I am new to the forum, nice to meet everyone! I have a 55# Shakespeare Necedah 58" recurve. I bought this bow for $40 in 1994 from a guy who was trying to sell it at a pawn shop but was turned away because they were not interested in anything but compounds. I followed him outside and after talking with him about the bow I made the purchase. I was comfortable that the bow was not stolen because the seller knew a good bit about the bow including the correct string length and what arrow spine to use. I have shot it many times. I have even taken it hunting a few times but have never killed anything with it (not the bow's fault). Anyway, I have gotten interested in it again and have been doing some research. Based on a few things I have read, I am now concerned about the condition of this bow. Here is a picture that illustrates the reason for my concern: As you can see the back of the lower limb has what look like scratches but could be cracks or fractures? The bow feels solid and smooth. The "scratches" have been there since I bought the bow and have not gotten any worse. I have shown them to at least two bow shop bowyers but they were not concerned. I suspect they rarely see recurves though. What do you think?
Here is another picture: The other side is not like this and the lamination from the side looks fine.
I've never had one quite like that.. Probably depends on the type/method of fiberglass, not all of it runs up and down the limbs. Anyway, just keep an eye on it to be on the safe side.. I don't think it will cause any problems but I'm not an expert either..
I had a green glass Necedah....great shooting bow! Had a little crazing but not that bad. I've seen worse than yours though and it's probably just the finish. A buddy of mine has an old Gibson Les Paul that the finish crazed like that
Thank you for the reassurance. Most pictures of crazing I have seen were much more subtle than mine. As suggested, I am going to keep shooting but will keep an eye on it!
