Hwarang Birch Swap...

So do you think it'll damage the....integrity of the limbs if I remove the birch?  I'd just hate to shoot an arrow and two limbs at my target  .  I've worked on wood bows, and know wood needs a backing to keep it from fracturing, but these aren't the same.

What is the cause of the birch coming off? How old is the bow? Is it due to rain or weather?

Can you post some pics of this misterwonky?

Thomas, what would be the best way for a guy to protect a new bow from such a thing happening?

I know its natural material, but I would like to make it last as long as possible on my bow.

Joseph

Just wanted to chime in and set anyone at ease.  I was chasing a racoon (it keeps getting into my trash), I slipped on the deck and fell three feet or so bow-first .  Now I've put a lot of palm wax on it to protect it (which I think is the typical "shoewax" in Korea), but the fall was just too much.

Anyone that may come across this.....I wouldn't expect your birch to simply mess up easily....in fact I've been having a tough time getting it off, and my specialty is resurfacing woods and metals.  I added a foot-note on the first post in this thread to explain what happened, and considering what all happened, I think the bow took it like a real trooper!

You could try wrapping the limbs with some silk or similar type of material.

Ive seen it poorly done by dipping the silk in an epoxy, and then, wrapping the bow.

Like I said it was poorly done when I saw it, and the bowyer is less than, but it might work with the right person doing it.

I've been taking photos throughout the entire process, and was thinking about posting them, but I would hate for anyone inexperienced to attempt this.  If it's okay with Thomas, I'll post it when I'm done, but if he thinks that is a bad idea I'll hold off (being that he's the seller of these).

My special superpower is finishing surfaces lol, but I did put a "glass" finish on a section to see how it looks, and I can honestly say that it doesn't look that great.  It looks like a carbon arrow, and has that "pencil lead" lookto it, and it really takes away from the rest of the bow.  At this very moment I'm gluing some  synthetic black suede onto it, and I'm going to redo all of the string with either red or royal blue.  I'm copying the original layout, so the paper pulp belly will be the same.

Also, I want to say that these bows are fantastically built; I didn't quite appreciate the bowyers work until I started redoing it....ever single measurement is delicately marked, and the build quality is simply topnotch.

I'm with you Thomas, in regards to the aesthetic of birch bark.

Just struggle a little bit with the want to take it to the woods, and the fear of hurting it.

But the birch bark looks great!

Snake skin is a great idea. Might have to think about that if the birch bark on mine ever goes bad.

Hey guys, I just wanted to post an update to the work I've done on it.  As of right now it's done, but I do have to go out and find a polishing block to burnish everything up nicely as a finally (especially the belly and fabric).

I went with "furniture grade" 100% polyester suede from a local fabric store.  I chose this because this bow is pretty much my left arm, and I want to make sure that it's tough while still maintaining that delicate feel.  The first go around I rolled the fabric to the belly just as the birch was, but honestly....I felt like the beautiful veneers u dear it we're being hidden, and being a perfectionist, I decided to just back it with the material, and clean up the sides.  The glue that is used for the birch is like a rubber cement, and I have to say that this is the toughest glue I've ever tried to remove, but not it that rock hard epoxy way, rather like they old Looney tunes cartoon way.  I do NOT recommend that anyone else try to do this....it was a nightmare 95% of the time.  I thought I ruined the bow a couple of times (not a good feeling), but it ended up being glue that was stuck on.  All in all, if I could steer anyone clear from trying this I would.  With that said, I'm very haply with the results, and while it isn't nearly as pretty as the birch, I do like it more, and i , for the first time ever, am not concerned if the backing is safe.

Lastly, excuse any typos in here....I'm on my phone .

Since the backing of modern korean bows are just decorative layer. Removal them couldn't ruin  bow's performance.
Firstly I found most makers use rubber adhesive for this layer. It can be safely removed with oil or petrol based solvent.
Some makers add another urethane foam layer under the backing. This is also for decorative as it add a convex profile, similar with sinew backing. But technically it would contribute negligible amount to bow's performance and can be removed as well.
I had tried many things for replacement backing except birch bark which is not available in Thailand. Bare FRP backing looks nice modern jet black. Paper backing also give a bark feeling and easy to work with but may crack after some time. Fabric, stretchy variety (most modern korean bow use them) is very durable but a bit difficult to work with. Synthetic suede like modern KAYA KTB also looks nice but get dirty very quick. Basically, you may add any flexible material onto the back.
I found rubber adhesive is good for most materials and easy to work with. You may apply them to both the bow bare back and fabric and let it tacky dry then apply the fabic in the same way with sticker.

This is SMG bow with worn out fabric removed and then replaced with red pulp paper. A couple clear coat layers are applied for durability. It has some surface cracks after a year use but still looks nice. 

Thank you 
Rubber pads fom SMG worn out a couple years ago so I replaced with thick leather piece.
The painting is just only testing area for gold color felt-tip pen.

It 's as quiet as rubber. Now I have red felt on leather face to make it looks even more authentic.

Yeah you could polish it, but it looks carbon fibery, which I didn't care for too much.  The bows, under the birch, are beautiful, and I actually prefer that to the birch, but that backing of carbon ruins it.  I have really been enjoying the synthetic suede that I used, and all I did was cover the carbon fiber backing.  I thought about finding a sliver of bamboo (super thin), and gluing it onto the backing, but I couldn't find anything g that worked.  If you come across bamboo like this, please let me know, because that would be my perfect setup.

Also, be careful with that carbon fiber.  It's stranded, and I splintered a very tiny piece (like hair sized), and it would've gotten bigger if I hadn't noticed it while working on it.  Nothing that some 2 ton epoxy didn't fixed, but definitely be careful, and take notice of that.