# String Burnishing



## fletched (May 10, 2006)

jonw said:


> I am just getting started making a few strings and would like to know when and how you burnish a string?


Welcome to the world of string making. 

When building a string, after you wind it and serve the short sections of the string loop, you need to load the string up to around 300 pounds. At this time, you need to take some material like leather. I use a cotton towel that works great. Then, depending on how you build your string, you need to take the material and run it up and down the string while applying pressure to the string. This will heat up the string and settle the strands to take on even pressure. It will help prestretch the string and pack the strands together. After some stretch time, the string needs twisted and burnished again to reduce and friction from the twisting process and settle the string. 

So burnishing is simply applying friction to the material to heat it up a LITTLE to help the process become more dependable and predictable.


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## dwagoner (Sep 27, 2007)

i use a rag also, or a small piece of Dloop material, wrap around string and run up and down. This also takes off the excess wax that the manufacturer puts on while making the string material, you will see alot of wax come off here


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## NP Archery (Jul 29, 2008)

I use a leather shoelace like this.


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## Dthbyhoyt (Dec 4, 2004)

NP Archery said:


> I use a leather shoelace like this.


Thats the way I do mine


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## 60X (Nov 8, 2002)

I use mason's line.


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## dallas1966 (Aug 19, 2010)

i would love to learn how to make bow strings . like i need another hobby lol.


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## ex-wolverine (Dec 31, 2004)

X2 !



60x said:


> i use mason's line.


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## wvridgerunner (Apr 3, 2007)

ex-wolverine said:


> X2 !


Not sure how much $$ you guys pay for mason line, but this nylon cord works great and a 1,000 ft. spool is under $20: http://cgi.ebay.com/1000-NYLON-ROPE-BRAIDED-BIRD-FEEDER-HANGER-CORD-2-4mm-/300485718694?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f65832a6


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## Nitroboy (Jan 15, 2006)

after I serve my end loops and put it on my stretcher I bring it to 300#, then I burnish the colors seperate, then I let it settle for 10-15mins bringing it back to 300# when it leaks off, after that long it is usually stable and I put the appropriate amount of twist in it and burnish again and let it set for 15-20 mins before putting the serving on


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## Heliman21 (Mar 7, 2005)

60x said:


> i use mason's line.


x3!


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## servingspinner (Dec 28, 2008)

This is close, but you need to have some way of holding the ends of the burnish material tight.(Tie ends to dowel rods or arrow cut off ends you got laying around) And the string bundle needs to be all together and twisted at the correct rate. Otherwise all your doing is removing the wax not setting the string.


Dthbyhoyt said:


> Thats the way I do mine


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## TN ARCHER (Jan 31, 2007)

servingspinner said:


> This is close, but you need to have some way of holding the ends of the burnish material tight.(Tie ends to dowel rods or arrow cut off ends you got laying around) And the string bundle needs to be all together and twisted at the correct rate. Otherwise all your doing is removing the wax not setting the string.


So you dont burnish the two halfs then burnish again after twisting?

If so please explain why. 

thanks


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## servingspinner (Dec 28, 2008)

I use a long piece of .021 62xs or Halo. I wrap around the string bundle twice, and work the burnisher up and down the bundle. Your wanting to make the bundle as Round and as compressed as possable so you cut down on the flattining the causes serving separations.


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## jonw (Jun 25, 2009)

Thanks guys made a string this week and used some tips from you guys and it is the best looking string I have made so far


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## servingspinner (Dec 28, 2008)

Your welcome!


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## TN ARCHER (Jan 31, 2007)

servingspinner said:


> I use a long piece of .021 62xs or Halo. I wrap around the string bundle twice, and work the burnisher up and down the bundle. Your wanting to make the bundle as Round and as compressed as possable so you cut down on the flattining the causes serving separations.


Do you not have more trouble with the colors "bleeding" when you only burnish after twisting?

I think less bleeding occurs when you burnish separately. 

Then once the two halfs are twisted up the second burnishing removes any remaining wax and rounds the bundle's, which does allow for consistant serving, and further "settles" strand tension.

Your thoughts.....


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## servingspinner (Dec 28, 2008)

You may run into that problem I suppose, the color combos makes a differance. The 452X natural and 450+ are bad at picking up color because they don't have any to start with. 8125 holds it's color very well. Where I do most of the work is under where the serving goes so it doesn't matter anyway.



TN ARCHER said:


> Do you not have more trouble with the colors "bleeding" when you only burnish after twisting?
> 
> I think less bleeding occurs when you burnish separately.
> 
> ...


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## dwagoner (Sep 27, 2007)

servingspinner said:


> Your wanting to make the bundle as Round and as compressed as possable so you cut down on the flattining the causes serving separations.


can you explain how this can cause serving seperation??? are you saying with a string thats not nice n round is what can cause the seperation right???


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## servingspinner (Dec 28, 2008)

dwagoner said:


> can you explain how this can cause serving seperation??? are you saying with a string thats not nice n round is what can cause the seperation right???


 If the bundle is not round and tight it will flatten out as it rolls around the cams, this causes it to loosen up the serving and to separate


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## dwagoner (Sep 27, 2007)

alrighty got you now. ty


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