimizes how much of the twist is put on the strings. Just bear in mind that for us lefties, reverse the directions of all the twists...
Reversing the method will give you a clockwise string his are counter clockwise. Depends on what you want to have for a Flemish. Left handed or right handed doesn’t matter. Ambidextrous here lol.
Thanks for explaining backtwist. I have made a few bowstrings, some came out good, not great, but good. Others, well lets just say you really don't want to hear your new bowstring sound like a zipper the first time you stretch it. I'll try another using your methods, which will probably work, since I can understand your reasoning.
Hey Kramer, why the difference between 8 and 10 inches to start depending on the string length? I'm not quite following the reason for that. Could you explain please
I have a question about getting twists out of bows. I've just finished making a 53" english yew bow but it has a noticable twist/bend in it when the limb should be straight. How do I get rid of that without taking more wood off?
Hey Kramer, love your videos 😁 I am now running my own business selling custom bow strings in Australia, thanks to you 😁 but I can't seem to find anywhere to buy those bow string bags (as shown @22:20 in this video. Where do you buy them from?
i can get around a big palm sized group at my best often twice as large spread but not better than that at 18 meter or 20 yards i shoot with both eyes open without aiming/using the point tip for reference. At around 15 yards and in ward i can hit palm sized everytime and at 10-12 yards i can nearly robin hood my arrows. Now i have only shoot 4 times. But i want to start off right learn good habits and dont learn bad stuff. I am shooting tre under with a tab. Using a black sheep nova recurve bow only thing i could afford with skylon frontier carbon arrows. How do i get good and most important consistent everytime because out of 6 arrows maybe one or two are like maybe 10 inches of where i aim sometimes when i get a little tired.
Awesome info Kramer, thanks for sharing!!!👌👍 I've currently got a 27 Strand Continuous Loop (Dacron) string on my 100lb crossbow and am wondering if a Flemish Twist would be suitable...🤷
Love your videos. My hardest problem is working out what material to use with so many on the market it’s a little daunting for a beginner. I shoot a 45# black hunter, 40# ILF and a 35# English longbow and want to try making bows. Would Dacron be the best all round?
What wax do you recommend? I'm using b55 and the black color has very little on it. I made my first string today and my twist don't seem to be as tight as it should be.
Very cool to see how the end loops splice into the string, thank you. Wait what? 13:20 you talk about untwisting till vertical but you've got the string below frame so we can't see it and when in frame it's not clear what you are looking for with this, you just counted to 8 and said that's it? no before/after shot to show what you meant. Trying to figure it out by going back... 8:40 You twisted the strands around each other clockwise to make each a bundle, then twisted the bundles counterclockwise about each other to make the bottom loop, and you were straightened the bundles out as you went till you reached a point about 2 inches past the tag ends, straightening and unraveling the bundles as you went. So what were you counting untwisting? it seems that how much 'cattywompus' you were untwisting would be random based on how well or how poor you were untangling & straightening the bundles to keep them from rats-nesting while you were making the lower loop? The couple of times I have hand made rope, I was quite diligent at keeping the free ends untangled, untwisted, and straight. 14:02 it really looks like you are twisting each bundle clockwise again, the same 'forward' direction instead of backwards? Please, clarify, and possibly post another video on this specific part with close ups showing exactly what you mean by untwisting to vertical and why it's not random based on how well or how poor you straighten the free ends as you make the lower loop.
How the string is made from 2 bundles of 6 strands, would making the string from 3 bundles of 4 strands or even 4 bundles of 3 strands change the strength/performance of the string? Or is that just a waste of time?
I tried making a bowstring before using this method, but the video I watched didn’t explain the backtwist so the middle of my bowstring unravelled when i was done. Wich was sad because i made a perfect loop on one of the ends first try.
Sure, with a very very short draw length, and probably mounted to some sort of wooden and metal device with a trigger for safety when firing it... Hmm, I think they call that a crossbow! XD In serious though, yes you could, but it would have a very short draw length, which in turn reduces the power efficiency of the draw stroke. Also, the string angle would make it so that it would pinch badly when pulling it with your fingers. It really wouldn't be that powerful. I don't know the math off hand, but I'd guess that you'd probably get somewhat equivalent energy transfer out of a 50 pound bow, at least when discussing traditional materials like wood, horn, sinew, etc. Many crossbows in medieval days had absolutely huge draw weights, because that was the only way short limbs and draw length could match something like a warbow. Check out Tod's Workshop RUclips channel for info on traditional crossbows to get a better idea on all that. As soon as you start getting to modern materials this all goes out the window of course.
@@hunters36forgingwoodworkin73 You want to make a crossbow or a short bow? The builds are fairly different there. r/bowyer on Reddit is a good resource, so are the three big Facebook groups. If you search bowyer, you should be able to find those on Facebook. If you'd like, I can help you, but the RUclips comment section isn't exactly the best medium for it. XD
FWIW, in a more general sense this is how laid rope, as opposed to braided rope, is made. Usually rope is laid up of three strands, each strand made of many yarns. Also, you could make up an inexpensive bowstring jig with a length of 1x4 and some push pins. You don't need the turn back pin in the middle if you just make the run long enough for a simple loop forward and back.
Best video I've seen on making a flemish twist string. Simple, easy to understand, and clear. You have a real knack for teaching.
Amazing video! I watched one on a VHS cassette tape that was poorly done and it really took me a long time to learn to make a proper bowstring. I just guessed at the backtwist and missed it more than once. Thanks for your help for the common archer and the experienced archer too!
I watching this video over and over as well as the part on your website explaining how to get the correct length bowstring to get this totally dialed in. Thank you Kramer. You don't have to give this knowledge away and I deeply appreciate that you are.
I did the same thing. I kept getting different strings lengths and it was frustrating. I have seen where a string should be stretched up to 2 hours. Kramer, I would like to know more about your findings. I'm not doubting you at all. Physics can't be changed. If it's a waste of time to stretch more than 20 minutes, why bother?
It is so cool to see someone on RUclips evolve and grow and continue chasing their dream; especially when it has to do with archery! 🏹
Made a tillering string first, to get the hang of the mechanics, then a full string - excellent tutorial!
Omg that serving jig. You are a god.
I just wanted to thank you for your videos. Great information and you're a really good teacher. You made this process so easy. Ironically I was in need of a 48" so almost followed you to a T mine was green and brown though haha. thank you!
I don't know how I got that wrong, I have watched your video like 10 times in the past 24 hours, including while making my Flemish twist, using your jig, making a 53" string, and ended up with a 46" string..
EDIT: I made another 53" flemish twist string today for my 56" recurve, and it turned out the correct size, and it feels amazing to shoot. Thank you so much Kramer, your videos are very informative and inspiring. To the point I'm considering becoming a Gold Patrion member to you shortly 😉
Stoned viper 😂😂 perhaps that is rhe problem
Thank you so much for all the top quality products and for the great videos. I have order about 4 bow strings now and a fiberglass backing your stuff is so great. And like I have said in other comments you guys are the reason for me making bows now. I have only completed 1 waiting on more wood. But I plan to make my first recurve next using your form design as a base.
Thanks for all your secrets! I'm new to archery, but I'm hooked. One day I hope to be at the "make my own" string level. Great channel!
Hey Kramer! Just recently I bought 3 strings from Shatterproof Archery over the span of 3 weeks. I used them to make my old bows like new again and I have to say that I am very satisfied with my purchase. I also bought an arm guard and tab and they're built pretty well and are very durable. Thanks for the quality purchase. I would definitely recommend anyone to buy a string from you after watching your video on which string is right for their bow. Hopefully soon I'll getting in to making my own bows and buying the supplies from your website as well!
Backtwist correction, exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!
This one was very informativ also the Ammo lenght plus 20“ 👌🏻❤️
I just made my first string! It came out almost perfect! Thank you for the clear instructions.
Very nice , just subscribed. Been making and shooting arrows long before girls were discovered. Now time has caught me and I’m now a crabby old chap… haha. Really like your shows and wish you guys the best. Archery is still helping me keep healthy and outside. Thank you!
25:10 Damn, one of the best DIY tools for bowmaking I have seen so far! Sevingator 3000
This is the same technique I use in my FISHING ROD building.Nice to know I can use it to serve strings.Thank you for the information.
Oh thank you so much for this. Been trying to figure out what I was doing wrong the last three strings I made. All the other videos I could find seemed to be missing key details and this helps a ton!
I have this video saved to may favorites so I can reference it everytime i make a string!
Fantastic!
Your videos help me a lot!
Thank you sir, I made my first bowstring seeing this video ,I got it rite first time.thanks work wonderfully. I made a second using a standard candle for wax and funny enough it works very well enough f that's a cheaper way.thank you so much for your advice
Good on you. Thank you for giving us good program ,I have enjoyd many times and learned many things obout making a Bow making.
Really amazing! Thnx to u I upgraded my flemish bowstring tecnique! Very very important tips!
Great video it hadn’t built a bow string in 15 years I remembered the general idea of how to make it but just couldn’t remember how to measure the strands and the little details.
Ha! Wow! Awesome ingenuity on your serving jig and method!
you have made a struggle easy. thank you!
I have never seen someone serve a string that way, but that is brilliant using a drill and wood disk lol. Love your content. I just bought my first bowstring from you and am excited to start shooting it!
This Video is definetly saved for future purposes... Thank you!
I use a small piece of leather to melt the wax into the string. It works well.
I figured this back twist out myself several years ago because all the other videos ever made on Flemish twist either didn’t explain it right or were too vague, this is the only exactly perfect video on this subject, thanks man, where were you on 2008 lol.
I just had to go order a bowstring from you after watching this.. that's some effective marketing right there! I respect the hustle and I love to see a young person getting after it. Your videos have been a great jumping off point for me as a novice bowyer. between yourself, Swiftwood, and help from others on the message boards and fb groups, I'm slowly getting a handle on this bowmaking situation. Hoping to turn this first piece of Red Oak into a sweetie! Best wishes and support from FL.
I made one so satisfying thank you greeting from France
Yeah, Flemish Twist is the stuff. I will be watching this video again. And I still would rather order the strings from you. Even if I do figue out how to make my own. Course then I'll be ordering from you anyway for sourcing material. Keep it up, you inspire. I'll have to get more wax too. Been using it for all kinds of stuff.
This was a great video Kramer! I really enjoyed your explanations and the being able to see what you were doing, WHILE you were doing it. Great work! (as usual.)
i saw this video a time ago, and saw it now while doing my first string, it turned out really great! even using a non-bow string material. Thank You
As a whip crafter, I sometimes use a very similar method for some of my whips. For examples, look up tapered twist.
I have two of these beautiful beautiful strings. Honestly i prefer my strings because i build them for me. Im a wool ball silencer boyo and i shoot 50 to 75lbs bows. Still 10/10 product 😊
i make my own strings have done for the last year or so I use BCY B55 bowstring I did struggle at first but watched all your vids it helped I also watched some others about the flemish twist board and after a while got things worked out the strings I have are DDACRO B50 and BCY B55 I am afraid I have to economize as we have only a small pension coming in but Your advice was invaluable I am very grateful for you and your service in aiding me yours truly jaybo
It’s always nice to see you posting a new video. Thanks 😊
I watched a few different videos on the flemish twist string, this 1 was the most useful for me. Successfully made my first today for the oak longbow I built. 65" yellow and brown twist B55, 12 strand. Shoots great, definite upgrade from the previous std. b50 string. Thank you!
Great video. Totally awesome that I got to see you making my bow string! I received it today and it is beautiful. Thank you!
Hey is it possible to make a nice strong bow string with a 550 paracord outer nylon sheath/sleeve ? I can't find any videos tutorials on how to do it professionally!! Please help !!
Great vid, just ordered a bow string from you for my supermag 48. Oddly enough, it's also black and green 👍
Thanks I just got my first B55 string from you . I like it will be getting more.
Excellent tutorial. Nice one bro.
Hello my friend! You should try your hand at making a Penobscot bow, 4 limbs and 3 strings! They shoot hard and fast but the draw feels smooth and light!
You should try to make a bow backing out of foam core
This is awesome! I really can't wait to try this once I get my garage set up for bow making and leather working
I would like to know if you don't pre stretch and just put it on the bow, how long should it be on the bow before the stretch stabilizes?
Shoot about 50 arrows from it and it should be stable after that.
Do you sell B55 string to make your own string, Best video I've seen on making flemish twist string. Thank you.
So I have made 3 bow strings using this method and was having a very difficult time. It turns out that your instructions are based on being a RIGHT HANDER. I'm LEFT handed and basically need to completely reverse the direction the strings are rotated. The specific problem is that when you twist the right string just before putting over the other string, if you use your left hand to twist the string, the twist occurs after the 2 strings are already touching, which minimizes how much of the twist is put on the strings. Just bear in mind that for us lefties, reverse the directions of all the twists...
Reversing the method will give you a clockwise string his are counter clockwise.
Depends on what you want to have for a Flemish. Left handed or right handed doesn’t matter. Ambidextrous here lol.
Thank you so much first try
Thanks for explaining backtwist. I have made a few bowstrings, some came out good, not great, but good. Others, well lets just say you really don't want to hear your new bowstring sound like a zipper the first time you stretch it. I'll try another using your methods, which will probably work, since I can understand your reasoning.
I want to make my own string stretching jig. How do you measure the weight of the stretch?
Very nice job
Im a leftie and I DID IT RIGHT HANDED!🎉🎉😂❤
Hey Kramer, why the difference between 8 and 10 inches to start depending on the string length? I'm not quite following the reason for that. Could you explain please
Can this be used for crossbow as well?
Do these strings work for a compound bow or just for a long bow?
I have a question about getting twists out of bows. I've just finished making a 53" english yew bow but it has a noticable twist/bend in it when the limb should be straight. How do I get rid of that without taking more wood off?
Amazing video
Great video, can you use any type of wax?
So awesome!
Hey Kramer, love your videos 😁
I am now running my own business selling custom bow strings in Australia, thanks to you 😁 but I can't seem to find anywhere to buy those bow string bags (as shown @22:20 in this video. Where do you buy them from?
Great info just might slow down a little
i can get around a big palm sized group at my best often twice as large spread but not better than that at 18 meter or 20 yards i shoot with both eyes open without aiming/using the point tip for reference. At around 15 yards and in ward i can hit palm sized everytime and at 10-12 yards i can nearly robin hood my arrows. Now i have only shoot 4 times. But i want to start off right learn good habits and dont learn bad stuff. I am shooting tre under with a tab. Using a black sheep nova recurve bow only thing i could afford with skylon frontier carbon arrows. How do i get good and most important consistent everytime because out of 6 arrows maybe one or two are like maybe 10 inches of where i aim sometimes when i get a little tired.
Awesome info Kramer, thanks for sharing!!!👌👍
I've currently got a 27 Strand Continuous Loop (Dacron) string on my 100lb crossbow and am wondering if a Flemish Twist would be suitable...🤷
Love your videos. My hardest problem is working out what material to use with so many on the market it’s a little daunting for a beginner. I shoot a 45# black hunter, 40# ILF and a 35# English longbow and want to try making bows. Would Dacron be the best all round?
What wax do you recommend? I'm using b55 and the black color has very little on it. I made my first string today and my twist don't seem to be as tight as it should be.
If I have a 62" bow what length do I buy
What prevents the twist in the loops to spread out to the whole string? I might be missing something.
I love the video
Very cool to see how the end loops splice into the string, thank you.
Wait what? 13:20 you talk about untwisting till vertical but you've got the string below frame so we can't see it and when in frame it's not clear what you are looking for with this, you just counted to 8 and said that's it? no before/after shot to show what you meant. Trying to figure it out by going back... 8:40 You twisted the strands around each other clockwise to make each a bundle, then twisted the bundles counterclockwise about each other to make the bottom loop, and you were straightened the bundles out as you went till you reached a point about 2 inches past the tag ends, straightening and unraveling the bundles as you went.
So what were you counting untwisting? it seems that how much 'cattywompus' you were untwisting would be random based on how well or how poor you were untangling & straightening the bundles to keep them from rats-nesting while you were making the lower loop? The couple of times I have hand made rope, I was quite diligent at keeping the free ends untangled, untwisted, and straight. 14:02 it really looks like you are twisting each bundle clockwise again, the same 'forward' direction instead of backwards? Please, clarify, and possibly post another video on this specific part with close ups showing exactly what you mean by untwisting to vertical and why it's not random based on how well or how poor you straighten the free ends as you make the lower loop.
I dont get the back twisting. If im twisting to the right than overlapping to the left wouldnt back twisting be to the left im confused
Since you seem to like experimenting, Have you ever made a Flemish Twist Bow string out of waxed jute twine (artificial deer sinew)?
How the string is made from 2 bundles of 6 strands, would making the string from 3 bundles of 4 strands or even 4 bundles of 3 strands change the strength/performance of the string? Or is that just a waste of time?
You illuminate the pitfalls.
How much for a red ,white, blue bow string for a compound bow
are you still selling bow strings and if so where do i order from. its been a couple years so that info is lost in my computer somewhere
Which is the general rule to always do a clockwise string?
Yes that is my preferred way for sure, Thanks for watching!
I tried making a bowstring before using this method, but the video I watched didn’t explain the backtwist so the middle of my bowstring unravelled when i was done. Wich was sad because i made a perfect loop on one of the ends first try.
You make cute cute
Whats the difference with Flemish twist
Can you make a 200 lb bow that is less than 3 feet long.
Sure, with a very very short draw length, and probably mounted to some sort of wooden and metal device with a trigger for safety when firing it... Hmm, I think they call that a crossbow! XD
In serious though, yes you could, but it would have a very short draw length, which in turn reduces the power efficiency of the draw stroke. Also, the string angle would make it so that it would pinch badly when pulling it with your fingers. It really wouldn't be that powerful. I don't know the math off hand, but I'd guess that you'd probably get somewhat equivalent energy transfer out of a 50 pound bow, at least when discussing traditional materials like wood, horn, sinew, etc. Many crossbows in medieval days had absolutely huge draw weights, because that was the only way short limbs and draw length could match something like a warbow. Check out Tod's Workshop RUclips channel for info on traditional crossbows to get a better idea on all that.
As soon as you start getting to modern materials this all goes out the window of course.
@@BakaEngel that’s what i wanted it for
@@BakaEngel I need a tutorial
@@BakaEngel I can use 1 1/2 inch sch 40 pvc filled with fiberglass poles. But I want to see how I can do it using natural materials
@@hunters36forgingwoodworkin73 You want to make a crossbow or a short bow? The builds are fairly different there.
r/bowyer on Reddit is a good resource, so are the three big Facebook groups. If you search bowyer, you should be able to find those on Facebook.
If you'd like, I can help you, but the RUclips comment section isn't exactly the best medium for it. XD
Debería ser automático los subtítulos en el idioma del país en que se vean los vídeos you tube traba todo
Omg, the cheating..mechanizing the serving jig..lol!
FWIW, in a more general sense this is how laid rope, as opposed to braided rope, is made. Usually rope is laid up of three strands, each strand made of many yarns.
Also, you could make up an inexpensive bowstring jig with a length of 1x4 and some push pins. You don't need the turn back pin in the middle if you just make the run long enough for a simple loop forward and back.
I don't think that D97 has the same stretch than B55, i think it's closer to Fast Flight.
Am I the only one who has to twist MORE back twist in to keep my strings from unraveling? Whenever I twist out the back twist, the string unravels.
You make this more complicated than other's
I like you
I hate that I'm tall, complicated all of it. Lol
I wish your strings still looked like that.
Dude you didn’t say what kind of thread that you are using.
I did something like this a month ago with plans from Woodglut.