Arrow bow made from a PVC pipe

Material

• 1-2 PVC pipes (plumbing or hobby building center from Migros, Coop, ...)
• Reep cord or kite string (craft store, outdoor store, ...)

Tools

• Saw
• Hot air dryer or gas burner
• Bowl with cold water and cloth
• Waterproof pencil
• possibly a wooden jig to ensure even shaping of the PVC

Costs: 5 to 10.- (thicker PCV pipes with greater wall thickness can quickly cost 8-10.- per meter)

Duration of work: 30 to 50 minutes

Working procedure

Use the waterproof pen to mark the points on the PVC pipe where the bend is to be made.

The tray with the water and cloth is then prepared. Using a hairdryer (indoor) or gas burner (outdoor), carefully heat the pipe at the first marked point by simultaneously turning and moving it back and forth so that the area becomes evenly warm (note: there should be no brownish discoloration on the plastic).

As soon as the pipe is soft enough, place it on a flat surface and bend it to the desired angle (note: the plastic is hot!). Once you have achieved the desired shape, you can cool the PVC with the wet cloth.

The best shape to bend the PVC pipe into afterwards depends on the type of bow you want to make: longbow, riding bow,... You can find good instructions on the Internet, especially on YouTube.

Variants

• If the draw weight of the bow is too small, a second tube with a smaller diameter can be pushed into the thicker tube before bending
• The grip area can be improved with textile adhesive tape

Proof of source

• Cover picture: Andi Flückiger
• Pictures: Andi Flückiger
• Video: Youtube