I have an early sixties Palomino, its the top one on the picture. It looks straight unstrung, but when I string it, the lower limb takes a nasty twist and the string won't stay on the groove. Is this common with model?

I'm planning to use a hair dryer and see about straightening it out, trouble is it looks straight already.

Any bow can develop limb twist. It's almost always caused by "through the leg" stringing or improper storage.

Lots of threads on how to straighten one quickly. I do not recommend using heat unless absolutely necessary.

I use this method.

You need to string the bow to straighten it. Once strung you grab the tip of tbe affected limb and twist it hard against the twist and hold it. I use a leather glove on the hand that is holding the tip.

Twist hard and hold as long as you can then see if the twist is gone.

If it looks straight then slowly draw the string back, being careful not to torque the grip and then let it back down and see if the string lays in the groove.

If it does leave it strung for a week, checking and adjusting with a tweak of the limb daily.

If not then twist it some more until it does. I have straightened dozens using this method.

No need for heat except one KMag (legendary for limb twist) and I used a hair dryer very carefully.

I have used that method of Pete's as well and it works most of the time.

BTW, that bow is my all time favorite Ben Pearson model, so hope you get it back in line.

Pdiddly gave you some very good advice, try his method first before the hair dryer. You have to be carful with bows and heat. Good luck.

I have a 1960 Kodiak I spent 2 years getting all the twist out of. Then the twist stays out.

DDave

Thanks guys, I'll see if I can convince the bow to hold the string.

40 and 47 lbs.

If it doesn't work in February, try again in July. Warm it in the sun. - lbg

I straightened a 1952 model bow limb and did it by stringing it and with wedges and straight wood left the limb left in the over twisted limb in the opposite direction for a week I left it in the sun daily.It was checked every day for 1week but it came good .I do however only use a bow stringer on it now sa From the looks of it bad stringing habits caused the twist. OSR

done what pdiddly said on a martin worked great

The hand-twisting that Pdiddly describes really does work. I used it on a late-50's American Archery recurve (with some very light heating with a hairdryer) and the limb went back into beautiful position - so well that I'm inclined to think that the limb had some memory of the original location. Maybe alignment of the fibers in the wood or glass, or both. Final result was perfect.

What overandunder said is totally accurate. The bow limb has memory and wants to be straight. Biggest problem I find with people trying this method is they don't twist hard enough, hence the use of the glove. They seem to think they will hurt the bow. They're tough and have already sustained sufficient force to twist them...you're just putting things back to normal.

Pretty easy actually, some are a little more stubborn than others.

Some are very stubborn. I had a Wing bow with a twist. I strung the bow twisted in the opposite direction and clamped it in place. A few weeks later there was no improvement so I tried an even greater twist. No luck. Then hot water, then the hair dryer. I finally gave up.

Some limbs have been abused to the point that they are no longer functional and cannot be repaired.

Camper Jim I believe you if something glued is that badly distorted the glue can actually shift and it impossible to straighten.Sorry it didn't come good for you.Sounds like another fine bow ruined.I think that may have suffered severe heat exposure. That normally leads to a delam.Once again sorry for you and that bow. OSR

I straightened a wing P2 that was so bad the string was ready to pop off the bottom limb when i was done you could not tell it was straightened . glue shift explain that to me the glue is way stronger than the wood if the glue moves your done the bow comes apart . i had a pic of that wing but i deleted it Tim Rebus from new york has the bow today .

I heated the limb with a electric blower we use to thaw pipes . it is just like a hair dryer then twisted it back .i rum it under cold water is stayed right on . it is like this it was no good twisted . so he had nothing to loose .

Epoxy can soften enough to allow a bond to break and that normally leads to catastrophic delaminationWhen it partially does it the broken bond can't be fixed.If that occurs on a limb it won't straighten.Thats what I refere to as glue slip.Newer epoxies are better but it is still susceptible to this. OSR

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