Grey Drakkon Report post Posted September 18, 2014 This was my first attempt at an arm guard. Solofalcon's work in particular was an inspiration to make me jump in and give it a shot (hurr). The other inspiration was necessity. I managed to get my hands on a Palomino recurve bow and since I want to actually use it, I needed some arm protection. I had snapped my arm badly in the past and I didn't want a repeat of it, so a full guard was called for. I kinda fumbled along, and since I knew I'd screw it up I wasn't too concerned when I encountered difficulties and flubbed a few things. The pattern on it is definitely not a mirror image, and when grooving it out I encountered different textures within the leather that made it carve unevenly. I figured that made for good practice though, so I just went with it. First pic shows the guard before staining and finishing the edges. Last couple are action shots with me using it. I did manage to give my arm a light snap once when target shooting, and it did a great job of blocking it. Next guard I make will be darker to match my bow, and I'll probably leave off of the cluster of decoration at the bend of the elbow, since it looks like that area will see a lot of strain and will probably muck any decoration up. I was pretty pleased with how the lacing worked, it was easy to put on and tighten (I cannibalized a sliding draw string thing from a backpack I think) and it stayed put without making my arm suffocate. My stitching is atrocious, but the leather will rip before those suckers come loose at least. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy Coyote Report post Posted September 18, 2014 I like the lacing solution. I don't usually care for grommets or lace hooks, the integrated loop works great. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Splash Report post Posted September 18, 2014 I can say that I like the design. Smart thinking on your part IMHO. A lot of people does not like the guard to go above the bend at the elbow and then the string hits the edge. One thing I see is that the your knife could benefit from stroping as it will make your knife cuts smoother. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grey Drakkon Report post Posted September 18, 2014 If you're talking about the decoration along the inside, I actually used an edge groover. :x In retrospect, I should have just carved it with a knife but I didn't realize how difficult it would be when I started, and by then I had committed. Next time I'll definitely be using a sharp knife instead of the groover. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigfoot Report post Posted February 5, 2015 I think you did well considering you were using a groover! How did the lacing work out....does it hold it on securely....in the first pic it looks like it would slip of you straightened the arm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grey Drakkon Report post Posted February 25, 2015 I think you did well considering you were using a groover! How did the lacing work out....does it hold it on securely....in the first pic it looks like it would slip of you straightened the arm? Actually it stays in place quite well as long as I keep my arm straight. The problem comes when I repeatedly bend my arm, since it's up high enough that the bend of the elbow is covered, which gives it a tendency to wiggle down over time. I just tug it back into place and fiddle with the sliding stop on the cords. I think if I actually tied it off or had a firmer way of holding the cord ends then it wouldn't be as much of an issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
