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Felidae,
Where do you practice? It is VERY easy to lose arrows!! Grass does not need to be long and with other vegetation and without a natural backstop, finding stray arrows becomes an art.
With this in mind, I'd advise buying carbons only when you are confident in your ability, they are cheaper than quality Korean bamboo arrows but they are way too expensive to lose. If you intend to use your thumb, do it now, it is totally different and using a Mediterranean draw and then trying to switch will be more difficult due to muscle memory. You will also probably lose more arrows as well.
Making a thumb ring from leather is simple and the result is very effective. It's all I use.
I can't post a photo, sorry, mine are re-served already. The double serving is one continuous length, covering first the string and then back over itself. If you very carefully slice into the material near the make off point you will be able to cut through a strand of the second covering and then you can unwind it. But you need to know how to finish off the serving.
Of course you can always just remove it all and do a single serving of your own.
Gabriel wrote:How to pill off the first layer of the serving place? Using a knife? From where do i start, i don´t see a tread from which i could start stripping it off.
Very carefully, with a razor blade. Have you served a string before? If not, better to ask someone who has to show you, explaining the process in words would be just too difficult.
Gabriel,
The Hwarang is double served, remove it and re-serve, standard nocks will then fit ok.
I don't know if things have recently changed but the shafts are from the same supplier. Tiger supplies Mark Hill.
Olivier Coulazou wrote:Thanks Thomas. I m using 55-60# actually. Yes, they breack at the node. I m shooting at a straw target at 12 meters for training. I buy shafts from an ebay seller in UK , the shafts have Tiger marked on them.
I've used Tiger shafts, they are ok but are mass produced therefore quality from shaft to shaft can vary ... a lot. Same thing goes for the weight. He has followed the 'spine' direction, I think he'd be better off selling shafts by weight.
He does tend to indulge in self gratification, constantly endorsing his methods. However my own experience is they are brittle and prone to damage.
At 12m I'd guess the arrow has not righted itself enough and is hitting the target at an angle and the whiplash effect is snapping the shaft. This is what happened when I shot a close target.
Check each shaft very carefully, looking for signs of fracture or other potential problem. I've found some with longitudinal splits between the fibres and others with stress fractures. Anyone who has prepared bamboo shafts for arrows will recognise these fractures as areas that fail during straightening.
So, these shafts are ok but do check them thoroughly.
Sorry to hear this Deagol. I am surprised that the string nocks require sanding, also. Sounds like pretty basic, poor finish.
What is your draw length out of curiosity? Just wondering if it was longer than that specified for the bow. Bows do break and it can be very, very scary. My friend had a 120# warbow break at full 32" draw! He lived 
Hold an open hand out in front of you, index finger upmost. Balance the bow by its string over your index finger. Rotate your hand palm up (and towards upper limb) until your little finger touches the string. This is your nocking point.
Take a look at the force draw curve of various Korean bows here
http://www.koreanarchery.org/punbb/viewtopic.php?id=232
Allowing 3" to your normal draw will arrive at around 29", you will notice that it is at around this point that a steep increase is experienced. The bow will draw smoothly to 29".
Some are measured at both 28" and 31", for example my own bow which is 42# at 28" and 55# at 32.5".
Welcome Sissara and thank you for posting this information. I am guessing your master was considering stability when suggesting the longer version.
What is the situation with these arrows? Do we have anymore info regarding price and availability?
Thanks Kanuck,
Take a look here .. http://www.koreanarchery.org/punbb/viewtopic.php?id=149
http://www.koreanarchery.org/index.php? … &id=65
I based my arrows on various Korean traditional arrows I'd seen. These are one and a half inches from fletching to nock, two inches in total behind the fletchings.
Korean arrows are quite different from Turkish or Mughal arrows where the fletching continues over the sinew binding and onto the nock itself.
Oh yes! It really hurts!
These were six shafts with perfectly matching nodes that I cut from my Japonica. Only five now 
"I shot an arrow in the air, it came back down I know not where." 
Putting it bluntly, they make Korean bows, take them or leave them. With KTB there are standards as there are with other traditional bows and these standards suit the needs of that particular culture.
Synthetic or otherwise, I am sure the bowyer could accomodate many of our requests and I am certain such personal treatment would demand premium prices 
As Bluelake has pointed out, there is a limited market percentage for longer bows, the cost of producing them would not be worth the effort.
Same as other manufacturers, they have a range of models and you choose from that range.
EM,
These are the only bows I've come across that offer two measurements, the 28" is to satisfy western archers. It would seem that with a 31" measurement, this is what the bowyers consider the optimum draw length. Safety is factored in when tillering a bow, therefore another inch should be fine. Asking that bow for another 4" is going to end in misery.
I cannot coment on the Kaya bow but at 52" it probably will be ok.
Bows are weighed at the optimum draw length as determined by the bowyer. With mediterranean draw this is generally 28" as the average draw length of an adult male. Up to this point is therefore not considered important enough, I guess. Many bowyers will however state a maximum draw limit.
Not sure but I suspect these KTB models are weighed at 28" to go along with the accepted standard.
p.s. Beautiful form in that last picture. I would guess he is drawing around 32". Shorter arms anyone?
Welcome Florian.
The bows you quote are, I suppose, one and the same with 'Hwarang' being the trade name used by our Bluelake. SMG and YMG both are excellent replicas of the Korean hornbow, with slight variations in materials.
I will leave Bluelake fill you in with the details.
The beauty of these bush clover pieces used for nocks is they are cut from small diameters not boards, the grain is circular not straight.
If it's any help, I made some arrows in the Korean style and unable to source bush clover, I used seasoned holly. I was happy with the result.
Raven,
The nock of the arrow is at a point that would be level with the back of my ear, the back of the fletching below my earlobe. This is a draw of 32.5" measured to the back of the bow/rear of the point, my arrows are 33.5".
Looking at EM's comparison photos above, you will notice a difference in the drawing hand which I suspect is being emphasised by a higher elbow position. I understand the problem EM is finding as I find the same. In my opinion, my bow is drawn to the optimal length intended but my draw is a few inches longer, if we consider a classical Korean stance. If you try a bit of 'air'archery' and draw your hand back, you will find a natural end to your draw. At this point the knuckle of your thumb will be level with the point of your deltoid and there is maximum back tension. If you try to draw further, your drawing elbow begins to rotate around your body, which affects the drawing hand.
If my bow was a few inches longer, this draw length would be achievable. I think it's simply a case of adjusting form to suit the bow.
There are many depictions from the various Asiatic bow cultures and most (save Scythian) display the archer with a long draw and similarly, most arrows found have been long. Interesting that early (Scythian) and late (Turkish) cultures feature shorter draw lengths.
EM,
I think your form is very good and if you look at the limbs of your bow, it's as much as you will achieve. A Janggung may help but not much. Take a look at a number of different Korean archers, there is plenty of variation in style.
I doubt very much that the bowyers intended these bows to be drawn to these extreme lengths. It is asking much of such a short bow whose limb geometry is already considerable, to bend yet further, for another three inches.
To safely achieve 35" or more, I would expect the bow itself to be longer, by as much as 3"or even more. Note, safely means within a specified range and not absolute limit.
Thanks for posting the information, Ginni.
The weight and density varies considerably with bamboo, with some similar looking shafts I've seen 100+gr difference.
I've made sets of arrows from 370gr - 550gr (finished arrows 35") I've previously cut some that were over 400gr as bare 32" shafts.
Correct elbow position and hand of my bow arm is ok. Since this neck problem, I struggle to get the string close to my face, naturally drawing to what feels right and is comfortable. However, this is away from my face, a 'floating anchor' and naturally sends the string along the wrong path. It takes much concentration and effort to work through this, I've not drawn a bow for a couple of months now.
Just the odd few where the fletchings woke me up. The wrist can account for more experience (pain) early on, that small brace height. I still struggle with this now from time to time but that is due to a neck problem that won't allow me to draw as I want to. It's a nuisance.
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