wheres the best place to get a bow for a spar

[OwlsFoot]

my mate s after a perch for his spar and was just wondrin if any of you guys know the best place many thanks people

[Afshimo]

not sure if its right but falconiforms? his are leather topped and very nice, good on the feet and well built. Very nice price too (in a good way)

HTH

[OwlsFoot]

thanks han whats the exact website if you can give it to me and are you still up for the sales weekend8-)

[BFC 007]

http://falconiformes.co.uk/wip_falconiformes_001.htm
:wink:

[Afshimo]

sry, been busey. if its np im still up for the weekend yeah. can't wait! c u

Han

[Blaze]

Try Blackbird he makes good perches!..;)

[Jack Merlin]

my mate s after a perch for his spar and was just wondrin if any of you guys know the best place many thanks people

The local wood?

Gos on natural steam bent hazel bow perch: Cost = Nothing.

[Wilfred]

hello Jack Merlin..how did you bent the hazel bow perch? I mean you say steam that is what i get..but i do not know whether you did that yourself or let it bent by some process or so? I mean i do not know what equipment is needed for steam bending...and what kind of woods can be steam bent?

Would be very interested in this kind of info since i like this idea of making perches that way a lot!

[Sparrow Hawker]

Martin Jones does a nice Spar Bow perch,

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7532&page=2

http://www.falcon-uk.com/blpe.htm (2nd pic down)

HH

[Berkut]

I got a cracking portable spar bow from Crown Falconry.You should get the number from the Falconer magazine.

[Wilfred]

crown falconry is on http://www.crownfalconry.co.uk/blocks_perches.htm.
The perches look very good indeed..and not as expensive as some other suppliers..think i would also go for these if i had to order one.
Actually i informed about prices for making them..and i think with that in mind it is much better just to order them...but for me shipping will cost a lot i guess from UK to Netherlands. At the moment I have some perches made from wood myself...works very well also. They can not go through the perches since they are completely solid inside.

[Jack Merlin]

hello Jack Merlin..how did you bent the hazel bow perch? I mean you say steam that is what i get..but i do not know whether you did that yourself or let it bent by some process or so? I mean i do not know what equipment is needed for steam bending...and what kind of woods can be steam bent?

Would be very interested in this kind of info since i like this idea of making perches that way a lot!

I am a bit shocked that modern falconers don't know how to make a bow perch!

There is no mystery to it. For a spar, I'm assuming you want a perch about 1 inch to 1.5 inches in diameter. If you cut a green hazel, ash, or oak staff of that thickness, you can bend it over your knee.

Steam bending simply means heating your staff in steam for an hour or so. That softens the wood and makes it easier to bend. I might make a perch for a goshawk 2 inches in diameter and that would probably need to be steamed.

You'll need something to produce the steam. (Big surprise!<g>). I use the boiler I cook the dogs' food in but you might use a 5 gallon steel oil can with the top cut off. Then you need some means of directing the steam around your staff. Anything will do if it works! The last time I did this, I bent an old sheet of corrugated iron length ways, then tied the edges together with a piece of wire to keep the shape. I then propped this up across the boiler and hung the staff inside the channel so it was suspended in the steam. If you can't manage the steam bit, just soak the staff in water for a few days.

After an hour or so, the staff should be easier to bend. You can jam one end up against a wall and push! Or you can jam one end into a hole and pull the other end sideways. Use your imagination! It should bend. I use an old ratchet strap which works a treat.

You will need a steel ring. Get one from a sadler, your local yacht chandler, off Ebay, whatever. 1/4 inch stainless rod scrounged from your local sheet metal shop, bent to a circle, then welded makes a good ring and costs nothing. Put it on your staff BEFORE you bend it.

You do not need to bend a very steep U curve. It should be curved like an old fashioned long bow. Tie a piece of galvanized wire as a "bow string" and your bow perch is complete!

Because the "uprights" (ends of the bow) are too shallow, you will probably need a spade to fix your perch in the ground. Make a few wire staples and peg the wire and the ends of the perch in the ground for extra security. The ring should be free to slide from one end to the other without snagging.

These bow perches won't last forever. The wood will rot. But they are easy enough to make and cost nothing. They are also far safer than anything you can buy.

Hope that helps.

[Finnish]

Try Martin....

http://www.falconfabrication.co.uk/

[Wilfred]

JackMerlin,
Thanks for this information. It surely helps. Indeed I did not know this and i guess lots of falconers do not. Partly due to present times (bow perches are made from iron mostly now, so why bother making them yourself and knowing how to do so). But I myself do like this kind of bow perches out of wood much more. And will surely make some. Thanx a lot!

[Jack Merlin]

JackMerlin,
Thanks for this information. It surely helps. Indeed I did not know this and i guess lots of falconers do not. Partly due to present times (bow perches are made from iron mostly now, so why bother making them yourself and knowing how to do so). But I myself do like this kind of bow perches out of wood much more. And will surely make some. Thanx a lot!

In my opinion (and I could be wrong!) all the steel bow perches suffer from the same fault -- the curve from ground level is too steep so the ring cannot easily travel up over the bow. Also, the centre padded part can cause an obstruction.

Another thing, the leash can get caught around one of these legs bringing the hawk up short. I'd guess this could be the reason so many HHs break their legs. Obviously, to prevent these tangles the leash ought to be a bit stiff, rather than those soft "parachute cord" leashes some use. All these details need to be carefully thought out for everything to work smoothly. But the natural bow perch is almost as safe as it gets. (The trolley system is better! Go to http://www.themodernapprentice.com).

[Sparrow Hawker]

In my opinion (and I could be wrong!) all the steel bow perches suffer from the same fault -- the curve from ground level is too steep so the ring cannot easily travel up over the bow. Also, the centre padded part can cause an obstruction.

Totally agree with Jack Merlin, it seems the majority of commercial perches do suffer from a very steep gradient.

HH

[Tim Laycock]

Not mine :)

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b348/Accipitrine/lea171105005.jpg

[Sparrow Hawker]

Who makes those perches BB?

Cheers,

HH

[Tim Laycock]

That would be me :)

[Jack Merlin]

That would be me :)

That's torn it. He's a Yorkie, too.

No hope. :(

[Sprout]

How do these perches weather? If the wood is under stress being bent is there any risk of it snapping due to freeze/thaw etc. I personally prefer a perch that is more mobile - able to regularly move from one patch of ground to another clean patch.

[Jack Merlin]

How do these perches weather? If the wood is under stress being bent is there any risk of it snapping due to freeze/thaw etc. I personally prefer a perch that is more mobile - able to regularly move from one patch of ground to another clean patch.

The wood seems to retain its shape. There was a flourishing industry using this sort of timber in the past. I've seen it used for making fencing (hurdles), lobster pots, wooden staples for thatching (thatching spars), etc.

Moveability is one draw back to the bow perch. But they cost almost nothing and it doesn't take more than a few minutes to dig them in.

Blackbirds bow perch is probably the best steel one I've seen.

[Mary Quite Contrary]

I am making a portable perch for internal use only at the moment with a good curve to the metal so the ring travels smoothly.
The metal is clad with foam insulation and packed out from within so there isnt anything on the externals.
All of the perch including the feet, will be clad in leather to create a silent, non slip and washable surface.

[Sparrow Hawker]

Not mine :)

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b348/Accipitrine/lea171105005.jpg

That's a good looking bow-perch BB did it take you long to make it?

What is it you've used for the feet as it were?

All The Best,

HH

[Tim Laycock]

The perch took 20 mins to build, 15 mins to paint and an hour and a half to pad and cover with leather.
The feet are 1 1/4 x 3/8 mild steel RSF bar.

[Hacker]

Very good examples of how you can save and make some good gear for yourself.
I notice Scotland and Yorkshire seem to be ahead in the money saving ideas!:supz:

[Jack Merlin]

Very good examples of how you can save and make some good gear for yourself.
I notice Scotland and Yorkshire seem to be ahead in the money saving ideas!:supz:

I'm a converted Highlander -- that's about as bad as it gets when it comes to parting with money.

In my time I've made my own bells, swivels, the usual leather gear, and I still prefer a welder's glove that I can throw out when it gets dirty. My hawking coat is in tatters and my hawking bag cost me a begrudged £3!<g> My hawking ground is also free, stocked with pheasants hatched from free eggs (I get them late when the game farms can't sell them) and fed on free barley (see below).

What really galls me is having to pay out huge sums for hawks when the wild ones are everywhere up here. I once took five (different) spars out of my pigeon loft in a week. Oh, I forgot to add that I trap the pigeons (free) which are fed on scrounged barley (free).

Did I miss anything? BB, did you buy the s/steel or get it out of a skip? Hope you are not letting the side down here.<vbg>

[Tim Laycock]

Exellent Derry :D
<btw> The steel did come from the offcuts skip :lol: