Archery 'Glove'

[fredk]

My #1 favourite dottir texted me earlier today; can I make her a glove for her archery ? A 'finger' glove I think she wants, not a full glove

There are so many variations on the theme I just don't know where to start so any ideas or guidance would be most welcome

for extra info; she is using a re-curve bow and is a 3-finger string puller

[kgg]

5 minutes ago, fredk said:

My #1 favourite dottir texted me earlier today; can I make her a glove for her archery ?

I would ask her to email you a photo of her existing glove or style she likes. Better yet would be if she sent you her glove so that way she gets what she wants in the weight of leather and style she feels comfortable wearing.

kgg

[Samalan]

24 minutes ago, fredk said:

My #1 favourite dottir texted me earlier today; can I make her a glove for her archery ? A 'finger' glove I think she wants, not a full glove

There are so many variations on the theme I just don't know where to start so any ideas or guidance would be most welcome

for extra info; she is using a re-curve bow and is a 3-finger string puller

Go on line look up Neet products deluxe leather shooting gloves from there you can see the design it really very simple hope this helps

[Gezzer]

I'll second what kgg said and add that there are 2 schools on gloves . 1st is thicker , heavy weight , and harder finish  to help the string slip away . 2nd and the one I always preferred  is supple and light weight leather so as to feel the ridges on the serving .  But in all honesty ..... if you can talk her into shooting a tab   her shooting WILL improve !!!

[fredk]

Both good ideas, except, she is borrowing different tabs and gloves from the club. Thus she wants her own. And she doesn't really know what she wants either. Its a case of 'dad will know and sort it out'. She did say recently that she doesn't really like the tabs. I think what she wants is a cross between a finger glove and tab

[chuck123wapati]

8 minutes ago, fredk said:

Both good ideas, except, she is borrowing different tabs and gloves from the club. Thus she wants her own. And she doesn't really know what she wants either. Its a case of 'dad will know and sort it out'. She did say recently that she doesn't really like the tabs. I think what she wants is a cross between a finger glove and tab

 I'll bet she isn't liking borrowing an archery glove they need to fit really well or your shooting just isnt on. If making a glove be sure to get the seams on top of her shooting fingers or they will pinch and make it so she can tie it or tighten it some way around her wrist. I shot recurve probably 30 years and i finally settled on a regular old medium weight leather work glove with the string tightener at the wrist, i would go to the store and try on gloves till i found a good tight fit with the proper length on all three fingers. Length from the wrist tie and the finger tips is important if to long the glove doesn't feel right and will slip during the shot. I also shot with a tab for awhile and used  very light driving glove under it again tight and every finger the right length.

[fredk]

Thanks, good advice there

[Bert03241]

I shot recurve when I was in my early teens, just had a flat  piece of leather

[Gezzer]

2 hours ago, fredk said:

 She did say recently that she doesn't really like the tabs. 

They do take some getting use to , I shot gloved for 10 or 12 years . A buddy got me to agree to try one of his tabs for 2 weeks , at first I hated it and was just wanting the time to be up  LOL ! Went and bought my own before time was up . Do you know if she shoots split finger or 3 below ? It really doesn't matter as they make tabs for both styles . Anyway  I'm sure you will make her a outstanding  glove  and now you have got to post PICS when it's done !!!!!!

 

By the way a tab is much easier to make 

[fredk]

19 minutes ago, Gezzer said:

. . .  Do you know if she shoots split finger or 3 below ? . . .

A good question. I'll text her and ask

20 minutes ago, Gezzer said:

By the way a tab is much easier to make 

yeah but, no but, yeah but, her ladyship wants a glove. I've made literally dozens of tabs over the years

I never used either a tab nor a glove. I used long bow of 55lbs and used bare fingers. I never needed a tab

 

[Sheilajeanne]

I haven't shot for quite a few years, but always preferred a glove. Since I was a leftie, my husband had a hard time finding one. Here it is:

FredK: OUCH!!  I used to use a cut-off section of a lady's dress glove, which, of course, was very thin leather. When I moved to a bow that was heavier than a 20 lb.pull, my poor fingers needed something thicker. The leather on this is about 3-4 oz. for the finger tabs. The closure is velcro, and the black part is elastic. The suede part that covers the back of the hand also extends down the middle of each finger, and attaches to the heavier leather just about over top of where your fingernails would start. The sides of the heavier leather fold up in a U shape, and are sewn to the suede. There's a tab of the heavier leather that goes down the middle of the U to attach to the end of the suede piece.

Ugh. If you can't figure it out from my description, I will take another photo that shows it more plainly! 

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by Sheilajeanne

[Sheilajeanne]

Okay, third picture: 

Hope this helps!  The furry bits you see at the end of the fingers are pieces of thread that were obviously cut rather than burned the way a decent leather crafter would do it! 

I have just been looking more carefully at the glove to see what makes it left-handed rather than right-handed. It's the shape of the finger stalls. The part of the stall that faces up when your hand is in the shooting position comes just to the base of the second finger joint. The other side of the stall is slightly longer.  You can see that in my first photo above.  And, of course, the closing strap has to be on the other side of the glove. Took me 3 tries to close it when I tried it on my right hand!  

There's a LOT more to fitting it properly than I can show in the photos. You will need to do some experimenting, and possibly borrow a glove or two from the other archers in her club.

The elastic is a good idea. It allows the glove to stretch when I bend my hand into the shooting position. The finger stalls are too stiff to bend, so this gives the glove the flexibility it needs. The finger stalls all look to be identical in size. The only difference is the piece of suede going down the middle of the stall has to be longer to fit the middle finger.  The suede extends pretty much to the tip of each finger.

Edited September 11, 2022 by Sheilajeanne

[fredk]

Thanks, that is brilliant. I think that is the sort of thing No.1 dottir is wanting.

I neglected to mention that although she is right handed she shoots left handed

[Sheilajeanne]

Wow! That's a surprise! The biggest problem with being a leftie is finding a left-handed bow! My husband had one custom made for me. Up until then, I used a fiberglass cheapie with a rubber handle that allowed you to rest the arrow on either side.

I had a guitar teacher who was left handed, but he played right handed. If you've ever played a guitar or other stringed instrument, you'll know the left hand does 90% of the work,  so what he said made sense to me: "I can't do much of anything with my right hand!"

Made me wonder why right handed people don't finger the frets with their RIGHT hands! 

Anyhoo, happy to be of help! If you have any questions, feel free to bug me!    I really like the glove, and can't think of anything I'd change about it. Sometimes I have to slip the tabs off my fingers to pull arrows out of the target, and the elastic gives me the flexibility to do that without undoing the wrist strap.

Edited September 11, 2022 by Sheilajeanne

[fredk]

Most of us in my family are slightly ambidextrous. I used to fence both right and left handed. I used to change hands at the end of every touché. That really threw the opponent off their stool. I can shoot pistols with either hand - I'm a rotten shot with either though!

I'm now thinking, because of what you've said, about not getting a leftie glove, that is why No.1 dottir wants me to make one for her

Are bows handed? my long bows aren't. I can shoot just as badly with either left or right hand with them

[Sheilajeanne]

Fred, for a left handed archer, the arrow rest should be on the right side, as when they loose the string, it tend to throw the arrow to the left. This would make it go off target if the rest were on the right.

Does your bow not have an arrow rest?

[fredk]

No long bow I know has an arrow rest. You rest the arrow on your hand, on the last knuckle of your thumb actually

[chuck123wapati]

6 hours ago, fredk said:

No long bow I know has an arrow rest. You rest the arrow on your hand, on the last knuckle of your thumb actually

lol an american made one does i have one it was made by PSE 50#

[chuck123wapati]

8 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Fred, for a left handed archer, the arrow rest should be on the right side, as when they loose the string, it tend to throw the arrow to the left. This would make it go off target if the rest were on the right.

Does your bow not have an arrow rest?

traditional English longbows dont have a rest as Fred said, the left or right problem is taken care of by holding the bow at an angle so the arrow is cast up instead of left or right. Even bows with a rest will shoot left or right because the arrow is still off center a bit if held straight up.  I am left eye dominant so i shoot left but i'm right handed. Learned to shoot with a right handed recurve bow but when i bought my first compound it was a lefty I found i was much more accurate left but can shoot either. Always wanted to try a thumb ring i saw yesterday they make some out of leather i may just make one.

[Sheilajeanne]

What's the purpose of a thumb ring, Chuck?

Yeah, I knew that about the traditional longbows. I have a book about the history of the longbow, and it covers what they found on the Mary Rose in depth. Actor Robert Hardy was the author - I didn't know up until then that he was an avid archer and historian! I just knew him as Siegfried on All Creatures Great and Small.   https://www.amazon.ca/Longbow-Military-History-Robert-Hardy/dp/0750943912

Edit: VERY glad I bought the book when it first came out, and only cost $20!!  Wow!

My bow looks like a broomstick type medieval  longbow, but it's actually laminated wood, and has an arrow rest.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Sheilajeanne

[chuck123wapati]

16 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said:

What's the purpose of a thumb ring, Chuck?

Yeah, I knew that about the traditional longbows. I have a book about the history of the longbow, and it covers what they found on the Mary Rose in depth. Actor Robert Hardy was the author - I didn't know up until then that he was an avid archer and historian! I just knew him as Siegfried on All Creatures Great and Small.   https://www.amazon.ca/Longbow-Military-History-Robert-Hardy/dp/0750943912

Edit: VERY glad I bought the book when it first came out, and only cost $20!!  Wow!

My bow looks like a broomstick type medieval  longbow, but it's actually laminated wood, and has an arrow rest.

another way to pull the string, it was done by hooking the string under the arrow with your thumb only then kind of holding your thumb tip with your first finger. Kind of like shooting a marble if you've ever done that. The Romans for one used that method and used a ring to hold the pressure off of the skin hence a thumb ring. i would love to own a real English yew longbow.

[chuck123wapati]

30 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said:

What's the purpose of a thumb ring, Chuck?

Yeah, I knew that about the traditional longbows. I have a book about the history of the longbow, and it covers what they found on the Mary Rose in depth. Actor Robert Hardy was the author - I didn't know up until then that he was an avid archer and historian! I just knew him as Siegfried on All Creatures Great and Small.   https://www.amazon.ca/Longbow-Military-History-Robert-Hardy/dp/0750943912

Edit: VERY glad I bought the book when it first came out, and only cost $20!!  Wow!

My bow looks like a broomstick type medieval  longbow, but it's actually laminated wood, and has an arrow rest.

It was also used in eastern/ asian cultures

 

https://archeryhistorian.com/archery-thumb-rings/

[Sheilajeanne]

Cool! And very pretty!  Have yet to meet an archer that uses one, though I have seen archers use a caliper release.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Sheilajeanne

[fredk]

1 hour ago, chuck123wapati said:

lol an american made one does i have one it was made by PSE 50#

thats crazy. without an arrow rest by shifting your grip you can increase range or penetration. iirc, if I move my hand down by about 1 inch I can get about 100yards extra distance on clout, without having to lean backwards. If I move my hand up about 1 inch it increases my bow power and I can penetrate thicker plate steel at 50 yards

Also, by having the arrow rest on your hand, having it about 1/4 to 3/8 inch out from the stave the hens will get past easier and reduce the 'archer's paradox'

I was taught all this by, not one, not two, not three, but four Long Bow Archery World Champions

I met 'Siegfried' briefly, once, at the Mary Rose Museum. I saw him and said hello to him and guess what he said ?

 

 He said 'Hello', then he rushed on. Just months later he was dead. I have his books as well. Great reads

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, fredk said:

thats crazy. without an arrow rest by shifting your grip you can increase range or penetration. iirc, if I move my hand down by about 1 inch I can get about 100yards extra distance on clout, without having to lean backwards. If I move my hand up about 1 inch it increases my bow power and I can penetrate thicker plate steel at 50 yards

Also, by having the arrow rest on your hand, having it about 1/4 to 3/8 inch out from the stave the hens will get past easier and reduce the 'archer's paradox'

I was taught all this by, not one, not two, not three, but four Long Bow Archery World Champions

I met 'Siegfried' briefly, once, at the Mary Rose Museum. I saw him and said hello to him and guess what he said ?

 

 He said 'Hello', then he rushed on. Just months later he was dead. I have his books as well. Great reads

Interesting indeed, We lose so more than we gain sometimes when we look for a better (mousetrap) solution to do what our ancients did. I have heard something similar could be done with the three finger under method i tried it for awhile but by the time i learned it i couldn't get to the point of doing it naturally while hunting. All my archery skills were self taught back when archery wasn't a thing in my area. Most landowners at the time wouldn't let me hunt with a bow because they didn't think it would kill a deer lol.  I was one of a handful of people in the county that shot or hunted with a bow, due to that i had to learn to make my arrows and strings. Would have loved to talk to a pro.