OLD longbow

[kellyg]

http://www.hunttexasexotics.com/images/oldlongbow.jpg
I bought this bow at an auction, it was used by the Mary Hardin Baylor ladies archery classes in the 50's. Anyone know who the manufacturer is? It says G. Crandon Wooley Associates across the top and I can't make out the bottom words except the last one is Mass. Also, would it be feasible to attempt to string and shoot this? It has a little marking saying it is 16lbs.

[PowDuck]

Wow, that's some find there, kelly. Sorry, I don't know anything about the bow ... but WELCOME to the tradbow forum. Maybe someone with more knowledge than me will come along soon.

[ArkansasElkHunter]

Kellyg,

I don't know anything about the bow, but I don't think I would try to shoot it. ###I grew up shotting my dads old Ben Person wood recurve. ###Must have shot it 10,000 times. ###put it up for a few years and then wanted to shoot it again. took it to the bow shop to get a new string and the tech said don't shoot it. ###Of course I new better so I just got my new string and went home to shoot anyway, ###First Shot the thing folded up in my hands. ###seperated at the glue joint in the handle, broke my heart. ###You might have better luck, but if you paid very much, might just display it.

Good luck with whatever you do.

###

[kellyg]

Thanks ElkHunter, I wouldn't want to break it even though I only gave $50 for it at the State Association banquet!

[Hill Hopper]

Not advocating risking breaking an old bow, but thought I would share this.

Back in the late 30's my mother used to shoot jackrabbits in Wyoming from horseback with yew longbow. Back around 1960, when I was 6 and my mother and father were teaching me to shoot, she found it in her folks attic, and had the same fears that it would break if strung. To aleviate this, she took boiled lindseed oil and rubbed it down once or twice a week for about 2 months, wrapping it in some kind of cloth in between times. After a couple of months, she strung it, and it performed fine. She shot it after that for about the next 10 to 15 years.

If someone had some other questions on some restoration, I'm not sure he could help, but Ben Pearson Jr is a close friend of mine, and I know he has worked with a lot of the old equipment his dad had. His e-mail is longbowben@mvtel.net

[Shrewshooter]

Here is a site that you al;l may want to see. It will help you identify your bow and tell you what it's worth. Really a great site for anyone wanting any info on bows. Mike (Shrewshooter)
http://www.neoreality.com/archery/collect.htm

<font size="1">Shrew, my edit was just to make the link work. (PowDuck)</font>

(Edited by PowDuck at 10:22 pm on Aug. 5, 2002)

[CaptJack]

I agree- that you shouldn&#39;t string it or try to shoot it.
The bow has too much historical value and should be displayed.
I have my uncle&#39;s Bear Kodiak Deluxe that he won Nationals with in the 50s. I shot it for about 10 years and put it away. The glue lines show de-lamination. I would never consider doing anything with the bow but show it and my uncle&#39;s photo that goes with it.
We all end up in the archery museum business in the end http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif