What's everyone using for shelf material? I am down to my last piece seal skin and I don't think you can get it anymore

Velcro works. I also like the shelf and back plate material from Black Widow. It's like a thicker Velcro. Furniture pads on my Titan and Dalaa to bring them back to center.

Been using calfhair rest on my longbow I like it alot.

I like beavertail

I use hard materials typically. Veneer wood strips, hard leather, antler.

None on longbow. Seal skin on curves. Rooty

Mole skin.

I use those stick pads which are used under furniture to protect floors. Just trim. I trace shelf onto paper then transfer to pad and cut, them peel and stick.

Mohair from a paint roller...leather side plate.

Cordovan leather plate,raw hide boot lace under it and alittle barge cement

Ringed seal rest and leather side plate...seal is very good...still legal in Canada.

I am using this style lately...index point under a one piece leather rest and side plate.

A better pic of the leather rest...

Same way I put seal on as well. Rooty

Seal and ray

Seal and leather

Calf Hair

Better pic

Beavertail. Or i buy medium thickness leather and use double stick tape.

mole skin you can get it from anywhere they have shoe and foot supplies

For cheap and as good as any thing I second the furniture pads. Some bows I just like something a little classier looking like others have suggested here.>>>----> Ken

Came up with some different stuff for this one (late '40's early 50's Conolon semi-recurve reverse handle; unique to me).

Flat shelf crowned with a rounded slice of leather from an old long bow rest, the kind made from layers of leather then jammed down into the grip. Just sliced & shaped for slight elevation & minimal contact.

Strike plate is a piece of sea turtle hide taken from an antique whisky flask cover. Very tough stuff, dozens- maybe over 100 shots so far and no apparent wear.

my experience with beaver is that it is noisy when dead silent out and drawing back arrow.. Velcro works also a softer leather.

Consider how it affects the tuning too. Hard material results in a bit more kick or recoil off the plate, softer cushions it more.

1/4" wool felt carpet pads from walmart (They are a stick on 1" circle made of thick wool that are designed to go on the feet of furniture so they do not damage floors. Slice off a side and stick it on!

Michael they also come in pads aprox. 6" square that you can cut the size and shape to fit. >>>----> Ken

I use Velcro exclusively or velcro and a feather rest.

Fuzzy side velcro, easy to replace, easily available, and wears like iron..

Love seal skin but, I've ran out. Bought industrial velcro at wallyworld. Extra heavy weave. Works very good and is very reasonable.

I use Mink fur, I go to thrift/goodwill's online sites and buy up ripped coats and make silencers-arrow shelfs and stuff with them. I use beaver tail sometimes.

I spray with kiwi heavy duty camp dry and then switch to beaver tail in below freezing in rain/icy conditions

If you like the look of seal skin and want that, moose calf skin might be your answer. I've never tried it but seen knife sheaths made from it and they're beautiful

Russian Sable is my favorite but it is hard to find at my price point now days : )

Mink and Russian Sable! Fiero wins the class-act strike plate shelf prize. Get some pearls and you can be welcome anywhere in town,(but places you probably can't afford)... ;-)

Seal skin's still available in the US...just have to shop for it. Looks great and altho it's rarely really necessary it's a lot better than velcro imo...mainly because the fur isn't as fat as velcro.

Dan W, Mink and Sable offer the smoothest draw for woods

Seal is reportedly legal in the US in small pieces...just right for a couple of bows...also available in native-made finished goods, such as mocs and bags..

Good to hear. As i have sent bows with it on in the past. Rooty

On a Horn bow I prefer beaver tail as I am shooting off the hand(no shelf)

JusPassin, if hard material causes more kick off the shelf/side plate, that's a release/tuning problem, not a material problem. Just sayin'.

Gilman Keasey and lots of the old guard used Mother of Pearl and such things. They wanted the arrow as close to center as they could get it, and only wanted to protect the side plate from wear when the arrow was drawn.

Once I started using Fuzzycro (fuzzy side of velcro) I never looked back.

The quality peel & stick stuff is easy to install, and works as well as anything I have ever used, and better than most.

Rick

Really can't beat Velcro

I normally use velcro for my rests, but I made a feather rest to replace the worn factory one on my Shakespeare RH-200. It works great and they are pretty easy to make with some old feathers. Mine aren't beautiful but they work great.

Hot

I have used leather for years, but just wrapped my shelf/plate with some camo gauze today... I was within a few yards of a deer this morning and drawing my bow very slowly...the aluminum arrow made a very slight noise as it slid on the leather and spooked the deer. It actually happened twice today before I added the wrap. I will find out tomorrow if it solved the problem. I was in a blind.

I don't like anything thick on the side plate. The bows more tunable with a wider range of spines that way. I don't normally use thick soft shelf material because it wears which eventually changes that nock a bit. Other than that it doesn't really matter to me. My Sentman came with a single piece of leather across the shelf and up the sight window. I have 1 with beaver tail. 1 with 2 pieces of soft leather like the 50's bears. And of course the new bear with leather side plate a bear hair shelf that will get replaced with beaver once it wears. My 57 Kodiak special still has the original leather.

Very nice wrap, too George.

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