I have some poor, greasy waterbuffalo backsinew here that i paid hundreds of euros for… Might as well make glue out of it. I broke plenty of bows with this sinew so lets try something else.
The all-in-one beer brewing kettle works nicely in this task. Because i brew big batches, i have a big kettle. It fits 10L kettle inside and will maintain steady temperature automatically!
Its been 6 years since i made sinew glue last time! It was for my first hornbow.
Looks like a steady not much babysitting process there.
Yes I’ve found that old backstrap sinew of buffalo slightly greasy myself.Scrub and wash it thoroughly with warm water and dish washing soap.Wonderful long strands though…ha ha.Lots of sinew in one backstrap.
Never made glue from it before though.
I stuff a metal gallon can as tightly as I can with sinew scraps and beef and deer hide scraps.Fill with all the water it can handle.Onto a burner at a low setting checking with a candy thermometer to keep it below 160 F.I cover it with a towel so the water does not evaporate so quickly.Still need to add a little water once in a while,but like to keep water level at a minimum so as to not cook it so long.
Usually takes 5 to 6 hours.I use the first pouring only as it turns out a nice light color.
There was awful lot of grease in these! I was a bit worried if its suitable even for glue, but the 12h pour seem’s to gel without an issue.
I might try to make a manchu bow out of that sinew still. It just seemed such coarse and rough sinew to work with. Couldn’t make thin layers or wouldn’t absorb the glue well.
Could you get even more out of the sinew with lower temp?
I think i will cook it 12h more and continue taking our pours every 6h now.
I’m so interested i might even make a bend or shear test to the glue to compare it against hide glue. Also the difference of cook time - is the first pour really much better?
If you can get the sinew to get good and soft to absorb glue well I feel it’ll work good on a bow.
Maybe lightly pounding it as a hard backstrap after washing and drying prior to break the glue apart that’s holding it together without cutting the sinew any.I’ve done that some after stripping it before and used it on a bow.It seemed to make it absorb glue better then.
There’s always use for it somewhere sometime.Sounds like a good plan you got there.
I’ve acquired some very long or long enough anyway moose and elk leg nowadays.
Lower temp just prevents glue from turning a darker color even when cooking it longer.
I’m taking Tim Bakers’ word for the first pouring being better.Makes sense to me.I think he tested that himself.High temps is the quick way but not as efficient in the amount made.Lower temps with longer times and multiple pourings.Each pouring into different trays to observe color.Observing gell times at room temperature of each.
A nice light color I think is best.
I hav’nt done any tests to back up my conclusions about strength between light or dark colored glue strength.I feel darker colored might be weaker.You may have done more of that than me.Your bows might require a better glue being higher in poundage.
Yes i have it done like this. I think with some things i work too fast, its hard to slow down. I’ve been noticing differences with submerging sinew for longer periods of times in glue - the sinew seems to soak up glue more. I try to do it better next time with backsinew. Maybe make just a test sample on scrap wood.
Those are the best. It was awful lot of work though when i harvested some 53 legs a year ago. Actually just few days ago i contacted a guy in indonesia who sells ready processed cow leg sinew, 1kg or 2,2 pounds 375 dollars. Apparently a lot of people buy sinew from him. It seems like a good quality. Now we have a group order for 2kg of that stuff. Will save me days in sinew work!!
Here is a picture:
Do you have the contact info for your sinew guy? I might be interested in some.
Search “Yeni Eko” in facebook. He is from Indonesia.
Thanks. I’ll look that up.
Excellent looking material there.Pale gelled glue and bundles of sinew…ha ha.That should last you a while…ha ha.Using top notch material makes em bombproof.Do you freeze the glue to keep it in a gelled state or let it dry?
Stripping sinew can be laborous if one is in a rush.I usually set myself outside on a stump with a stump in front of me and my hammer by the bird feeder and watch birds as I do it and try to enjoy the process…ha ha.Sort and bundle sitting there also.I can usually get the Y split seperately and get all my long strands.A couple short afternoons is usually enough for a bow getting 60 grams of sinew.
Tools of the trade.
Cleaning up 53 legs is quite a bit.Reminds me of working in the fur shed processing hundreds of fur…ha ha.
I usually keep enough good sinew around for 4 to 5 bows.It’s a seasonal thing in the states.Moose and elk leg sinew come in after hunting season to Moscow Hide and Fur in Idaho.They are’nt cheap.A half dozen of these 22 to 24 inches long along with at least a dozen 10 to 18 inch elk legs.$22.00 for this one alone,but from it almost 800 grains of excellent processed sinew is gotten sinewing a bow for under $50.00. A foot ruler there as a reference.
There’s a prominent sheep horn maker in that state and whoever else likes to sinew bows,but I always manage to get some every year.He might have his own other sources also.
