[leigh_hauck]

Hi all,
Recently got into making bowstrings and its a slow work in progress. My biggest issue now is figuring out how tight my servings should be applied. I have seen some guys online say that you should be able to spin the serving jig around the string without the string twisting at all... pretty loose. I have also seen some folks say that you should camp the string to prevent twisting and serve it very tight. Hoping to get some input from the more experienced string builders out there
Thanks in advance
Leigh

 

[TN ARCHER]

Personally I serve mine pretty darn tight. Once I get the end loop closed and serve an inch or so...enough to cover the tag ends (I serve towards the center not towards the posts). I then set my tension to where I can kinda flip the server over the string and it only spin around 2-3 times max and then stops. Then it goes in my NW spinner and off we go.

 

[lcaillo]

As tight as you can make it. I run mine so that I can only flip the server around the string once. Particularly with the modern materials, which are more slick, to avoid serving separating, it needs to be tight.

 

[Shooters Edge]

Actually there is not a generic answer to that in my book. Depends on cam style, serving position and serving material being used. For an example, most cams require you serve extremely tight at the bend spots near the cam. Where as the top serving on a single cam bow is done lose, but still fairly tight of course. The center serving ends up being the toughest, it must be extremely tight but you can't build tension into the string or it will cause peep problems. Keeping the string under a lot of tension and not allowing it to twist while serving is the key for us. Now figure that one out, right? ;-] Hope that helps.

 

[lees]

One quick note I'll add on the topic of serving separation. I've found that serving separation problems are more a function of the type of serving used, significantly more than simply the tightness. Strange but true: what causes serving to separate is flattening and deformation, not so much how tightly it's applied. A typical twisted or braided all-Spectra/Dyneema serving like 3D or Halo, etc., is much more prone to deformation than a blended formula that's impregnated with a resin - a polyester or nylon / Spectra blended material like Angel Majesty or BCY powergrip. These formulas are specifically designed to resist flattening and will stay round under harsher conditions and for a longer time.

I use Angel Majesty on anything that's worked hard around a corner on every shot (buss cable cam serving or center serving); ironically, it requires less tension to apply than the Halo .014 I used to use, but the resistance to separation is night-and-day better. I haven't seen any of my AM buss cables separate on my PSE at all yet, in fact, even after 1000's of shots. Same for using it on my center servings, no signs of separation under the d-loop yet either. Halo for example, will separate and rather quickly on a buss cable no matter how tightly it's applied. 3D will do that too. But that's just a function of their construction.

So basically, if you're having separation problems on a particular problem area, just applying the serving tighter won't necessarily be a fix. Going to a better serving is usually what you have to do on those spots....

lee.

 

[Jabr357]

You can't wind the serving so tight that it twists the string underneath it - that will lead to string problems as the twists under the serving will be different than the rest of the string and it will eventually try to equalize over time and cause never ending peep rotation. I put a piece of masking tape on the string ahead of the serving tool and serve tightly, but not to the point that it makes the tape (and string) rotate.