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HHC
American Wolf
Fisk One-piece Longbows

Benefits

Both the HHC and the American Wolf Longbows are built on the same order
of the take-down longbows, except they are one-piece bows.

The American Wolf could be called a one-piece Black Wolf because
of the similarity of design and materials application.

The HHC is a Hill style, commemorative longbow with set-back in the limbs,
instead of the typical Reflex/Deflex common to my take-downs
and the American Wolf longbows.

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Exotic Hardwood Riser

Building any longbow with exotic hardwood gives the finished product a higher standard of quality and craftsmanship. It is the standard in the industry. I use only high-grade materials that are busy in color and figure. Raw stock is selected for me by my vendor and carefully graded.

The riser sight-window is cut so the arrow rides 1/8 th inch off center. This seems to produce the best arrow performance. The shelf or rest is cut to form a radius from back to belly. The strike plate is cut to form a radius from back to belly. Both surfaces are covered with leather. Where the two radii meet the arrow makes contact with the bow. This geometry seems to produce the best arrow performance. By making sure to keep the leading edge of the fletching smooth on all arrows shot out of these bows the life of the arrow rest is unlimited. Proper waxing and oiling keeps the leather arrow rest and strike plate in good condition for the life of the bow.

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Bamboo Core Limbs

Bamboo has higher elasticity with adequate compression strength, and less physical weight than any wood that can be used to build a longbow. Bamboo is a grass that grows with very straight, strong grain.

It was no accident that fly-rod builders began using bamboo in the construction of high-dollar, split-bamboo rods. Because of its cast and elasticity, it set the standard for sport fishermen around the turn of the last century. FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) replaced the rods eventually, but, today craftsmen still use bamboo in custom rods. Once I realized that the combination of bamboo and modern FRP produced the best cast for my bows, I began using this combination almost exclusively. Today, all my bows are built with bamboo lamination in the limbs, backed with carbon. A combination of carbon and fiberglass is laminated to the belly on the outside surface. These composite "skins" are ground very thin in order to optimize the highest stress possible. When the bows are tillered, I avoid sanding down the surfaces of the FRP to achieve balance between the top and the bottom limb. The top limb lamination are ground 0.004 of an inch thinner than the bottom limb lamination. This produces a bow with a tiller between top and bottom limbs that varies by four pounds. In other words, the top limb pulls four pounds less than the bottom limb. This produces a "heavy chested" longbow. With this design, any of my longbows will shoot a variety of differently spined arrows well, including graphite, carbon, wood and aluminum.

My bamboo comes from Japan and it is tempered. The Japanese refer to this as a "carbonizing" process. The effect produces a more resilient and trouble free bow limb with a "sweet cast". It also reduces handshock and the bows do not stack.

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Carbon/Graphite Backing FRP

Carbon/Graphite is the latest fiber reinforced plastic that is similar to fiberglass. Carbon has higher elasticity than fiberglass in tension. It has very high tensile strength and low physical weight. Backing a bow limb with it enables the bowyer to increase tensile stress and reduce the overall physical weight of the limb. The effect increases the recovery rate of the bow, reduces stack and practically eliminates handshock.

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Carbon/Graphite/Fiberglass Belly FRP

Carbon is much weaker in compression on the belly than fiberglass. But, by "backing" it with fiberglass it gives strength and increases the amount of elasticity on the belly of the bow limb. After years of experimenting with this combination, I have not found anything that compares. Limb stack and handshock are reduced, while smoothness, cast and speed are increased.

Many people argue that carbon FRP does not contribute much to any bow. This may be the case if the design and other factors are not taken into consideration. However, any Black Wolf typically casts arrows with the same speed and stability as a recurve of equal weight. As often as not, the recurve can even pull heavier and any of my bows will keep up in performance.

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Reflex/Deflex/Trapezoid Limb Design

The Black Wolf and EL Lobo limb taper is 2:1 in overall length from the riser to the tip. The limbs taper in length, width, thickness and from the belly to the back. The back is 30% narrower than the belly. The reason for all the tapering is to reduce physical mass. Recurving the last third of the bow limb makes it possible to reduce the limb mass even more, but, it also pre-stresses the limb so when the bow is strung it has higher tension. Higher limb tension created from reduced limb mass and the reflex limb design produces a faster shooting bow. The Deflex helps reduce handshock because Deflex forces the bow limbs to recover in an outward vector more than forward. The limbs of common longbows designed without Deflex recover more in a forward vector with the results of higher handshock. If the top limb recovers in the opposite direction from the bottom limb, residual vibration (handshock) from shooting an arrow is cancelled in the riser where the bow is held. Deflex directs handshock away from the riser because the movement of the top limb is opposite the movement of the bottom limb.

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FastfIight, Continuous Loop Bowstrings

When Fastflight was introduced to archery I started using it. I abandoned Dacron Flemish twist strings as soon as I realized how much energy I lost to twisted strings that stretch. I simply built the limb nocks to handle the additional stress. Today, there are many different string choices. I have found that FF is good enough. I do not use FF Flemish twist strings on my bows. Twisting a string defeats the purpose of using Fastflight. Any excessively twisted string stretches as the bow is shot. Twisted strings absorb mechanical energy more than those that are not twisted. Also, strings that stretch less create less vibration. Strings that vibrate less reduce handshock and the painful slap to the forearm.

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Leather Handle Wrap

The leather handle wrap I use on my bows is the same as the leather wrapping on tennis rackets and golf clubs. Both activities are intense and sweaty. These wraps take "buck fever" into consideration and perform. They age beautifully with a minimum of service. Any good leather treatment works on them to restore oils and color.

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HHC

This full view photo shows the HHC strung. Note the "Crescent" shape of the bow instead of the common D-shape of many Hill style longbows. By using pre-stressed, tapered bamboo lamination in the core of the bow the last one-third of the limbs are reflexed or recurved in the bow form. The set-back creates a "whip-ended" bow that has less mass and more cast. In combination with the FRP carbon there is less weight in the limbs, which reduces handshock. These bows are 66-inches in length with a  6 1/4" to 7 1/8" brace-height.


Both the HHC and the American Wolf longbows are designed and built for those who do not need a take-down longbow.

The HHC honors the memory of Howard Hill, but, it is not a copy of any Hill bow on the market today. The riser is reminiscent of a Hill bow. The limbs are an inspiration from Fred Anderson, and they are "whip-ended". Whip-ended limbs are pre-stressed because of the tapered lamination and the "recurved set-back or reflex" design in the last third of the limbs. This produces a physically lighter weight limb tip with more power than one that is straight and parallel. With the reduced weight and increased stress caused by the Carbon FRP, the bow shoots with 75% less handshock than any Hill style longbow on the market today.

With the dramatic reduction in handshock and the quiet, smooth draw the HHC is a classic, elegant longbow. It is made in a 66-inch length only. It is priced right so anyone can afford to own one. It uses Fastflight, continuous loop strings only. The handle is leather wrapped, similar to any of my take-down longbows.

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American Wolf

With a reflexed style limb, the American Wolf is the same as the Black Wolf only in a one-piece design. Both the American Wolf and the HHC is "Heavy Chested" with the tiller of the top limb four pounds lighter in draw than the bottom limbs. Each is designed to draw smoothly, with no stack. Handshock is eliminated by the design and the materials application. Both bows use continuous loop fastflight strings.

 

Cost/Warranty

  Model
  Length
  Cost
 HHC
 66"
 $950
 American Wolf
 62"- 68"
 $950

*Optional rattlesnake skin backing: $200 materials/labor
*Limited warranty of 2 years against materials and workmanship
*Shipping/Handling: $35

Jim Fisk
Fisk Longbows
10759 Springhill Rd.
Erie, IL 61250
(815) 590-2965
jim@fisklongbows.com

 

 

 

 

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Fisk Longbows

Jim Fisk
10759 Springhill Rd.
Erie, IL  61250
(815) 590-2965
jim@fisklongbows.com