MAINTAINING LONGBOWS
All my bows have been made by Pip Bickerstaffe of Bickerstaffe Bows, so I asked him what he recommends to keep bows in peak condition.
“A bow is made of natural wood,” he said. “If you don’t treat it with respect, it will end up as firewood.
“The process starts before you shoot a bow for the first time. The bow needs to be part drawn and relaxed a number of times, gradually increasing the draw length to warm the wood internally. This process of warming up the bow needs to be repeated each time you take the bow out, otherwise the wood becomes stiff and brittle. A number of things can increase the risk of breakage, including shooting a longbow when the weather is cold. If it’s below 5ºc, I wouldn’t shoot because the temperature reduces the wood’s flexibility.
“Generally, longbows don’t need a lot of maintenance but benefit from being kept dry and the strings waxed on a regular basis. Inspecting the bow after each shoot for any cracks to varnish or damage to the horn nocks can help to spot potential breakages before they occur. If you wax the bow regularly with a beeswax-based furniture polish, this will put a film of wax on the bow preventing water from penetrating past the varnish. If you wax the bow once a week it can do no harm but the bow will be protected in wet weather.”
“There is no automatic lifespan for a longbow but, over time, the wood can develop a ‘set’, which will not lessen its power but will make it more consistent to shoot. When looked after, a bow can shoot well for decades, though, like any spring, may get a little softer over time.”