URGENT: HELP!!!! ***UPDATE***

[EcoMuse]

Hi all

Got myself into a bit of a situation....

I just removed the cable slide on my bow, then put it back on, didnt notice that the string had slipped off the bottom cam when I placed it back on the slide.

I have drawn the bow back, string has come off the bottom cam at full draw and locked the bow on full draw.

NOTHING I can do...I dont have a bow press and its just sitting there like a bomb waiting to go off.

I feel like an utter goose...anyone got any ideas???????

[lemmiwinks]

Post a pic of yourself holding the bow back with your teeth and look real cool.

[EcoMuse]

Post a pic of yourself holding the bow back with your teeth and look real cool.

Hehehehe....yeah I could do that as its just got the string hanging loose. However, its a scary mother to look at....loose string and full draw!

I have a feeling I have just stuffed my bow! I have put it outside and have NO idea what to do from here....if the string slips its a dry fire, if it doesnt its stuck. Got me buggered!

[Thwack!]

Mate, you have got yourself in a pickle, I reckon.

With no bow press, I would be being very careful, but I have a suggestion - you might want to wait a minute to see if anyone howles me down for this and make up your own mind to try what I am about to explain.

If it is the shooting sting that has come off, you could try compressing the limbs a little past full draw manually, if you are strong enough. You'll need another person (to try slipping the string back into its groove). stand the bow upright on its cam (you decide which way up), get yourself into position over the upper cam so that you can compress it down with your shoulder weight and while you have the strings and cables slack get the other person to slip the string back into the groove. Don't let the bottom cam slip out from under you. Don't compress too far, just enough to get the string back on and be careful that you are not derailing any other strings/cables from the cam grooves. I WOULD WEAR SOME EYE PROTECTION (AT LEAST) WHILE YOU DO THIS. And do it on the carpet so as to not damage your cams. Be careful, go steady and have a practice compression or two before you let the other person near the bow so you know how long you can hold it for.

Have a think about it before you start (make up your own mind about if you wanna do it) and good luck - BE CAREFUL.

I have used this method to remove one side of a split cable and give it a twist or two for field tuning and it works OK, JUST DON"T FUMBLE ABOUT. Mind you, when I do this the bow is NOT already at full draw. But without access to a bow press I don't have any other ideas.

[EcoMuse]

Yes mate its a pickle alright!!

I have thought of the same thing as you have suggested but I simply dont want to put anyone at risk of injury. As such Im VERY reluctant to try that.

At this stage I just want to disengage the bow....Im leaning toward trying to somehow cut the string from afar. YES it will cause a nasty dry fire but at least it means the danger bit is over.....

[Daniel]

Hi mate i think you have the same bow as me and the string came off mine not too long ago i tried to put it back on like thwack said but you cant compress the limbs enough so i undid the limb bolts 4 turns to take some of the pressure off and took it in to the shop and they fixed it

[EcoMuse]

Hi mate i think you have the same bow as me and the string came off mine not too long ago i tried to put it back on like thwack said but you cant compress the limbs enough so i undid the limb bolts 4 turns to take some of the pressure off and took it in to the shop and they fixed it

Was yours at full draw though? Thats the issue with mine, its locked at full draw with the string jamming it in position.

[Sagitarius]

Are any strings or cables still tight, or have you just rolled the cam over to full lock?

[Daniel]

mine happend as i was letting down at about half draw. can you take a pic so we can see how it is stuck

[Thwack!]

Cutting the string would be violent - I wouldn't be game to do that.

Put a bit of protective gear on yourself and have a go at compressing it if you feel OK about that. It may not be as drastic as you imagine. Check the string where it has come off of any damage before you try (WEAR EYE PROTECTION AT LEAST). If you can compress it and it feels OK, think about involving the second person (don't think you will be able to do it all yourself). Otherwise you might have to wait until you can get access to a press or pro shop, although I don't like the idea of leaving the bow at full draw for an extended time period (but I just don't know if that will be bad for it or not).

[Thwack!]

Give the forum a bit of time, someone else might have a better/safer idea.

In the meantime put a beanbag over the bow to muffle any explosions.:D

Sorry to be joking, I know your situation is serious/urgent - good luck with it mate.

[EcoMuse]

Are any strings or cables still tight, or have you just rolled the cam over to full lock?

Yes mate the two Buss cables are like guitar strings, the main bow string is loose.

Thwack...cheers for the help mate, I must admit I can see the funny side, Im sure I will laugh in a couple of days time :) For now though I feel like a member of the bomb squad!!!!

[rossy]

eco, like what Thwack said, i have done it to my bow, on a hunt(no press and 3 days to go).just take your time, with the bloke pressing the limbs, and us working out the best way to put it back together...a 3rd set of hands was handy.

D!ckie

[Antarcher]

I think the idea of loosening the limb bolts is a very good one as it will relieve some of the excess pressure on the limbs. You could also make a bit of a jig with timbers and g clamps or vices. If you could compress the limbs somewhat then the bow will not spring out and you can slowly wind out the clamps. Maybe even try jigging something up with a car jack and some multi strand wire. I would be for sure loosening the limb bolts before anything though.

[Thwack!]

In my opinion a dodgier option than manual compression, might be to use a quality rachett strap to compress the bow - but then you've
just added more amo to the bomb if it all goes pear shaped.

Bugger this its my bedtime (father of non sleeping baby and every minute of sleep counts), but I wanna see how it turns out. Now I have a delima :o.

[EcoMuse]

OK...I think I can see the problem, the string has slipped BEHIND the let off stopper on the lower cam (if that makes sense) which is holding the bow at full draw. In theory, all i have to do is hold the string as if at full draw and get my very willing wife, to slip the cable off the stopper......

Wish us luck, we are going in.......

[Thwack!]

Alright, I'm hanging around to see what happens - be careful.

[rossy]

VIDEO CAMERA:P

[Rock Steady]

I have my fingers crossed for you and your daring wife EcoMuse. Let us know how you go.

[Sagitarius]

Yes mate the two Buss cables are like guitar strings, the main bow string is loose.

Thwack...cheers for the help mate, I must admit I can see the funny side, Im sure I will laugh in a couple of days time :) For now though I feel like a member of the bomb squad!!!!

Ok I think I get what you've done now. How does this sound...

A quick bow press would be a line on the string tight that will hold it drawn tied off and a rope around the riser tied off and opposing each other.

This will hold the bow drawn, leaning on the rope should over draw it.

Slowly, 1/4 turn at a time, undo the limb bolt until your at your bows min draw weight.

I'm not sure what will happen if you pull out the pinched cable though. As you say its tight, so when you unhook it you will release that tension. I would try to tie of the cable to another anchored line so that it will take the strain when the pinched cable is unhooked. This line has to be thin enough to fit between the axle and the limbs but strong enough to take the weight. You will probably want to protect the axle bushing with something from the line you tie of the cable with.

Overdraw bow by leaning on the rope tied to the riser (shortening it), guide the hooked cable free as bow is over drawn. Once free take the strain of the rope on the riser have a mate untie it from the anchor, carefully let the bow down taking particular care the tied of cable doesn't get jammed.

[Sambar Hunter]

post a report to rory or better yet email him with so pics, he'll help you out;)

[Thwack!]

EcoMuse, come in EcoMuse ..... are you still alive in there? :eek:

[Sagitarius]

Oh-oo, hope they are ok.

[EcoMuse]

EcoMuse, come in EcoMuse ..... are you still alive in there? :eek:

Sweet fancy Moses....talk about tense!!!!!!! Had the wife in safety glasses and a bike helmet, me ready at full draw for all hell to break loose!!! Would have made for one funny photo.

Alas, we simply couldnt budge the string. As such, the bow is STILL locked at full draw. I do know know whats wrong, just need a bow press to fix it.

SO...my next question:

How long can I keep the bow at full draw??? I wont get to a bow press for at the very least 24 hours, perhaps a lot longer (48 to 72 hours). Any body got any ideas as to the safety of the bow after this?

[DavidJHardy]

maybe make a make shift press just to hold it until you get it... and before you fix it really...do get a pic of you holding the bow back with you mouth... and look real tuff

[Rock Steady]

EcoMuse

Do the cams move any more when you take the weight? Its hard to explain but I have in the past drawn a bow back and then put a screwdriver through a hole in the cams so I could let the weight off the string. You still have full load in the cables and limbs but you can completely remove a string this way in a real emergency.

I repeat only try this in an emergency.

A side on photo would help, what brand of compound.

I would not recommend leaving the bow the way it is for to long, as you said it could be a bomb waiting to go off, but if you have to leave it 24hrs to work on it safely the so be it.

[GOLDGT]

Take it in to Paul at Blackstump Archery he has a press (Unit 3, 1796 Albany Highway KENWICK WA 6107 Phone / fax 08 9459 0700). Or just throw the thing in the wheele bin and buy a traditional bow and never worry about this type of thing happening ever again. LOL.

[Rock Steady]

Take it in to Paul at Blackstump Archery he has a press (Unit 3, 1796 Albany Highway KENWICK WA 6107 Phone / fax 08 9459 0700). Or just throw the thing in the wheele bin and buy a traditional bow and never worry about this type of thing happening ever again. LOL.
Had a trad recurve snap at full draw, had a compound disintegrate after release. We have a fun sport.

[GOLDGT]

Had a trad recurve snap at full draw, had a compound disintegrate after release. We have a fun sport.

Which was more scary :D

[EcoMuse]

EcoMuse

Do the cams move any more when you take the weight? Its hard to explain but I have in the past drawn a bow back and then put a screwdriver through a hole in the cams so I could let the weight off the string. You still have full load in the cables and limbs but you can completely remove a string this way in a real emergency.

I repeat only try this in an emergency.

A side on photo would help, what brand of compound.

I would not recommend leaving the bow the way it is for to long, as you said it could be a bomb waiting to go off, but if you have to leave it 24hrs to work on it safely the so be it.

Yep, I know EXACTLY what you are trying to explain. Its this very prosses that my wife and i have just been trying to do. The main issue is one of strength....she doesnt have the strength to "roll" the cam forward enough to release the string and she sure doesnt have the strength to take the WHACK if we swap places and I get on the screw driver.

At the end of the day........its just a bow! I can go and buy a new one tomorrow but I cant go buy a new wife (well...I guess I can but a bow is cheaper ;)) We had a go but I drew the line, our safety was more important. If I have stuffed my bow, we both understand, its a leason well learned.....stay tuned.

[EcoMuse]

Take it in to Paul at Blackstump Archery he has a press (Unit 3, 1796 Albany Highway KENWICK WA 6107 Phone / fax 08 9459 0700). Or just throw the thing in the wheele bin and buy a traditional bow and never worry about this type of thing happening ever again. LOL.

Cheers GT...I have a couple of options lined up for tomorrow including this. I will let you know how it goes!

[GOLDGT]

Best of luck mate. Maybe just wrap it up in a old blanket for safety while its sitting inside the house or in the car incase it does let go to absorb the shock and stop stuff flying.

[Rock Steady]

At the end of the day........its just a bow! I can go and buy a new one tomorrow but I cant go buy a new wife (well...I guess I can but a bow is cheaper ;)) We had a go but I drew the line, our safety was more important. If I have stuffed my bow, we both understand, its a leason well learned.....stay tuned.

You have probably made the right decision a new wife is a lot more expensive then a new bow.:P

[EcoMuse]

Best of luck mate. Maybe just wrap it up in a old blanket for safety while its sitting inside the house or in the car incase it does let go to absorb the shock and stop stuff flying.

Yep I have brought it inside and placed it in its bowcase and shut the lid. If it does let go, worse case will be a new pair of undies for me...I tell you, its my wife that deserves the reward for all this, she was in there with a screwdriver, hardhat and safety specs like damn trooper....I was just cringeing like a baby :rolleyes:

[DavidJHardy]

Yep I have brought it inside and placed it in its bowcase and shut the lid. If it does let go, worse case will be a new pair of undies for me...I tell you, its my wife that deserves the reward for all this, she was in there with a screwdriver, hardhat and safety specs like damn trooper....I was just cringeing like a baby :rolleyes:

any photos???????? LOL

[mercyfulfate]

havent read through all the posts.. but stick a pillow in the string and wrap a blanket around the limbs to absorb the shock of the dryfire.

now, cut the cable thats holding it at full draw.. with glasses on of course!

if you want to do it remotely.. then twist a peice of fuse wire a couple turns around the cable thats jammed, and use some wire and hook it to a car battery.. shoudl generate enough heat to cut the cable.. ive never tried it but its a guess heh

[Thwack!]

EcoMuse, I am sorry to learn this morning that you are not yet out of the woods. Don't write your bow off yet, I reckon it will be ok. Just get it to a bow press or a pro shop and see what happens.

When you get it all sorted I reckon you need to consider putting one of these on your shopping list - Bushmaster Portable Bow Press:

http://www.abbeyarchery.com.au/p/BM357000/Bowmaster+Portable+Bow+Press

You can get em at most archery shops and I am sure that the site sponsors will have em - this is just the one I found the quickest while writing this.

I have had one for years and although not as efficient as a bench style press (and still a fraction on the scary side), they come in very handy - especially in the field and WILL get you out of trouble.

Your bride sounds like a hell-of-a-gal, my missus would have put in a bit of a show but then pulled the pin when things got hairy. You might want to hang on to her!

I reckon your bow will be fine - worst case: new limbs, string and cables - best case: new string.

Let us know how you go - an stop mucking about with your bow, just shoot the damn thing! :P

[i'm a guy like me]

One of my mate's bows jammed up like that in the bush.
I put a rope through the cams and tied a loop at each end, stuck the handle of a maglite through the two holes and twisted it just enough to relieve some of the tension then tied the handle of the torch to the rope length ways to secure it (loosen the limb bolts now if you can, his was already at the minimum). Fixed the string and he drew back as i unwound the torch handle-slowly.
Not the best thing to do, but it beats having to carry the damn thing like that for around 10km over rough terrain-scary.

[stevenn]

You can make a bow press using a couple of bits of chain, turnbuckle and two small bits of steel rod.most of these things you might have around the house.steve

[Clemo]

ROTFLMAO:P:P:P:P

Sorry mate, I’m just picturing your wife standing there in a helmet and safety classes while you say, "its OK darling, just push that string over there while I bounce on it like a pogo stick".

This is the most interesting thread I’ve read in ages.
Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Id love to offer some useful advise but I’ve got nuthin!
Hope it works out.

[stevenn]

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x153/billygoat014/100_1184.jpghttp://http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x153/billygoat014/100_1184.jpgthis is one you can make from stuff out of the shed,use bit of hose on steel rod to protect the limbs.steve

[EcoMuse]

Gotta say a HUGE, HUGE thanks to everyone who has posted over the course of the last 12 hours. I have had several PM's offering advice, a phone call out of the blue and offers to chat to members on the EAST coast after midnight just to try and help out. One heck of a community we have here!!!!!

So nope we are not out of the woods yet but I hope to get it sorted today. I guess my only concern now is do I trust the bow after storing it at full draw for 24 hours?

Will post some pics soon to better show whats happened....

[EcoMuse]

ROTFLMAO:P:P:P:P

Sorry mate, I’m just picturing your wife standing there in a helmet and safety classes while you say, "its OK darling, just push that string over there while I bounce on it like a pogo stick".

This is the most interesting thread I’ve read in ages.
Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Id love to offer some useful advise but I’ve got nuthin!
Hope it works out.

Mate, when she came outside wearing a pink bike helmet, an oversize pair of safety glasses and her ski jacket (not sure why she had the jacket on)....I just lost it!!!! It was about then that the situation took a turn for the better :P

[EcoMuse]

OK folks, here are a couple of shots (pardon the pun) to help illustrate the problem....

The first pic is of the bow locked on full draw, notice the slack string. The only thing holding it in this position is the buss cable, which is the cable that has slipped off the lower cam...

http://ecomuse-images.smugmug.com/photos/314429911_BsGkv-L.jpg


The next pic is a close up of the string where it has slipped off the lower cam...

http://ecomuse-images.smugmug.com/photos/314429757_UEoHY-L.jpg

As you can see, we didnt need to move it far but it was just way too tight. A bow press and all will be solved....of course thats not taking into account any damage thats been done.

[MaDsHafTeR]

Nice to see the First-aid kit there "JUST IN CASE".........

[rudy]

C'mon mate where's the photos of you drawing it back with your teeth, Murphys law says it will let go then. And why not let us all have a laugh at your wife, i'm sure after a while she will see the funny side of it.

[special]

A home made press like the one pictured earlier..with chain,pins and turnbuckle will get you out of trouble...ive used one similar before without any hassles

[EcoMuse]

A home made press like the one pictured earlier..with chain,pins and turnbuckle will get you out of trouble...ive used one similar before without any hassles

My main concern would be the ability to handle the let down from full draw back to normal. The reason being that the bow is at its most "compressed", so whilst it would be easy to use a turn buckle arrangement to squeeze the limbs together just a fraction more, you would have to be sure you had enough "room" to then slowly let the bow all the way back down to a resting state.

At any rate, Im booked in to see my ABA coach at 4.30pm. He just laughed and said "Best you drop around mate!" :rolleyes:

[special]

Id stick it in the boot on the way there;)

[mercyfulfate]

let us know how it went :) ..cmon guys the fuse wire idea was cool!

[Simon_R]

So how did you get on, is fixed, is the bow OK? I hope so.

[Rock Steady]

Come on where all in suspense:P. Did you fix it or decide to buy a new Bowtech.:P:D:P

[Luke]

I reckon he got it fixed and has gone hunting :D

[EcoMuse]

Folks...the bow is back!!!!

Well, what an adventure!! I'll keep it short but basically it looks like one of the draw length adjustment screws on the cam came loose and fell out (probably while on my trip up through the Kimberley). We think this caused the cam to move ever so slightly which in turn caused the cable to slip off. Utterly freaky but there you go...I will be giving the bow the once over before each session from here on in.

Got the bow re-strung just to be sure, other than that there appears to be no other damage.

Huge thanks to everyone that offered messages of help, phone calls and emails....very much appreciated! Special thanks to Angry for disarming the bomb and then putting the mess all back together again...cheers mate!

Now I've just got to point the sharp end at something feral!!

[hunt or be hunted]

good to hear mate, now go smack some game!





Dan.

[DavidJHardy]

yeah go get'em tiger...LOL na i probably shouldn't say that or you might smash me...

[Rock Steady]

Glad to hear it all worked out.

[Simon_R]

Glad you got your bow fixed. Hope you get onto some good game.