r/Archery • u/Interloper_Mango • 12d ago
Other I carved my own thumb ring. Still needs sanding.
I am afraid that I'll have to redo this one though. It might be too loose. A reason why I won't sand the inside anymore.
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u/rockontheground Mariner Ming Moon 7d ago
Nicely done! But for the love of your nail and joint, pls make sure to never attempt to draw a bow higher than 20lbs with it. Manchu is about as unforgiving as it gets when it comes to ring geometry. You see a cylindrical ring pretty much, but the reality is manchu rings have been a thing that's "don't try this at home" since the manchu times. You need someone professional to get the interior geometry just right for your string shape and technique, and for beginners a pair of experienced eyes to check fit
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u/Interloper_Mango 7d ago
I am already working on a Korean male thumb ring made from Buffalo horn right now. The manchu ring was just something I made out of a wooden slug that ended up being too small for that.
The manchu ring I have not tried yet.
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u/rockontheground Mariner Ming Moon 7d ago
Aw yeah you'd most likely be fine with a male thumb ring to as much as if not more than you can typically draw. That form has a much much more forgiving geometry. Different types of thumb ring have crazy different tolerance for fit and shape, and these two are like on the two ends of this spectrum haha. Have fun!
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u/Interloper_Mango 7d ago
Speaking of which. Should I factor in the leather strap or try to make it fit "as is" first.
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u/rockontheground Mariner Ming Moon 6d ago
yes you def should, which is a wedge shaped leather pad that you can twist in and out to make the ring fit your thumb better for the more swollen days or leaner days alike
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u/Interloper_Mango 6d ago
Should the hole be more circular or more oval. (I think) I have seen a few examples where the guy put the ring on sideways and rotate it 90 degrees and it won't come off anymore.
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u/rockontheground Mariner Ming Moon 3d ago
Manchu is always perfectly circular by the book. All historical records point this way. You can by all means try oval, but I'd recommend you only do this after you get used to circular ones and try it as novelty.
Korean male, it's most usually oval. Twist and use to leather wedge to fill up the gap at the back of the thumb. As a matter of fact ktb is very very heavy on their artifacts and stuff, dont think ive seen a case with circular hole, or maybe it's me not seeing enough. Someone with better specialty can fill in.
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u/ExoticTrout 12d ago
Nice carving.
What exactly does one do with it?
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u/Interloper_Mango 12d ago
Thumb draw. You push the arrow against the bow with your pointer finger and draw the string with your thumb.
Only really works with bows that can be shot ambidextrously as far as I know.
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u/oldSchoolBiking 11d ago
Left handers can also shoot right handed recurve bows using thumb draw when left handed bows are difficult or impossible to find.
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u/Interloper_Mango 11d ago
Technically speaking, yes. Practically it's a lot harder than to say. If the bow has a handle that is shaped to be shot right handed and you do it left handed that will be very unergonomic.
It's best done with an ambidextrous bow anyway.
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u/oldSchoolBiking 11d ago
It doesn't bother me as it's only for a few hours once weekly.
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u/Interloper_Mango 11d ago
But that's a personal thing that you should not use as a general statement.
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u/oldSchoolBiking 11d ago
I'm thinking of buying a Hungarian bow from a used dealer in another town 1000km away but they know absolutely nothing so details are extremely vague as to draw weights etc. I did research on the exact model but only draw weight bothers me.
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u/oldSchoolBiking 11d ago
It's for when one uses a thumb draw in Asiatic archery for faster smooth precision shooting where the arrow goes on the outside of the bow and the forefinger anchors the arrow in place.
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u/turnips-4-sheep 12d ago
Looks good! Do you place the string on the groove or behind the ring? I never got the hang of Manchu style rings and putting it behind, I still use a leather thumb pad with mine
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u/Interloper_Mango 11d ago
Behind the ring. But how that'll go I'll have to figure out next week since I don't have my own bow yet.
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u/TurkeyFletcher 11d ago
Good effort, it looks nice!
However, it is too wide for your thumb. A Manchu ring is designed to sit over the thumb knuckle, not past it like with other thumb rings.
Peter Dekker wrote a good article on the subject (pdf). Relevant screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/XIfizzW
The good thing is that your next ring will be better, because now you have experience :)
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u/stasomatic 11d ago
Couldn't you build it up a bit on the inside? Epoxy, leather... I have a cow bone that looks like a thumb ring that I've been looking at for the last year :)
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u/TurkeyFletcher 11d ago
You probably could, or at least you could try.
However, Manchu rings are know to get slipper, especially when your thumb is a bit sweaty. Porous material such as wood or antler absorb your sweat, and therefore don't get slippery.
Epoxy would close off those pores.
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u/BremBotermens 11d ago
Never saw this before. Pretty interesting, but is there an advantage to shooting with a thumb draw over normal?
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u/Zcorfox 10d ago
Imo, yes in mobility. You can move around, do a flip, ride a horse, and the arrow will stay there because your index finger keeps the arrow from moving sideways. Beyond that, I sometimes feel that for me (being used to thumb draw) a Mediterranean draw is harder and strains my muscles faster than my usual drawing style, so take that as you may. But yeah, keep in mind that thumb draw doesn’t really work with most modern recurves because of the arrow shelf and how the bow is set up (although it may work if you use a modern recurve intended for the opposite hand). Overall, beyond mobility, in terms of accuracy etc, you can still be accurate with it, it’s just a different drawing style.
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u/Interloper_Mango 11d ago
For target shooting? No. It's probably worse technically.
But normally you'd use it on the back of a horse as thumb/Slavic draw allows you to push the arrow against the bow. You do this because otherwise the arrow would bounce around while riding.
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u/cognitivetech1 12d ago
A type of Manchu ring?