Traditional Muzzleloading Association
Traditional Firearms => Traditional Archery => Topic started by: Darren Haverstick on October 02, 2021, 12:22:33 PM
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(https://i.imgur.com/rPR9K4k.jpg)
There is a giant fish in the Amazon River basin called a pirarucu, or arapaima, whose hide is turned into some very unique looking leather. The Springfield Leather Company has some in their store and I periodically go in and pet the hides because I cannot afford to buy them. The cool look they sport comes with a hefty price tag.
So I walked into that store a couple of weeks ago and the first thing I saw was a beautiful hair-on calf hide. Now I normally don't buy those things because I think they're hard to work with but this one spoke to me so I picked it up in case I found something else to go with it. Well, that "something else" was a piece of pirarucu hide over in the remnants pile that was just big enough to make an arm guard out of. As soon as I saw those two pieces of leather together, I knew immediately what I was going to make and who I was going to make it for.
(https://i.imgur.com/GZA6MUt.jpg)
I have a good friend named Mike Dunnaway who is the owner of Wild Horse Creek Bows. He a bowyer second to none, but he is also an avid fly fisherman. He has some great stories about him fly fishing for peacock bass in Brazil and when I found that piece of Amazon fish leather I knew I had to make him something out of it. I didn't even know if Mike wore arm guards but he was getting one nevertheless.
(https://i.imgur.com/BaXKZfa.jpg)
So here is the finished product. Mike got it yesterday and seemed quite pleased with it. As it turns out, his birthday is in a couple of days so he received an unplanned birthday present from me. The facing is made from the piece of pirarucu I found and the backing is vegetable-tanned cowhide. The horse head silhouette is made from that calf hide and I did the black matting in deer hide. The maroon trim is elk hide. I carved the lace hooks from deer antler and sewed it all up by hand using artificial sinew.
Happy birthday, Mike!
Darren
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:bow WOW! Great work Darren as usual…umm, as an FYI…I sewed on a button one time…and didn’t stick my finger! 8)
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Cool. Mike is a great guy. And superb bowyer. I love my WHC Bows.
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Cool. Mike is a great guy. And superb bowyer. I love my WHC Bows.
I have 4 of his bows, 2 recurves and 2 longbows, and love every one of them. He's the guy I refer to as "my regular bowyer". Are you going to his customer appreciation shoot this year? It is a lot of fun.
Darren
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Well you certainly do some nice work. I haven't gotten to arm guards yet in my leather obsession but when I do I hope I can make them half as good as yourn be.
Kevin