1000 Year Old Bow

This is part one of two videos on the benefits of fire hardening. What would have been important to bow makers during the Mississippian period or the bow and arrow culture. Part two will be about tillering the bow to perfection.

[@joshjames253]

I'm glad y'all brought up the fact that these weren't lesser men than our contemporary situation. I think the creativity, knowledge, and wisdom that comes from a life lived fully intertwined in the environment is greatly underestimated by most of us.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

I agree. Thank you.

[@WolffOutdoors]

very true

[@beesmongeese2978]

Always a pleasure listening to you guys. D-bows are such an appealing bow design for some reason. Must be ingrained in our DNA.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Yea it may be so.

[@Daylon91]

I'm very glad u made these videos. I have made several success bows with your guy's techniques and have shared them to new guy's like me just starting out. The confidence I have in this technique makes me want to tiller a bow when before I seen this video I was concerned about tillering and the bow breaking after hours of work.

[@chubbethsthunder]

Thad, I thoroughly enjoyed the video. Thank you very much. Cell phones are dumb technology. Looking forward to part 2.. You and your family have a beautiful and blessed week.

[@jackymitchell716]

Great information! A real survival skill. Thanks for the video!

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Thank you.

[@Ozarkwonderer]

I totally get what you guys are getting at. Ive fire hardend bows for 7 years. You can really use heat as a tool to mod and strengthen your bows in different ways. I use hickory alot, maple and whit oak in Missouri. Got into osage here lately Great info

[@raphaelmoraczewski1106]

The fire completes the four elements, new here, Great channel. Thanks

[@robertopinzani6774]

Your considerations about the shape lenght and moist proofing of the old eastern bows, are one the best lesson of reconstructing archeology i ve ever listen ,this matter can t be studied just in teory ,it need to be analized having practic experience. For the modern bowmakers you give a great alternative to the use of osage,and.....to the three coat true oil waterproofing Great lesson thanks Sorry for my bad english Ps. The moment you said " your cell phones dont make you smarter" was the cherry on the pie. The core of this video.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Thanks Roberto.

[@asr5657]

Awesome job and very educational, thanks guys

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@smokeymacpot76]

i find these fire hardening vids interesting as i have a interest in learning self bows .. good vid guys

[@bienyamientoefy1923]

🙂 greetings gentleman.im still following you guys.i really enjoy this

[@shanhur4562]

Fantastic stuff, Thad and Keith. Love to have a cup of coffee with you guys and talk bows. Keep it up!

[@barrycherry7605]

Love watching you and Keith, y’all work very good together always looking forward to new videos. They are always very informative and such a pleasure to watch, I’ve learned so much from yawls videos, and with yawls Fire hardening Videos they will have to change the books, again thank y’all very much

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Thank you Barry.

[@manuelwebe]

"if they can make pyramids, I am sure they can make a good bow" Great comment. If you guys had people questioning if ancient Native Americans were capable of making functional bows & arrows, please just ignore that sh*t. It is just the pure ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity of our times. Great content. Keep up with it & thanks for sharing.

[@jordannewsom4578]

Thad, THANK YOU for the upload buddy. It’s always a good day when an OG archery channel like you uploads!! I just wish Billy Burger at Primitive Pathways would do the same thing. Ryan Gill still keeps a pretty regular upload schedule, you guys are like the original trinity of traditional/primitive bow hunting.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

I know Billy has a couple of KZbin's to upload soon. He has been working on his new Dvd. I know it will be a good one.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

I forgot to say Thank you for watching my channel.

[@markbranham8100]

education is key thank you for what you do for so many people.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Thank you for watching.

[@hughswanzy8871]

I sure enjoy your videos, Thanks!

[@BeckumOutdoors]

I am glad. Thank you.

[@mikerumboldt25]

The amount of knowledge between the two of you is incredible! Love the videos!!!!!! Here’s a question about how to help keep the moisture out do you think tallow would help? as it’s used to help preserve foods from moisture getting back in it as it. Do you think it would make make a difference for better or worse?

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Yes rendered fat is good, but you will have to apply it often. Paste wax but again any type finish similar would have to be applied regularly for the life of the bow. Hot melted and rubbed in pine pitch is another moisture barrier. If you don't have a problem with modern finish a matt spray of spar urethane is good. Or True Oil which is gun stock finish. It all depends on what you want. Thanks for watching.

[@mikerumboldt25]

Awesome tidbit of information really do appreciate I can’t wait to try this process this summer as a young lad early 20s in Ontario Canada this is information that is hard to find nowadays and will stick with me forever!! Really do appreciate you taking the time to reply and make these suggestions, and appreciate the informational videos much love Meegwetch!!

[@georgenaugles5039]

I wonder what barrel coopers plus bow makers knew together that could be applied to affordable healthy homes.

[@charlesleblanc6638]

Good stuff ... I've got one ready for some cooking ! I would also like too try Bows that fallow the string and put a bit of a reflex to it and cooker up.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Good. Give your follow the string bows some back set on a form an inch or two will help you when you fire hardened. Thanks

[@georgenaugles5039]

I keep wondering if the bows are burning too much

[@ndoghouse6853]

Wouldnt they oil them to prevent soaking up moisture? That seems easy enough to do. If they didnt have animal fat whats the bow for in the first place?

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Rendered fat is good to rub into the bow, I used it for a long time on raw whitewood bows. It is not good good enough by itself. I have had raw hickory bows with many rubbings of warm fat gain much string follow and lose speed and power just from humidity. Now imagine a rain storm. In 1996 I had a favorite bow gain so much string follow that I retired the bow. It only had a fat finish.

[@Ozarkwonderer]

I beleave fire hardening hickory on the belly gives the bow something similar to the natural effect yew has. Where the back stretches and the belly resists compression

[@robbullis5025]

If they wanted back set they could have just put a rock on top of the staves while they were doing the fire hardening process?

[@arrow3061]

how about the string that kept the bow working in these conditions ?

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Gut and sinew strings can be greased, waxed or simply taken off the bow and packed away until the rain stops.

[@bthompson9570]

This is good stuff Thad thanks for sharing

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Thank you.

[@jessicabenson9017]

Hey Thad, do you and Keith mind making a green water oak bow and complete the fire hardening process on it so we can see the results on that as well ?? Or some sort of oak... So we can see the process on something other than Hickory. Please 🙏 Would love to see that done if you guys don't mind.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

I have been wanting to try water oak. I have a tree picked out already.

[@jessicabenson9017]

@BeckumOutdoors that's awesome !! I just cut one yesterday afternoon and split the staves out and now drying some. I'm thinking about starting one now and then go through the fire/smoking and then the fire hardening process myself and then saving the others for a later time just to see the difference between the two different processes. Thanks again for the reply, as well as the great video content. I believe I speak for the large majority of us all when I say we are learning a lot from you both, so thank you. I'm looking forward to the coming videos. Reamin blessed to you both and your families Sincerely Robert Benson

[@shanhur4562]

Great stuff!

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Thank you very much.

[@user-mb4se6km5p]

I wonder if this will work with juniper or yew. On a pacific north west bow.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

I would not think that would be a good experiment. But if you try it I would not cook it very long. Cedar juniper and yew can be tricky and putting heat to them may be crossing the line. This method is best with very tuff white woods like hickory and elm.

[@cuernimus]

Woods that are naturally rot resistant are probably all going to be full of oils and chemicals that are naturally hydrophobic. If you cook these woods, you are going to burn off some of those oils and do other chemical things to those chemicals, in addition to weakening some of those wood fibers. You might be able to discover something no one currently knows about, or find a happy medium between cooking and natural, but I would expect you to probably fail repeatedly forever.

[@naturesbend130]

I live in Pacific Northwest and have been trying this with Rocky Mountain maple. Seems to work well so far

[@jakehenry-c9q]

Aanii,greetings, I have a 72" longbow , hickory/ bamboo backed , I've had it bout 10 years now, round 50 lbs draw weight, it's hard for me to draw it back to full draw, I've had 2 surgeries to repair my right arm, n, I'm right handed, I've since dropped down to 40 lbs.draw , the old bow just don't have the whomp to it, it used to have, like me,lol, but I was wondering ,if it could still be fire hardened, and tillered down in weight to bout 40 lbs.?, I'd really luv to shoot this awesome bow again, but, it's just to rough for me to haul it back, could it work? I was just wondering, shakyjake out.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Don't think the bamboo or more important the glue bond would survive the heat? But I have never tried it?

[@johnnyandnik2204]

great video guys...cant wait for the rest...i do have a question for thad..thad....i have all ways wondered why you make longer bows when your draw is maybe inthe 25 inch area...have you made and shot bows that are 60 inch range....just curious...i asked billy about it and he said he didnt want to mess with your method becuase you are a very successful which i understand...i told billy that you must make one HELL of a blind with a 64 inch bow..LOL...any how i just all ways wanted to ask....thanks john

[@BeckumOutdoors]

For me longer bows are more forgiving. Less string angle at full draw. The longer limbs kinda act like stabilizers during the shot. I don't find long bows a problem in a blind because I can cant my bow. My main reason is accuracy. Many bows of the past were very long all over the world. Europe, Africa, South America, and the southeast U.S. The wood is less stressed also. I use a low brace, as low as possible and still maintain good arrow flight. I have used bows on the 50" range and took deer with them but when I reach for a bow normally it is long. I have made and used sinewed backed cedars in the forty inch range but again when I am serious about drawing blood the longer bow is my choice. I use very long arrows also and love them. One last but not lest, I am 66 years old and hope to stay in the self bow hunting for as long as possible. A more forgiven bow is what I need and desire. The most famous preserved bow the Sudbury Wampanoag Alqonquin made in 1660 was 67" long. Hope this answered your question. Thanks

[@eliford2258]

I got some linear cracks on my Hackberry do you think these will cause any issues?

[@BeckumOutdoors]

No they should not be a problem. If they run off the edge of the limb yes, it may be a problem. Fill them and keep going.

[@joeturner2335]

Hydrafoby. Ain't that what kilt ole yellar?

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Hahaha that's funny.

[@davidmiller8332]

Come on part 2!

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Thanks David.

[@stefansundify]

Thank you guys. May I ask what limb thickness you start with before firehardening? Does it differ between bowtypes? Or do you just make it by feel? It seems you are right on spot when tillering and dont have to remove a lot of wood (I know you are professional, I´m not...) Thanks again.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Lighty floor tillered to begin with. Later you may choice to remove a little more as your experience grows and it will. Thanks

[@georgenaugles5039]

How thick does branch or trunk need to be?

[@danielpeters3760]

Would animal fat been heated in or put on to protect from the elements? Say buffalo or bear fat.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Yes 100 percent. I have bows that have been fire hardened and nothing but rendered fat put on the bow. But you need to reapply fat regular for the life of the bow.

[@danielpeters3760]

@@BeckumOutdoors I don't know how to make a bow but I would love to have a primitive style bow. I have never used a compound bow.

[@ctroxell100]

Will a 100+ year old oak be good for a bow? From ky

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Don't know, I would have to see this wood.

[@ctroxell100]

@@BeckumOutdoors . I can only get to it during the winter it fell a year ago during a bad rain storm. I did cut some pieces last winter . it's covered by black berry thorns and poison ivy.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

@@ctroxell100 No that wood will not be good. Oak and other white woods will not be good after that long in the woods and wood eating bugs. Go cut a green tree.

[@ctroxell100]

@@BeckumOutdoors thank you for telling me before I made a bow from it. I guess it will be no good to make arrows from it?

[@oakridgeboy2023]

No

[@chipkyle5428]

What about Bordarc? Fire hardening it?

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Osage does not need it. You could lightly cook on the belly. Some people have done that with no problem but I would not cook it like white wood. Osage is great like it come. This process helps turn white wood more like Osage.

[@Freeman-Dl70]

People a 1000 years ago had all of their senses. Modern humanity has had most of their senses dumbed down, due to technical advances!

[@BeckumOutdoors]

Yes I agree 100 percent.

[@stevew2347]

Another very interesting and informative video. Can't wait for part 2 on tillering. Great job guys. One quick question. Have you ever fire hardened hackberry? I've heat treated hackberry bows with a heat gun and have gotten good results. I'm thinking it may be a good wood for fire hardening.

[@BeckumOutdoors]

I have not used hackberry but I would bet it would be worth trying. Give it a shot and let us know your results.

[@smokeymacpot76]

if the old indians could build a conoe outa a tree im pretty sure they could build a simple form lol

[@BeckumOutdoors]

@@smokeymacpot76 Very true, but nothing wrong with a good straight stick. Many ways to put set back in a bow with a little thought. Thanks for watching