Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

This section is for reviews of stuff that is commonly available, or from a vendor that has more to get. New sword from Albion, or Windlass? Great. Leather work or cloak from a vendor or another board member who has hung out her shingle? Excellent. Discussion of the finer points of the arrows you just made. Not so much. Put that it in the Weapons & Armor Section.

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grimwulf
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by grimwulf »

that is one nice looking bow.
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Aaron
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Aaron »

Dang, I really need to start dropping by more often. I'm missing out on some great threads.

Greg, awesome review! The bow being 51" NTN threw me for a loop, because it looks so much shorter to me. In comparison, my horsebow is only an inch longer NTN, but looks far longer:

Image

I think it's the thickness of your bow that's throwing off my perception. Sure is a handsome piece, though! The deep recurves remind me heavily of Legolas's Mirkwood bow, which is my favorite fantasy bow.


P.S. About the 'elfin'/'elven' issue: I like the term elven more, and agree with Tolkien's reasons for using it, but elfin is the traditionally correct usage in English.
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Manveruon »

Aaron: maybe you've addressed this elsewhere on the forums before, but I can't recall: where did your bow come from?
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Greg
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Greg »

I think yours looks deceptively longer due to the brace height differences. There's a myth floating around that the ideal brace height for any traditional (non-compound bow) is 6-7". I firmly believe that a bow's brace height should be more-or-less proportionate to the overall length. Having a massive brace height on a small bow limits the power stroke, which gives the bow less time to accelerate the arrow, which can not only affect the speed, but also how the spine performs. Physics!

These bows come with a 7" brace height, but I took some spare paracord (before ordering a custom string that wouldn't necessarily be the perfect length I wanted) and experimented with a few lengths until I found a brace height that shot well for me, felt right, and, incidentally, would take a little tension off the limbs when the bow's strung to alleviate some of the long-term concerns I and others have discussed regarding the rattan taking a set. This should allow me to more comfortably carry the bow strung on the trail for longer periods, etc., but it also opened up the possibility of occasionally friction-stowing the bow on my bedroll to climb up a hill with both hands free, etc.
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ineffableone
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by ineffableone »

A big part of brace height is it needs to be enough to give room for the fletching. If you have 5" feathers, then from the tip of your arrow nock to the front of the feather is going to be over 6", somewhere around 6 1/4 to 6 1/2. Thus you get the typical average of 6 1/2" to 7" brace height, because you want a little room beyond your fletching and the bow.

But something a lot of folks new to archery don't understand is brace height is not set in stone and can vary bow to bow and user to user. You can have a lower brace height or a taller brace height. If you choose and can fit your fletching in the space. Though the brace height does effect performance. A shorted brace height means a longer power stroke and faster arrow speed. A taller brace height shorter power stroke and slower speed. Short brace heights however are less forgiving to poor form and takes more skill to shoot as well as increases your chances of the string hitting your forearm. Taller brace height is more forgiving and if you don't have perfect form will smooth out some of your mistakes, as well as having less chance for the string to hit your fore arm.

The 6 1/2" to 7" is generally just a general guide for beginners. It is not in any way a hard and fast rule. Experiment and find what you like the best. See what your bow likes too. Because different bows will perform better with different brace heights.
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Aaron
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Aaron »

Manveruon wrote:Aaron: maybe you've addressed this elsewhere on the forums before, but I can't recall: where did your bow come from?
I posted about it, but it was a couple of years ago now. I got it from Rudderbows, though they no longer make this model. Jim said mine was probably the last one he was going to make.

Greg, the brace height could be what's throwing me off. BH on my bow is 4.5". Fistmele is really only "proper" for ELBs, though works great on most larger bows.

Edit: The BH only being 4.5" on my bow is really throwing me off, since it looks about 6" in my pic when calculating proportions. NTN is about 8.5 times longer than the BH in that pic, which puts it juuust over 6"....I wonder if my string has stretched? Shouldn't be happening, though I'm not altogether displeased with the current BH. It's also currently measuring 53.25" NTN.

Hmmmmm
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Greg
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Greg »

What's your string made of?

Ineffableone, great info, all true! I hope you folks are paying attention...he knows what he's talking about!
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by ineffableone »

Oh it should also be mentioned, if your shooting off the knuckle, or have a very small cut out window. Brace height will effect the spine of your arrow. If you have a low brace height, you will need a lower spine to achieve the archer's paradox to bend the arrow around the bow. But taller your brace height, stiffer your arrows can be as they have further to gain the paradox bend to get around the bow.

This is why a lot of people prefer cut to center bows, they can have a higher spined arrow. and the brace height doesn't effect their spine weight.
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Aaron »

Greg wrote:What's your string made of?

Ineffableone, great info, all true! I hope you folks are paying attention...he knows what he's talking about!
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Ghostsoldier »

Yes, I know this is a necro-post from a long-dead thread, but I didn't want to start a new thread if I can get answers to my questions.

This is for Greg:
I'm considering having Bows of the Risen Son build my a custom rattan selfbow based on the Aragorn bow dimensions and profiles from the PJ movies, but I was wondering how your Elfin bow was holding up since 2015 when you purchased it?

Any noticeable set to the limbs? Any issues with continued use? Are you still satisfied with your purchase?

I've sent them an email to get a cost, but I wanted to get your feedback for the last 8 years on your final opinion....thanks! :P

Rob
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Greg
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Greg »

It's not a high-performance piece. I don't use it anymore, as I'm much happier with the Yew bows I've been making myself, but I still have it and it's still functional. It did take a fair bit of set, but it seemed to hit a limit. For the price and to get something that LOOKS right, it's a great option. If you want to hunt in earnest, get something else.
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Ghostsoldier
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Re: Review: "Elfin" Rattan Recurve by Bows of the Risen Son

Post by Ghostsoldier »

Greg wrote: Wed Mar 08, 2023 3:34 am It's not a high-performance piece. I don't use it anymore, as I'm much happier with the Yew bows I've been making myself, but I still have it and it's still functional. It did take a fair bit of set, but it seemed to hit a limit. For the price and to get something that LOOKS right, it's a great option. If you want to hunt in earnest, get something else.
Thanks for the info, Greg.

Nah, I usually do my game 'hunting' at restaurants (so that I don't poison myself with my own cooking, lol), so it's mainly going to be for looks.

I sent Rod a bunch of photos of Aragorn's bow from the PJ flicks, and we're currently in talks; he's modifying one for me even as we speak, and I hope to have it looking similar to Viggo's when it's done. I've scaled the movie bow to about 42 inches unstrung, with little or no recurve at the limb tips...so far, he's got it down to a 55# pull at 26 inches.

If I like what he's selling me, I may use it as a pattern to build my own yew bow sometime in the future...that's a skill that I've been wanting to try. :P

Rob
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