# What is the easy way to install finger saver



## Robert43 (Aug 2, 2004)

Bobby pin or split pin & string wax


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## archeryal (Apr 16, 2005)

Maybe dish soap, though string wax sounds good. 

I'm not a fan of rubbery finger savers. These devices would push the string farther out of the way than a thin tab, making the rubbery attachment less acurate. They make sense for a shop to use on shop bows for newbies or "try archery" settings, but I'd move anyone who plans to continue with archery to a tab as soon as possible.


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## bobnikon (Jun 10, 2012)

They also tend to move around and pinch the nock. But yeah, a cotter pin type deal works great. You can push it through the rubber part, after putting the string loop in the gap in the cotter pin, and then either pull through or use pliers if needed.


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## Mika Savola (Sep 2, 2008)

I know limb saver, what is a finger saver?


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## ThomVis (Feb 21, 2012)

archeryal said:


> I'd move anyone who plans to continue with archery to a tab as soon as possible.


This.



Mika Savola said:


> I know limb saver, what is a finger saver?


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## dchan (Jun 29, 2004)

Dip that sucker in almost boiling water for about 5 minutes before you start.. (wear insulating gloves) and then bobby pin and a pair of pliers to pull the bobby pin through. (Every one I've purchased came with a wire folded over to use as a "needle")

Regarding if they are affective or a good tool, I think they are a great tool for kids. Developmentally there are many young kids that don't have the manual dexterity or fine motor skills yet to manipulate a tab. That is just a growing up thing.. As they get older they learn fine motor skills. If it keeps them shooting comfortably and safely, by all means use them. If you can teach them to use a tab, that's great but if the tab frustrates them, they will not stick with it which is opposite of what you are trying to do.

Most kids we work with want to shoot, they want to socialize with their new friends on the range and they are happy with that. When they are ready to "get better" or want to push them selves, they will probably also be ready to struggle or learn to shoot with a tab.

We are not going to get a good tune out of a 10-12lb bow (probably 5-6lbs OTF) at their draw length anyway, no matter how light of a spine we can find so the extra amount of displacement that the finger saver causes will make the arrow act a little weaker which is a good thing. The only problem is they also add mass to the string so that probably is a wash.


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## bobnikon (Jun 10, 2012)

dchan said:


> Dip that sucker in almost boiling water for about 5 minutes before you start.. (wear insulating gloves) and then bobby pin and a pair of pliers to pull the bobby pin through. (Every one I've purchased came with a wire folded over to use as a "needle")
> 
> Regarding if they are affective or a good tool, I think they are a great tool for kids. Developmentally there are many young kids that don't have the manual dexterity or fine motor skills yet to manipulate a tab. That is just a growing up thing.. As they get older they learn fine motor skills. If it keeps them shooting comfortably and safely, by all means use them. If you can teach them to use a tab, that's great but if the tab frustrates them, they will not stick with it which is opposite of what you are trying to do.
> 
> ...


As always, excellent points!


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## rambo-yambo (Aug 12, 2008)

Thanks for all the input, I getn it installed. I try to teach my duaghter achery but she has problem with tab so I decide to give this a try. Again, thanks.


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## Steve N (Apr 27, 2004)

Run a 12" length of serving thru the eye of a heavy carpet or darning needle then thru the loop on one end of the bowstring. Tie a very tight knot. Wax the string heavily, then wax it again. Thread one of the finger saver sections onto the needle then onto the serving string loop, making sure you have them in the correct orientation (smaller finger saver at top of bowstring). Loop the serving around something well anchored, like a bench vise, then pull the finger saver onto the bowstring. I pull the end closest to the center serving first, then pull the opposite end towards the center serving, slowly working the finger saver down the string. Once you clear the bowstring loop and end serving, the savers slide easily. Repeat with the second section of finger saver. I use 4 nock points to locate the finger savers, 2 between the finger savers with a gap between them for the nock, and one at each end of each finger saver section. As an alternative to the bench vise, I have made the serving and needle arrangement longer, so I could loop it under my shoe (hurts if you try it barefoot), and work the finger savers on. I like dchan's idea of heating them in boiling water, but I never tried it. I set up 6 bows this way for beginners this winter.


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## chunkysushi (Sep 2, 2012)

We went with these at our range for about 35 of our bows. Rubber is WAY harder than the Benders brand one but cheaper by $3 each. Similar to dchan's suggestion, we found by heating up the rubber it was WAY easier to get them through. Our solution was to hold them up with a pair of pliers and heat them up with a radiant heater. Would imagine boiling would yield the same results. Afterwards, slips on like butter...


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

Don't these finger savers rotate on the string? In the L1 and L2 tests, it says that they are the preferred method of finger protection for new archers. 

I've never really liked them. Am I missing out on something?


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Ms.Speedmaster said:


> Don't these finger savers rotate on the string? In the L1 and L2 tests, it says that they are the preferred method of finger protection for new archers.
> 
> I've never really liked them. Am I missing out on something?


If they are tight enough not to slide down the string I don't think they are spinning on it much. But the extra radius they give means they may help *twist* the string. 

We don't use them much, but they are a good problem solver for some of the youngest archers. As a recreational program open to all, we get a huge range of physical ability, and these help some of the youngest kids out if the string is bothering them and they are having trouble with a tab. Your competitive kids aren't gonna need them 

I wouldn't be inclined to put them on more than a few bows as a tool to be used only when needed, but I can see why certain types of recreational programs might wish to put them on more bows for a simplified sort of archery program that omits tabs.


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

That makes sense. I can see the benefit for those types of programs. Keeping track of finger tabs and arm guards is bad enough in our programs with regular students. It would be much worse with revolving door archers. Oy!


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## dchan (Jun 29, 2004)

We put them on most of the 48" bows (not all) because for the most part the kids shooting these bows are also most likely to need assistance with dexterity. (Small or very young kids) 

So thats about 8 of our beginner 48 and 54" bows. All are sub 10lbs rated..

DC


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Ms.Speedmaster said:


> That makes sense. I can see the benefit for those types of programs. Keeping track of finger tabs and arm guards is bad enough in our programs with regular students. It would be much worse with revolving door archers. Oy!


For those and for bowfishers. The rest of us are wasting enough KE on the light draw weight club bows with energy stealing brass nocks :mg: let alone putting relatively heavy finger savers on the string


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

dchan said:


> We put them on most of the 48" bows (not all) because for the most part the kids shooting these bows are also most likely to need assistance with dexterity. (Small or very young kids)
> 
> So thats about 8 of our beginner 48 and 54" bows. All are sub 10lbs rated..
> 
> DC


Actually, that's probably what we should do on some of our 48's, especially for the birthday parties where many of them are very young first timers. 

We lose so many tabs, that it might be a good idea for our small range bows, too. 

Glad this came up!


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

Warbow said:


> For those and for bowfishers. The rest of us are wasting enough KE on the light draw weight club bows with energy stealing brass nocks :mg: let alone putting relatively heavy finger savers on the string


Right! Brass nocks, baaaad. [emoji6] 

And they can hurt on the arm!


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