[jeremy1517]

Does anyone have any tips for getting a bow string to stop stretching out?

Would it help/hurt the bow to leave it strung for a day or two to get the string to a point where I don't have to re-twist it to brace height every 20 or so shots?

 

[longrifle346]

What kind of material are you using? I build all 8190 but I still stretch mine overnight with ratchet straps right after I build them. Most of my bows stay strung pretty much all the time, I shoot daily and there's no telling which one of the 3 is going outback to the range with me...

 

[j-san]

If you've got Dacron, that material will continuously stretch (or so it seems like). New strings will stretch a bit until they settle in, which could take a day or two of sitting on a braced bow and some shooting. Many of the custom string makers here pre-stretch their strings so you won't have this problem. Also, skinny strings with lower than recommended strand counts with stretch more than usual.

I build my own strings using Astroflight and typically will leave a new string braced on a spare bow for a week to eliminate the creep prior to adding the center serving and twisting up to proper brace.

 

[Bowmania]

I usually string my bow at the beginning of the season and unstring at the end. Leave them strung and if you have to shoot - BB. It's good for you and will help the string stretch.

Bowmania

 

[PETROVIC]

I leave my string on the bow for a couple of days to break in.. I don't build my own strings so I found that getting the right string length also helps. One string I bought was an inch too long and it took a lot of twists to get it to the required brace height. I found that string never settled and so I had to bite the bullet and order another in at the new length.

 

[Grantmac]

A lot of stretch is caused by excess wax between the strands. As the string is worked this wax gets pushed towards the outside of the string.

For this reason I always put new strings under tension (on bow is fine), run my fingers up and down them until they just get uncomfortable due to heat, then strip the excess wax off by looping a piece of string around the bowstring, pulling it tight and running it along the string. You'd be shocked how much wax comes out of a new string.
None of the strings I build stretch more than 1/8" between lay-up and finished. Even without using a stretcher I don't have any creep at all.

-Grant