A bowstring is a string usually made of three strands of hemp, which joins the two ends of the bow stave and launches the arrow. A bow without bowstring is like a body without life. So, along with taking care of the bows and arrows, smaller things like bowstring maintenance is also important for the hunters.
Archery is a sport, if you love archery then the bow is the most essential equipment you need. Without good archery, you cannot perform well in the game.
Alexis Santana
In order to perform well your bow and bowstring needs to be in very good shape, and for that, you always should take care of your equipment. The maintenance is not very high or tough; you just need to know some basic rules of maintaining your gears properly. Here I will be discussing the tips of bowstring maintenance.
For the maintenance of your bowstring the tools you need: a good wax, pieces of cloths and leather, thread, a string cleaner, some string repairing kits and a bow storage box.
Proper Ways of Bowstring Maintenance
If you want the best performance out of your bowhunting, then maintaining the bows, hunting arrows and bowstring is really essential. Having the best carbon arrows, arrow rest, bows aren’t enough. You need to take care of them properly to get the best out.
What you will learn in this article
- Using the right type of wax for waxing bowstring
- Cleaning the bowstring rightly without damaging it
- Maintaining the bowstring with keeping it in the right ways
- Proper procedure and steps of bowstring waxing
- Using the right kinds of bow items to increase overall bowstring life
To make the whole process clear, our guide and tips in a full details is here:
1. Wax the Bowstring Using the Perfect Wax Type
The most important thing to maintain your bowstring is to wax it properly. There are some types of wax that you can use to wax the string: you can use wax sticks or you can use wax blocks.
Some wax sticks come with string conditioner as well, these are very soft, moist wax and very easy to use. The wax blocks are thick in shape; these are usually harder and drier. These are also good for your string, you can put a thicker layer at one go with these. The block ones are a bit cheaper than the stick ones.
You can also find polymeric wax which is made of natural ingredients like Shea, kokum and mango oil. This is a very good conditioner for your string, however, if you are going for hunting you might not want to use this wax as the smell can attract the animals in the forest which can be dangerous for you.
2. Follow the Right Waxing Procedure
Right waxing process will clean the bowstring and provide you perfect string before your hunting game. It is a great process to be used with the proper compound bowstrings along with other ones.
Here is how the waxing procedure should be.
Bowstring Waxing Process: Know how to clean the bowstring perfectly
- Before putting the wax on the bowstring, clean it with a clean piece of cloth or string cleaner and then rub the string a bit with your fingers to make it warm. For this process, you can use a piece of leather or you can simply use your fingers. This will make it easy to put the wax onto the string properly.
- Now rub a generous amount of wax on the string, do not worry about putting excess amount. After this, 1st use your finger to distribute the wax evenly all over the string, remember to put wax on all the sides.
- Then use a piece of leather and rub your string with that. This will help you to distribute the wax not only on the outer layer but also on the inside; this process is called burnishing. Burnishing helps the string from breaking out easily. This is a very good procedure of conditioning your string.
- After you are done burnishing bowstring if you think you have an extra layer of wax on your string just take a small piece of thread and put it around the string. Then pull the thread from one corner of the string to another, with the piece of thread the access wax will come off from the string.
3. Knowing the Right Time to Replace Bowstring
Maintaining the bowstring has similarities with maintaining the bow and arrows. If you see some strands sticking up from the bowstring, if you feel the string being fuzzy, it is time to apply some good amount of wax onto the string.
Also, if you see individual big strands sticking out of the string, you should understand that the bowstring has become damaged and it is the time to replace it.
Moreover, with time bowstring can become stretched out and increase in length. If you face this problem you do not need to replace it. If you have the knowledge of twisting the string then twist it and shorten into the correct length or you can just take it to a repair shop.
4. Do not Let Your Bowstring Break While Cleaning
Do not let your bowstring break as it may cause a change in the shape of your bow. After waxing if you still see your string becoming stiff or threads sticking out, without taking risk change your string before it breaks out. If you want to learn about bow stabilizer then we can read our next article.
String break also happens if you are not using your bow properly. You should not repair your derailed string as it may cause string break again which can even break your bow.
5. Using the Bow Rightly will Protect Bowstring
Whenyou draw your bow back the string should stay in alignment with the cam tracks. If you torque the string to the side of the cam and the string paths are misaligned, then when you light down the bow the string rides out of the cam group and pops off the cam.
This mostly causes an immediate derailment of the bowstring. You should also be very careful regarding putting pressure on your bow with fingers. Also, to reduce noise and vibration, you can use the best bow string silencer.
When you are holding your bow put the pressure on the inner side of the bow, do not put pressure on the sides or in front of the bow. Never twist your bow before releasing it this will also cause an immediate derailment.
6. Store the Bow Unit Properly
The life of a bowstring depends on how you maintain and store it, how often you use and how you use it; the lifespan depends on the weather and humidity as well. To keep your bowstring in good shape you should store it in a dry place. And Also, you should keep it clean using the bowstring wax.
To keep it in a dry place, you can use a bow case. Cases are of two types: hard case and soft case. Soft cases are the basic ones and these are cheap as well. Hard cases are a bit expensive compared to soft cases, this type of cases give more protection than soft cases. Also, hard cases are safer ones for traveling. You can choose your desired one according to your need.
Also, do not forget to clean your bow and bowstring properly before storing. You should keep it away from sunlight; as the temperature is a great enemy for bowstrings. UV ray can damage your bowstring faster because of the high temperature.
7. Use the Proper Bow Related Items
Sometime, if you use worst categories of arrows and bows, your string will probably lose its life after a few uses. So, your bowhunting training and skills aren’t the only thing that matters. You should use the right kinds of arrows, compound or normal bows.
Sometimes using right arrow rest, scopes and peep sights have impacts on the longevity of other related items such as bowstrings. So, use quality items to have a better and safer experience.
Last Few Words
Good quality wax stays on your string for a month or so, but it really depends on how often you use your bow and how you store it.
Bowstring maintenance is mixed of couple of things. If you read this guide well and follow it, I hope it will really help.
If you start noticing that the string feels dry or you see some bit of a light fraying on the edges within a month of waxing, then it is safe to give another coat of wax in order to keep the string protected.
If you can maintain your bowstring like this then the lifespan of it will be very good. Good quality bowstrings are tended to be expensive, if you can take good care of your string then you will be able to save a good amount of money.
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