BCY string material recomendations 12/12/2007
We called BCY to clarify their recomendations.
Chris from BCY states they get many calls on material recomendations.
And to clarify any possible confusion he stated they tell their customers with plastic limb tipped oneida bows to use only dacron. The other string materials will damage the plastic tips. He further stated that he recomends 450+ or 452x for all other oneida bows
From our discussion with string makers as well as our own experiences personal and that of other shooters here are our recomendations.
Dacron strings on all plastic limb tipped oneida bows.
450+ or 452x on all other oneida bows.
Frequently asked questions about bowstring and serving material are addressed in this Tech Forum. Please understand that there is not always one exact answer. A lot depends on the type of bow, the string length, the string type, the draw weight, how the string is made, and of course the shooters personal preferences. In this Tech Forum, we are trying to give general guidelines.
Question: What is creep compared to stretch?
Answer: Creep is non-recoverable elongation, unlike stretch which is basically elasticity or recoverable elongation. Some elasticity is necessary. Creep is a problem. It can cause the bow to go out of tune and the peep to rotate. The draw weight can increase and the draw length can increase.
Question: Are there any bowstring materials that do not creep?
Answer: Yes – 450 Plus and 452X are blends of Dyneema and Vectran. Vectran has no creep at the tension created by normal bows, therefore both 450 Plus and 452X are normally 100% stable.
Question: Are there string materials that are better on some bows than others?
Answer: Bow manufacturers make their choice of string material based on many criteria but primarily safety and performance. Performance meaning speed, low or no creep, vibration, and durability. Bow manufacturers do extensive testing. Some put a higher priority on certain criteria than others but they are all very conscious of safety.
Question: Can you use a different string than the type supplied with the bow directly from the factory?
Answer: Normally yes unless there are some strict recommendations not to by the bow manufacturer. Check to be sure it does not void the warranty if a different string is used. Be sure to get the right number of strands of the new material you plan to use.
Question: Is it necessary to use “special” wax with certain types of bowstring material?
Answer: Not really. There are four main reasons for using wax on a bowstring.
1. To lubricate the fibers and prevent “fiber to fiber” abrasion
2. To help keep the “bundle” of strands together
3. To maintain and extend the life of the string
4. To help prevent water absorption
Bowstring material manufacturers normally apply a generous amount of synthetic wax in liquid form, which insures that from its origin the bowstring material is well lubricated inside and out. It is this process which gives the material its basic protection from fiber to fiber abrasion and helps keep the bundle of strands together. Generally the type of wax used would be a good quality standard “tacky” wax. At this stage it would be unusual for the wax to include silicone which is very slick and, particularly in the case of Flemish strings, makes it difficult to convert the bowstring material into a finished bowstring. However, after the string is made, it is recommended that the archer look for a “maintenance” wax that contains some silicone because a wax blended with silicone penetrates the string material very well and keeps the inside fibers lubricated as well as the outside.
Wax can be applied with fingers, with a cloth, or with a chamois leather. It should be applied frequently and rubbed well into the string.
Question: Is it okay to wax the serving material on a bowstring?
Answer: Yes, especially if a silicone wax is used because the silicone will penetrate through the serving into the fibers below which are tightly compressed so there will be help in improving durability.
Question: How many twists can be put into a bowstring?
Answer: There are three reasons for twisting a bowstring –
1. To keep the bundle of strands together
2. To shorten the string after creep has occurred (adjust draw length)
3. To correct peep rotation
On a standard compound bow, initially 10 – 20 twists is a suggested range. If you use a material that does not creep, no further twisting will be required. Obviously on single cam strings, more twists may be required. The recommended range is 20 – 40.
Question: Is there any difference in the durability of a string made from colored material instead of black or white?
Answer: No.
Question: What is the life of a bowstring?
Answer: This depends on many factors but primarily the number of shots and the condition of the equipment. If an archer is shooting a high poundage bow every day and using perhaps a caliper release, the string should be checked very frequently. (Using a string loop will increase string life.) On a lower poundage bow, shooting fingers, the wear would be significantly less, therefore the life of the string much longer. But again, it is the archer’s responsibility to check the string and keep it waxed. There are no rules. We know that with the high quality synthetic materials being used today, many thousands of shots can be achieved. We also know that once a string has “stretched out” or rather “crept” an inch or two, it should be taken off and replaced. Archers should also check for tell tale signs of problems such as abrasion (fuzziness), high strands (which indicate a strand breakage underneath the serving), excessive peep rotation which again can be an indication that one strand may have broken.
There are many reasons for string breakage. One of the most common is burrs in the cams/ wheels. It is the archers responsibility to check the string carefully prior to shooting every time. As stated, many thousands of shots can safely be achieved if the string is checked and maintained properly
Question: If I reduce the number of strands to improve arrow speed, should I be concerned that the strength of the bow string is reduced and therefore dangerous?
Answer: With almost all modern materials used in the manufacture of bowstrings, the strength is well in excess of the maximum tension applied to the string. Consider this – A popular number of strands for Formula 8125 material is 18. The breaking strength of a single strand of Formula 8125 exceeds 100 lbs. Using 100 lbs as the criteria, the total strength of 18 strands is 1800 lbs. Of course when set up on a bow, the strands are split at the loops and a static load test shows that approximately 40% of the strength is lost at this point. This still leaves a breaking strength of over 1000 lbs.
It has been calculated that on a high poundage bow, say 75 – 80 lbs, it is possible to generate approximately 200 lbs total tension while drawing. Compare this to the breaking strength over 1000 lbs mentioned above and there is at least a 5 – 1 safety factor.
Reducing the number of strands is normally ratioed to the draw weight of the bow, therefore on lower poundage bows, the 5 – 1 safety factor will remain or perhaps increase.
With the newer, smaller diameter materials like 452, the single strand breaking strength is under 100 lbs but many more strands are used so at least a 5 – 1 safety factor is maintained.
Basically, using the manufacturers recommended number of strands x the breaking strength of the string, will assure you have a string with much more than adequate strength and if you decide to drop a couple of strands to increase speed, the strength of the finished string will still way exceed the maximum poundage generated by the bow.
Breaking strengths is rarely, if ever, the cause of a string failure. More likely causes are –
· condition of cam wheels (burrs)
· over twisting
· extremely tight serving/compressive failure
· type of release
· lack of string care and maintenance (lubrication)
· abrasion
Question: Does 452 fray?
Answer: All bowstring material will fray or fuzz if its not properly maintained, meaning regularly waxed, so I guess the question is - Does 452 fray more than other bowstring materials?
Early production of 452 bowstring material included fibers lubricated with silicone. It was found that the silicone would not blend with our standard bowstring wax applied during manufacturing. This caused 452 material to dry out quickly and a dry string will fuzz of fray.
The fibers are no longer lubricated with silicone. We now use a special lubricant which blends well with our current production wax. This means that the 452 stays well lubricated, therefore no longer will it fuzz or fray. All current productions of 452 will show no more fuzzing or fraying than any other bowstring material. 452 is now called 452X.
Note also that the percentage of Vectran in 452X is approximetely 33%. The lower the Vectran content, the higher the durability, the faster the arrow speed, the longer the string life and the greater the safety.
Here is a link to BCY fibers on their bowstring materials for those interested in their string materials.
http://www.bcyfibers.com/technical_sheets/Catalog%20update%201-07%20spread%202.pdf
For more information on oneida strings please contact us. Thanks Joe
