Making Georgian horn bow
By Giorgi Kakheli
Making of composite (horn bow) bow is a complex process, using with various materials like horn, bone, sinew, and wood, all held together by natural glue made of sinew or skin. Bows like this was called “Aji” bow. Unlike the wooden bow it is more powerful and the arrows shooting has much starting energy and can develop high speed, which is achieved with the bow tips siyah, which must be as light as possible. Making composite bow requires high master skills and dexterous hand. Like other bows Georgian horn bow has three main layers: wooden core, horn and sinew. Wooden core consists of five parts and all sections has always been joined by a form of V – splice. Belly side of the bow is glued horn, horn strips can be as multiple as one whole, multiple horn strips gives opportunity to make more wide limbs and gives much power, what you can see on the bow from Georgia, Svaneti museum. The back side of bow is covered with sinew, which has enormous ability to stretch and still return elastically to its former length.
This article is written to give some insight into the construction of a Georgian bow.
Materials
Georgian bows are made from a wood, bone, horn and sinew. Bow wooden cores were described as being made of various types of wood like birch, hazel, cornel, maple, apple and others. The rigid ears siyah could be made of light woods like: birch, mulberry, acacia, nut, oak. On the back side of siyah is glued bone and horn plates, nocks also are made from horn. Bow handle (grip) is part with high load and is used hard woods like oak, acacia, or another hard wood. Grip is covered with bone plate and middle of the bone is horn or wood inlay. The belly side of the bow is reinforced with horn and usually is used buffalo, ibex or wild goat horn. The back side is covered with dear or cow legs and back sinew. In that case if you are using multiple horns, all limbs is covered with sinew. For protection from moisture and water finished bows all sinew parts is covered with birch bark.
The building process
Oak grip joins into limbs (ghoza), which is 40 cm in length
Ears (siyah,)
is
made from full board,
On the right two ears are joined to the limbs, on the left little version of
full made bow ready for seasoning.
Horn is cut from back side (multiple horn strips joins together as full)
Making grows on the horn and the core, now they are ready for gluing
On some bows, the core surface is convex fitting in a concave piece of horn. As in case of Georgian bow.
.Cow tendons are dried and scotched, ready for glue making or covering bow
Dried sinew glue. Unlike
fish bladder glue it has much resistance of moisture, but less gelling time, so
it can be mixed with bladder glue for getting much working time.
Bow cores with added horn on the belly side of bow. Siyah nocks (Kilo)
are made from horn too, and the back side of siyah is covered with bone and horn
plates. On the Grip is glued bone and in the middle
part is insert horn strip.
Next step is covering bow with sinew fibers, as on the limb as on siyah and grip section. Sinew is one of the main and incredibly strong components of the bow, which is one of the main sources of the power of the bows.
Now bow is ready for seasoning.
Finished bow, in strung
and unstrung position, covered with birch bark.
This bow is made in style
of XI-XII century Georgian bow.
Thank you for your attention, i hope this presentation will help you to build your own Georgian style bows.