Splintered left limb

[robertyb]

I was just out shooting my Vortex using a crank cocker I bought last week. Fired a few shots and was cranking it again and thought I heard something pop when almost at full draw. I checked visually and did not see anything so went ahead and shot. Looked after the shot and still saw no damage. Cranked her up again and heard the same noise. Went ahead and shot and then started rubbing my fingers over the limbs. There is a splinter on the left limb about 12" in from the limb tip on the top inner section of the limb. It is not very large and almost impossible to notice unless you feel it and lift it away from the limb.

I think I do not need to shoot this anymore.

I live in Georgia so I guess I will need to contact Danny when he gets back next week instead of contacting Excalibur direct. Is this correct?

[georgiaboy]

Danny is the U.S rep so i would say you are right...not good this close to season!!
I'm sure Danny will get you going quickly, if there is a problem let me know i'm in ga. also. Got three & can only hunt with one!!

[strum]

I have had a small splinter or two that i just cut off and sanded down..never any issues with them..
not to say its a good thing but it may not be as bad as you think..if its at the top edge/corner i bet its ok ..
just keep and eye on it and shoot on..sometimes those fibers turn loose..now if its biguns in the middle then thats an issue..

[roly]

I agree with strum
Keep an eye on it.

I would still call Mr. Miller on
Tues. or Wed.

[Horizontal Hunter]

I have had a small splinter or two that i just cut off and sanded down..never any issues with them..
not to say its a good thing but it may not be as bad as you think..if its at the top edge/corner i bet its ok ..
just keep and eye on it and shoot on..sometimes those fibers turn loose..now if its biguns in the middle then thats an issue..

Same here, and that was a few years ago. I spoke with Dan at the time and that is what he recommended for a splinter that was smaller than a toothpick.

Bob

[Dash]

A splinter alone you can live with like the guys say, but I hope the sound you can hear is just the splinter changing position from limb flex.
During the last 2 shots when you heard the cracks, did your arrow drop low on the target? If it did, the limb is already too far comprimised and I wouldn't use it anymore. Same goes if the shot sounds really flat and different compared to normal. Its more than the small splinter visible to your eye if this is the case.
If you check it again, make sure your using safety glasses

[robertyb]

It shot a tad high on the last shot. I do not like the sound I am hearing but it might well be the splintered piece popping under stress. It looks like it is less than 1/8" wide and maybe 1 1/2" long right against the top edge. I don't want to break the piece off till I talk to someone from Excal about it.

[billygoat]

I had the same thing happen to me, I emailed excalibur and they replaced it no charge no questions. I have cut the splinter off with a craft knife. I still havent actually replaced it with the new one and it shoots perfectly still. I ordered another spare as well so i have a full new set of limbs for the future but doubt i will ever need them.

[copperjohn]

During my last shooting session I heard my limbs pop on 2 out of 5 shots. Checked the limbs out and did not notice any splintering. Since my limbs have been painted black, would I still be able to see the splintering?

[Pydpiper]

The limbs are continuous strands, a splinter is going to have absolutely no affect on the bow. Most guys just sand it down and carry on with what they were doing, others choose to replace it.
Paint is not going to stop the splintering, the age old cotton ball test will help locate the splinter so you can decide how to deal with it.
The "popping" is something I have never heard of before, something to be concerned about though. I highly doubt it has anything to do with a splinter, if that were me I would be looking for loose bolts. Take the string off, and tighten everything you can get a wrench on.
Are the bows making the "popping" sounds also having accuracy issues?

[robertyb]

All my bolts. etc. are tight. I have not shot the bow again yet but the string streached last night. Yesterday it was 1/8" off the S5s and had been there for several weeks. This morning it is touching the S5s. I have no idea if this is because of limb damage or not. The two shots yesterday when I heard the pop noises were both pretty much dead on the money. Last shot was a tad high but probably me cause I was watching the bow and probably pulled the shot a little.

I can't decide what to do. I might twist the string back up and try to cock and shoot it today.

[Pydpiper]

Lots of reasons a string will creep like that, heat is usually a factor. Depending on the string, you will always have to maintain that height with twisting, as you should.
That splinter did not cause your POI change, but the string creep can. a 1/4" here or there would be very hard to measure at 30 yards, but it can make a difference.
My thoughts, if you are uncomfortable with the bow being splintered then follow the procedure for having it fixed. It is no fun to be wondering about variables. Even though I know without doubt that your bow is fine, I would probably pursue a replacement limb as well.
Go ahead and bring the brace height back and shoot away, you are in no danger of that limb failing provided you haven't got it exceptionally hot.

[robertyb]

Went to twist it up and as I cranked the handle it POPPED. Let it down and did it again. Pop. Everytime I cranked it did it. Was doing it as soon as I started putting pressure on the string. Less than a full turn on the crank handle. Made no sense. I took the crank off and pulled the crank string all the way free and wound it back on tightly. Put it back on bow and cranked. No noise. Apparently the popping noise was coming from the crank. Must have been the string slipping over itself or something. I wound it up and down several times part way with no more noise so I went ahead and twisted the string back up to proper brace height. I have not fully cocked it yet, took it to about 3/4 cock before letting it back down. Will probably go shoot it after a while.

If it shoots OK should I break the splinter off or just exoxy it back down? It lays down so well I can't hardly spot it.

[Pydpiper]

If it shoots OK should I break the splinter off or just exoxy it back down? It lays down so well I can't hardly spot it.

-Cock the bow, that will expose the splinter.
-Run a cotton ball around on the limbs, it will snag on the splinter.
-With the bow still cocked, sand the splinter down.
-Enjoy your bow

Epoxy will not hold the splinter down.

[robertyb]

Thanks for the advice. I just shot 10 arrows. Shooting well again. There is no noise when cocking now. I am wondering now just how long that splinter has been there without me knowing about it. I checked it out at full cock and it lays in place without sticking out. I am going to leave it as is unless it gets worst.