This thread is for us fortunate few who have gone in for the dual shelf ILF risers that K Cummings got for us. Being a lefty/righty, fingers/thumb release kinda guy, I thought "That's the solution to all the worlds problems!". Which of course it is, but the darn corners on this thing are very large, square, wide, and dig into my bow hand. Also, as a lover of the 1956 Kodiak recurve I know what I want in a dual shelf riser to look and FEEL like. So in this thread I offer a few pics of what I started with, and what I ended up with.

I am a man with a hacksaw, a file, and sandpaper. I am not afraid to use them. I will say however that magnesium is almost a joy to work with- although harder than most woods I've worked with, it yields very nicely to hand held tools.

First pic is the riser as it came out of the box.

This is the end result. Corners nipped, shelf narrowed, and (not visible in this pic) throat of the grip rounded out to fit my hand.

My bow hand grip position, for both 3 finger split and thumb release shooting.

One of my Kodiak recurves (1955, identical to 56) to show what I was going for next to the modified ILF magnesium riser, top view.

Side view.

The final view, left side for RH fingers, LH thumb release. Other side of course as identical as I could make it.

I got a beautiful immaculate pair of DAS limbs to make a 62"bow, 38#@28", 43#@30". Rapidly becoming my favorite bow.

Nice work,,,I like my hand right up near the shelf also,,just feels natural.

That view from the top modified looks a lot like my dual shelf Thunderbird.

That's pretty slick.

How much offset from center is there on that bow?

Not much! about 3/16", have to measure. Much less than any other non-center shot bow I've ever had, and I have plenty. Got dead straight bareshafts at 18 yards with 31" .400 spine Bemans "centershot" shafts, shooting about 42#@30", thumb release. Very happy with this bow. Polished magnesium (sanded down to 400 grit) feels sinfully luxurious in the bow hand. Never felt anything like it, and I have deerskin, cowhide, tennis wrap, and polished wood risers over the years. And a brand new 60X BCY 8125 endless string.

Dan what did you work the riser down with tool wise?

fdp- no, tool dumbo here. Literally, a hacksaw- 4 cuts; first a 45 degree pair across the belly side shelf corners, then two parallel cuts to narrow down the shelf widths by about 50%. Then the real work- files, half round and flat- hollow out the grip throat sides and belly; get grip up reasonably high enough to the shelf. Get the throat belly side rounded to fit the web of my bow hand. Smooth and blend all with 60 grit paper, then 80, 120, 220, and 400. Check it all out, find some irregularities, go back again with the files and sandpaper and finally DONE!

Still not satisfied with the side plate. More fun to be had.

KPC- smoother than melted ice cream. The limbs and string must share some of the blame!

I've got one if anyone wants it.,

When I first saw those risers I thought, they are way to clumsy looking. That looks awesome. Funny how simple changes can make such a difference. What are you going to finish the riser with?

Kevin bought them from China for us...mine is still in quarantine for a few more days.

LOL!

Kevin, that looks very good! Thanks for posting, I've forgotten what it looked like originally.

Here are all the tools I used- (except for the sandpaper). Plus some clamps to hold the riser to the cutting board on the dining room table for some of the trickier filing.

Tom- beer, spinach, and V8? And a block of something cheesy next to the beer? You could do worse, and the stuff in the door ;-) You just need more beer. Maybe a lot more.

Dan W, you did a great job shaping the riser. It not only satisfied your tuning need but it will make a really good looking bow. I am Looking forward to seeing it finished.

Thanks for seeing the "KPC" type humor. The explanation for the sad fridge stock is we have a Grand-baby due real soon that keeps giving false alarms. Grammy is paying more attention to the new baby coming than Pappy. Going to be tough for me not being the cutest in the house.

No you need Vodka for that smoothie! The beer is a chaser, at least in the tradition of my people... Congrats on reaching Grandparenthood. A milestone my wife and I yearn for.

Finishing the riser- don't know yet, but the polished magnesium surfaces feel so good in the bow hand right now I may just leave it. Sure don't want to sand & polish the whole thing. Kind of like the two tone look.

Does raw magnesium need any protection? Does it rust or tarnish? Clues welcome, or I'll find out the hard way.

Thanks for all the compliments- it was/is a fun project.

The only problem I see with this whole thread is that Tom drinks Miller beer - and eats spinach! Lol

Sorry you aren’t going to be the cutest in the house anymore.

UH OH! Well, at least that wasn't today's little problem... :-)

Looks good

Nice Dad, I like it, a LOT....

Sorry, I meant Dan...

Dan, that is really nice work! I always enjoy seeing folks make things work for them and not afraid to do a little "modification".

Thanks Super- sometimes I get a little too eager, shoot from the hip when I should maybe leave something alone or pass it on. I am certainly no bowyer, although done a little dabbling in that field back when there is time.

Mainly I am a destroyer of handles, and take pity on old Bears of the 1950's as I am partial to ambidex bows. I shoot both sides and Asiatic thumb release, so only narrow shelves or no shelves preferred. I have posted many of my little modifications over the years.

This pic is a sample, L to R: my favorite 56 Kodiak Recurve, Shakespeare "Shim-Bo", Saluki Damascus, and a recent trend- solid fiberglass shooters; remove the rubber/plastic tumor that passes for a handle/grip & replace with something suitable, and proper strike plates.

Pic came out upside down. Don't know why, I think it's the new OS 10 I was forced to convert to after happy years with now unsupported OS 7.

Nice job. I love to see folks work with tools. It seems to be becoming a lost art. I haven't seen a bow yet I wouldn't take a rasp too. I haven't worked on any metal risers though. Mag dust is flammable and very very hard to put out if it does ignite. A large block ignited from the shavings in the shop and melted down the mill. Fire dept couldn't put it out just kept it from spreading. Nearly lost the shop,the mill was totaled. The arrow pass may be too close to your hand. Might have to raise the rug a little. I should pick up one of those risers that turned out great. >>>>------> Ken

Hey 2 Bears-

I read that story too! No way I would go near mag with power tools. I did do my due diligent Google research before jumping on that thing. And I don't smoke ;-) It's the first metal riser (or any metal bow part) I have ever approached with murderous intent.

Fortunately, magnesium- for me- was very easy to work; slower and harder than any wood I have dealt with, but no hard grain lines throwing me off. Kind of like going through frozen butter or something. Slow and steady makes easy, careful gradual results, less chance of disaster. Always easier to take a little more off than put back on, as they say.

Are you saying that arrow friction on the raw magnesium might light up my hand? Don't think so- the arrow pass/shelf contact area is still finished in that powder stuff, plus I am about to put on the strike plate/rest combo with thin leather in a minute, when the Barge cement dries.

Otherwise, I am actually more used to no shelf, off the hand shooting. Very rarely do I come out wearing feathers in my hand.

NICE Dan!

My 7th race science teacher lit PURE magnesium on fire by dipping it in water. Can’t remember what he was trying to teach us but it was COOL!

IMed with yer nephewDan E. today and he said he’s going to ETAR. You going this year or did you buy to many giant mandolins again..? LOL! I plan on it!

Also i’ve NEVER been able to get straight bare Shaft flight with ANY bow arrow combo! Even when I had been using thumb release regularly... I’m gonna start in with the thumb again this week. You’ve inspired me!

Also i’ve NEVER been able to get straight bare Shaft flight with ANY bow arrow combo! Even when I had been using thumb release regularly... I’m gonna start in with the thumb again this week. You’ve inspired me!

Hello Jason-

Your science teacher just dipped plain magnesium in water? I thought you had to at least light it first, and then dip it for extreme classroom fun.

Dan E. is not my nephew. There is no word in English that I know to name that relationship. He is the father of my Nephew's wife, so I guess "Cousin-in-law" might be the term. I haven't bought a new instrument in almost 20 years- too many bows, not enough $$$.

Don't let the bareshaft blues drive you crazy. Not everybody believes in it. Feathers were created for a reason- you think they're for the birds? ;-)

Don't know about ETAR this year, will keep you posted.

Not sure how that water dipping works, but magnesium firestarters only throw sparks...not flames. It's the dust that tends to be an issue when working with magnesium. I love the lightness of mag risers though.

Dan, It looks like the limb butt area is pretty sturdy, so I'm guessing it would do fine with 45 to 50 pound limbs with average draws like mine.

Thank you George- I'm glad I did all my filing & sanding outside on the deck during a light breeze rather than in the kitchen around the stove pilot lights- I think I generated enough mag dust to blow up the whole block!

Don't know if I want to go through all that again- but I LOVE this riser/limb set-up, and am very encouraged about the potential to go as high as 50 lbs. at my longest draw length. Uukha limbs may a goal- I've been wanting to get away from laminated products, bendy things with glue lines that can fail- like old Kodiaks... :-( -lost too many "loved ones".

I was thinking about these dual shelf risers. Couldn't you fix one up to shoot two arrows at a time? Kind of like a double barrel.,you could use one side for the kill shot and the other for a backup shot. You would have two bloodtrails. What's not to like? :)

Cousins in law then! Or something like that LOL! One of you guys explained it all to me once and apparently I was still confused. I think everybody’s confused -we just delude ourselves into thinking we ‘know’. I find The trick to working with that delusion is to know that I am always somewhat diluted and take it as truth anyway LOL!

And yes I remember it being a bright white plasma like glow, the magnesium. Not so much a flame, more like a welding arc. I can’t remember if Mr. Magnuson actually lit it on fire with the flame first or put it in water first. In my mind I always thought he put it in water first.

I hooked up my Uukha V-1000 super curve limbs to an inexpensive lefty 25 inch riser (33#) that I have and I’m itching to shoot it! -however I got My first Cortizone injection in the shoulder two days ago and was instructed to wait several more days before I shoot. :-// I’m itching to shoot it now!

Cousins in law then! Or something like that LOL! One of you guys explained it all to me once and apparently I was still confused. I think everybody’s confused -we just delude ourselves into thinking we ‘know’. I find The trick to working with that delusion is to know that I am always somewhat diluted and take it as truth anyway LOL!

And yes I remember it being a bright white plasma like glow, the magnesium. Not so much a flame, more like a welding arc. I can’t remember if Mr. Magnuson actually lit it on fire with the flame first or put it in water first. In my mind I always thought he put it in water first.

I hooked up my Uukha V-1000 super curve limbs to an inexpensive lefty 25 inch riser (33#) that I have and I’m itching to shoot it! -however I got My first Cortizone injection in the shoulder two days ago and was instructed to wait several more days before I shoot. :-// I’m itching to shoot it now!

Uukha V-1000 limbs- at their website, 705 Euros = $782.84, that's 14x more expensive than my new riser... ! So far very happy with my used DAS limbs.

Hey Dan, did you ever paint your riser and if so do you have photo with those Uukha limbs on...

Great job.

Nice job

Wow, a dual shelf ILF riser in the wild. I have been looking around for those and can only find an unreviewed one from EU by Drake. Where do these come from?

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