1 Topic by misterwonky (edited by misterwonky 2013-08-05 21:00:41)

  • Registered: 2013-08-02
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Topic: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

So I've been shooting since the age of 4, and a lot of that has been off of the knuckle, but my past bows, however, aren't anything similar to a Korean bow.  I currently don't have a bow, and the bow I purchase will be my EVERYDAY bow that will be shot for a few hours a day.  I'm a one bow guy, and this will be used like a third arm.  I'm a list person, so here's a list of questions!  Even if someone just answers one, it'll be really helpful for me!  big_smile

-The profile is extreme....when the limbs get parallel, it looks like a lot of bad stuff is going to happen.  I know it's not, but how is the durability within the limbs?  Obviously, I expect them to be great at first, but how about YEARS down the road?

-Is there any quirky problems that I should be aware of before buying one?  As of right now, I know that the limb rests / string dampener come off sometimes when stringing the bow.  I also know that the arrow pads will wear down, but I am handy with leather work, and could redo it whenever I needed to.  That is the extent of the problems I know about, so if there's anything else that I left out, it's because I'm not aware of it.

-I've made longbows in the past, and am familiar with backings, but I have never seen a bow backed with birch.  It's beautiful, but will it last?  If not, then I would look at the cheaper bows with synthetic birch backing.

-I should shoot exactly 28" draw length.  If I get a 50# or a 55# at 28", what should I expect at the longer and more traditional draw?  I'm ASSUMING about 65# or so... is this a proper assumption?

-Lastly, could this bow be a reliable companion for many years if I shoot it daily?  I take care of everything I own, and it would be babied.

I think that's all.  I emailed Thomas a few times, and he was really helpful, but thought that the durability and "quirks" questions would be best asked within the community.  Anyway, thanks a bunch for your time!

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  • Mule
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Re: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

misterwonky wrote:

Even if someone just answers one, it'll be really helpful for me!  big_smile

I'm also in the market for a bow, none of this is first hand knowledge but I have the advantage of being Korean (living abroad) so I've been trawling through various Korean archery forums for information.

misterwonky wrote:

-The profile is extreme....when the limbs get parallel, it looks like a lot of bad stuff is going to happen.  I know it's not, but how is the durability within the limbs?  Obviously, I expect them to be great at first, but how about YEARS down the road?

I haven't read anything about limbs failing completely, just a few people mentioning that after years of use the bow's poundage has dropped so they're buying replacements. Same problem as any bow that gets shot alot I suppose.

misterwonky wrote:

-I've made longbows in the past, and am familiar with backings, but I have never seen a bow backed with birch.  It's beautiful, but will it last?  If not, then I would look at the cheaper bows with synthetic birch backing.

There seems to be two modes of failure, splitting within the bark (this is quoted by SMG as the reason why they used to use birch but switched to synthetic) and adhesive failure; the backing coming off the bow. Bowyers offer a replacement service but also say you can fix it yourself with some superglue. Not sure how common these are.

misterwonky wrote:

-I should shoot exactly 28" draw length.  If I get a 50# or a 55# at 28", what should I expect at the longer and more traditional draw?  I'm ASSUMING about 65# or so... is this a proper assumption?

Here's a thread with some awesome draw force curves: http://www.koreanarchery.org/punbb/viewtopic.php?id=232

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  • Registered: 2013-08-02
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Re: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

Thanks a lot Mule, that's awesome information.  I saw that graph, but I think it was when I roamed a bunch of the other forums....and I guess I didn't see it as a Korean bow.  I'm still blown away at the amount of energy these things can store.  I wasn't aware that SMG has acknowledged the problems with the backing.  I have efficient knowledge of backing bows and working on primitives, so I think I could repair it if I ever have to.  I can't deny that it would be a long-term concern for me, though.

I have had a bow that got weaker with time, though, it wasn't very significant (dropped maybe 7-10# after HEAVY usage).  Ideally, I would get a 55#, and TRY to learn the traditional form of shooting.  So it looks like it should scale to about 70# at extended draw.  It should still be really efficient after a lot of use (I think anything over 50# is a good power).

Anyway, thanks for the response!

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  • Registered: 2010-10-15
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Re: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

MW,

There are probably a couple of reasons SMG stopped using birch, although I think the splitting issue was not the first.  Actually, the main reason is that the birch bark used on the bows is hard to obtain now.  It came from NE China and, when Chinese locals found that there was money in the trees, they stripped them all (this is from conversations with bowyers years ago).  Now, bowyers are using birch bark that they have stored.

It's interesting to note, regarding SMG and birch bark, that Mr. Park learned the proper way to attach it to bows by Mr. Geuk-hwan Park, the horn bowyer in my video on horn bow crafting.  Before that, he was doing it incorrectly and the results were iffy. 


T

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5 Reply by sissara (edited by sissara 2013-08-07 11:21:02)

  • Registered: 2012-02-01
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Re: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

Hi MW,
I experience a few problems on many modern material, traditional korean bows I handled. Some of them are SMG and some are YMG I think these problems are not generalized as they seems to be specific to that particular bow. They are:
One of heavy used bow has delarmination between core and belly material.
Many of them has rubber bridges flew off. So I had to put a replacement rubber bridges or thick leather pads.
Low poundage bows are susceptible to set.
High poundage bows start stacking at 31". They are good at 32", just not very smooth draw as ones expected.

One thing you should aware of is the birch backing do not provide physical support to the limbs. They are just cosmetic and their traditional function is protecting the sinew back from moisture. The modern material bows do not require birch bark. If you have one, they may peel off if you bump the limbs with hard surface and it is easily to fix. They do not simply peel off by backing extension. Personally, I found fabric/synthetic backings are very easy to peel out and replaced by your favorite material.

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6 Reply by misterwonky (edited by misterwonky 2013-08-08 05:00:38)

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Re: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

Thanks for the answers so far!

What do you mean it "sets"?  Do you mean a type of shape retention?  I don't really mind stacking that high, but was going to go for something like a 55# @ 28".  I suppose I didn't realize that the bow is so synthetic; I've only used and tilled bows out of wood (oak mostly), and I've learned from experience that the backing is probably the most important part...without it there is immediate catastrophic failure, but with the use of full synthetic, I suppose the birch coming up isn't even an issue...I was concerned about safety, not cosmetic.

I suppose my only real concern now is delamination.  It is really to my understanding that this is a problem with some of SMGs (only one review talked about it), and a few of the Kayas (especially the Kahn).  I'll continue to be optimistic about the YMGs for now.  Thanks again for all of the answers!

sissara wrote:

Hi MW,
I experience a few problems on many modern material, traditional korean bows I handled. Some of them are SMG and some are YMG I think these problems are not generalized as they seems to be specific to that particular bow. They are:
One of heavy used bow has delarmination between core and belly material.
Many of them has rubber bridges flew off. So I had to put a replacement rubber bridges or thick leather pads.
Low poundage bows are susceptible to set.
High poundage bows start stacking at 31". They are good at 32", just not very smooth draw as ones expected.

One thing you should aware of is the birch backing do not provide physical support to the limbs. They are just cosmetic and their traditional function is protecting the sinew back from moisture. The modern material bows do not require birch bark. If you have one, they may peel off if you bump the limbs with hard surface and it is easily to fix. They do not simply peel off by backing extension. Personally, I found fabric/synthetic backings are very easy to peel out and replaced by your favorite material.

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  • Registered: 2010-10-15
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Re: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

misterwonky wrote:

Thanks for the answers so far!

I suppose my only real concern now is delamination.  It is really to my understanding that this is a problem with some of SMGs (only one review talked about it), and a few of the Kayas (especially the Kahn).  I'll continue to be optimistic about the YMGs for now.  Thanks again for all of the answers!

In my experience, rare delamination of YMGs came almost exclusively from user error; specifically, flexing an unstrung bow in the opposite direction.

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  • Registered: 2013-08-02
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Re: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

bluelake wrote:
misterwonky wrote:

Thanks for the answers so far!

I suppose my only real concern now is delamination.  It is really to my understanding that this is a problem with some of SMGs (only one review talked about it), and a few of the Kayas (especially the Kahn).  I'll continue to be optimistic about the YMGs for now.  Thanks again for all of the answers!

In my experience, rare delamination of YMGs came almost exclusively from user error; specifically, flexing an unstrung bow in the opposite direction.

Ouch, that makes me cringe.  Why would anyone ever mistreat their bow?  As far as the YMGs, I'm not finding any documented case of delamination.  I'm sure they're out there, but if they're rare enough to be so under the radar, then it's rare enough to not be concerned about it.  Thanks for the replay!

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  • Registered: 2010-10-15
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Re: I'm about to bite the bullet on a YMG and need some info!

misterwonky wrote:
bluelake wrote:
misterwonky wrote:

Thanks for the answers so far!

I suppose my only real concern now is delamination.  It is really to my understanding that this is a problem with some of SMGs (only one review talked about it), and a few of the Kayas (especially the Kahn).  I'll continue to be optimistic about the YMGs for now.  Thanks again for all of the answers!

In my experience, rare delamination of YMGs came almost exclusively from user error; specifically, flexing an unstrung bow in the opposite direction.

Ouch, that makes me cringe.  Why would anyone ever mistreat their bow?  As far as the YMGs, I'm not finding any documented case of delamination.  I'm sure they're out there, but if they're rare enough to be so under the radar, then it's rare enough to not be concerned about it.  Thanks for the replay!

I'm not sure if people did it purposely, but I guess it's possible.  Yes, very rare.

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