How to Maintain Your Bow Properly?

If you want to get the best performance out of your bow, you have to take care of it. Just like care needs maintenance and replacement, it’s the same for your bow. You have to check and monitor your bow routinely.

Here in this article, we shall enlighten you with tips on how to maintain your bow. You know that there are basically two kinds of bows used in international games like the Olympics: compound bows and recurve bows.

Keeping that in mind, we are going to let you know about recurve bow maintenance and compound bow maintenance here.

So, let’s get started!

Recurve Bow Maintenance

how to maintain your bow recurve

Let’s start our discussion with recurve bows. Being made of wood veneers, recurve bows are widely known for their excellent strength and longer durability. To keep the veneers intact and fresh from the evil touch of moisture and humidity, they are usually covered with protective coatings.

Yet, your recurve bow has the chance to get damaged if you do not properly take care of it. Here are some tips for cleaning and preserving your recurve bow that you need to follow.

Cleaning A Recurve Vow:

Before knowing how to maintain your bow, it is important to make sure that you know how to clean a recurve bow. Here goes the way you can make use of to clean your recurve bow:

  • Take a clean rag. Add a little amount of automotive polishing compound on it. Now thoroughly scrub the bow with it. You can clear mildew and dried dirt in this way. It is also going to help you remove the scuff marks your bow might get from storage or use for a long time. Take another clean rag to wipe the polishing compound away.

Preserving A Recurve Bow:

To preserve your recurve bow after exercises or at the end of the season, there are certain things you should follow:

  • The string of the recurve bow is very much prone to fraying. You can apply beeswax to avoid fraying. Middle and end-loops of the bowstring are suitable for the use of beeswax.
  • Applying lubricants to the axles after every 6 months keeps your bow healthy.
  • If you want to preserve or store your recurve bow, removing the string from the bow is the first thing you should do. It is always the best to preserve the bow by detaching the string from it. Otherwise, a loss of tension might occur. You may also experience a less draw strength unless you separate your string from the bow before placing that for storage.
  • Choose a dry and humidity-free area while you store your recurve bow. A recurve-bow sleeve can help you in this respect.
  • While preserving the bow, do not keep it under direct sunlight.
  • Choose an area to preserve your bow where the room temperature can be controlled by you. Do not keep it open outside the room.
  • Always avoid the garage, basement, and attic when it comes to storing your recurve bow. It is because the temperature of these places fluctuates greatly from time to time and can damage the bow either by extreme temperature or humidity.

Maintaining The Recurve Bowstring:

The bowstring is the most affected part of the bow. If you do not plan to have some extra care for your recurve bowstrings, you may not get the best of your bow.

It is the bowstring where the effect of the action mostly falls. That’s why it deteriorates faster than the bow. You can follow these steps to maintain your recurve bowstring:

  • Use bowstring wax regularly on your bowstring. Any local archery shop should accommodate this.
  • While shooting, check your bowstring to see if it got any fuzz. In case it feels dry, get some wax to apply. Rub that with your hands till the wax is completely melted.
  • Avoid spray lubricants if possible. Droplets produced by spray lubricants may attract the dirt. Silicone-based lubricants are best to use for recurve bows. 

Compound Bow Maintenance

how to maintain your bow

Coming with a levering system, a compound bow is a pretty modern standard. It features pulleys and cables to make the shot. In most of the games, this version of the bow is used nowadays.

Being great to serve recreational hunting and practicing target, it comes with stiffer limbs compared to a recurve bow. It is popular as it is eccentric, energy-efficient, highly rigid, and technologically advanced.

However, without proper compound bow maintenance, you cannot really expect the best of it for a longer period. Here are some of the tips if you are looking for how to maintain your bow, especially the compound ones.

Well-Tuning:

No matter whether you are a beginner or a pro in using a compound bow, it is important to fine-tune your bow at first. Finding the draw length and weight and adjusting accordingly are the most basic tasks you should do.

Regular Checking:

Checking your compound bow, especially the risers are very essential. The grip should be sturdy to ensure that it doesn’t move or gets loose at the time of the shooting.

Checking The Bolts:

Bolts are used to connect the limbs. Make sure that the bolts of your compound bow are not loose by anyway. You should call a bow technician if you have issues with bolts. Cable guards along with quiver attachment should also be tight and strong.

Caring The Bowstring:

Nothing can be more dangerous than having a faulty bowstring in your compound bow. Get your bowstring fixed by a trained technician if you come across any problems regarding the bowstring.

The D-loop area along with the below and above of this is also important to take care of. Wax the bowstring after every 4 seasons if possible. If you hear any weird sound or noise, you may need to tighten the cables and strings once again.

Preservation & Storage:

Excessive heat can cause limb failure in your compound bow. So, avoid any place that is very much close to all sides and is subject to direct sunlight. If there is a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you may face a breakdown issue in the synthetic string and cables. Getting compound bow maintenance kit such as a bow case for storage and easy transportation can help you in this regard.

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Final Words

Maintaining the bow is very important if you want your bow as a long-time partner. After reading this, we hope you have a clear idea of how to maintain your bow properly.

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