Few bowhunters give the serving thread on their bowstring and/or cables much thought. Poor servings, on the other hand, can cause major inconsistencies in the way your bow performs. When working with servings, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that they will last and perform well.
The most significant distinction between my serving style and that of most others is that I weave the lead line in and out of the main serving. This keeps the serving from separating or "crawling" up and down the string and holds the entire run together. You've probably seen it. When you remove your D-loop, you'll notice a large gap in the serving where the loop material was tied to the bowstring. Unfortunately, this necessitates the serving of food to be moved. More importantly, the serving into which your nock is inserted must move. You can probably see where the serving is separating due to pressure and stress from the cams right now by looking at your cams. You must now tie the entire run together in order to fix or prevent these things from happening. I lengthen the serving tag to at least the length of the run I'm about to serve. I wrap around that tag or lead line for about 10-20 wraps, then pull it out, wrap once, and lay it down for another 10-20 wraps. This is something I do throughout the entire process. I just pull that tag out and finish the serve without it when I'm about half an inch from where I need to end. The better and more effective this is, the tighter you serve the run. It should prevent any crawling that would otherwise occur.
You should also maintain consistent pressure while serving a run. The larger the serving diameter and the weaker it will be, the more loosely you serve. The diameter of your serving will shrink as you tighten it (tension), while its strength will increase. The only real way to tie a tight serving is to use an adjustable serving tool. Keep that tool firmly against the string, and once you've achieved the desired pressure (tension), avoid affecting the serving pressure in any other way. Because you have to manually serve them without a tool, the beginning and end may be a little off, so leave enough room on each end to avoid this.
Finally, when you're done serving, there should be two ends sticking out: the tag end and the main line you wrapped with. Cut them down to about a quarter inch above the ground. Fray the ends before lighting them with a lighter, and as the flames approach the string, mash it flat around the wrapped serving. This prevents the tag ends from working their way back through the run and unravelling the whole thing. I usually dab a tiny dot of glue on those burns as a precautionary measure to keep them in place.
Serving isn't the most exciting aspect of being a great archery player, but it is an essential component that you must master when working on your own bow. As I previously stated, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your serve is the strongest and most effective possible. Most importantly, throughout the length of the serve, weave the tag line in and out of the main wrap. Second, throughout the serving process, keep even and tight pressure on the thread. Finally, when finished, flare and burn both tag ends against the serving to keep them from slipping through. These three factors will help your serving last longer and be more consistent.
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