We visited a fantastic Crossbowbuildingmeeting in Germany 2-5 Juni 2011.
Please enjoy our experience in looots of pictures :
http://armborst.forum24.se/armborst-about112.html
The meeting 2013 will be in Stockholm, Sweden !!
If you can, take a plane over and join us

yeah didn't understand a word on that site but didn't need too the pictures really told the story of a great time.
There really was some great looking crossbows at the event. The next one is in 2013 you say. I might have to save up and go.

Great pictures!! I think I'll be with you in Germany in 2012 and in Sweden in 2013

Halvslak,

It looks like you guys had a lot of fun!

Who made the Gothic crossbows with the composite prods? I am very jealous.

Mac

A-MA-ZING Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!! All of them are great works!!!!!!! This men are artist before being crossbowbuilders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very impressed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really like seeing the more "modern" crossbows with claplock locks, set triggers, and sights. They don't seem to get enough attention.

Todd

Thanks for stopping by Vidar Halvslak, >>> Beautiful Crossbows indeed!

[Edit] Do you know of any other English speaking crossbowyers(that we don't know about) that attend?

Ivo

Thanks for posting. These crossbows are great works of art. I would love to go to an event like this. Really motivating to see crossbows of this level being made and used. Totally feel like a beginner now. I really need to push myself to the next level.

Where/who is making the composite prods? Those look really good. I have been thinking of trying to make one myself but with modern adhesives.

Hello again Crossbowfriends !
The tradition of compeating with crossbows is an 800 year tradition in Germany, so it´s a loong time of learning and doing for our german friends. No wonder they make incredible works of art....and they(we) compete with them too. You are only allowed to participate with your own selfmade crossbow. It´s a bit tolerant with the historic material, sometimes you can see a delrin nut or a dacron-string, but it´s ok to compete with if the construction and looks overall is a historic one.
The best of the meeting is to discuss the different material, glues, procedures and trigger-systems. Everyone is very helpful and gives you tips and drawings of everything you wants to know.
And ofcourse to make contacts.
Most of the younger Germans as Jens Sensfelder and Holger Richter are very good at English and are helpful to translate.
The one making the beuuuuuutiful composite bows is Andreas Bichler from Austria.
Andreas told me that it takes from 6 months to two years to make a composite hornbow ready for shooting, he uses hide-glu from rabbits that he makes himself. And Buffalo hornstrips and horse-sinen
You can se pictures of a splitted hornbow with the horn and sinenlayers separated as well as a cross-section of a bow. All of the colours, materials and pattern of the bows are replicated from historic sources.
Why don´t you guys gather and take the same plane over to Stockholm in 2013 ?
Propably in August.
- We all share the same interest and it will be great fun if we all could share experiences, ideas and to shoot with some wonderful crossbows !!!

Well Ingo Lison, one of the best builders was there.
Check out his site and maybe order a crossbow ?
www.armbrust-manufaktur.de
Expensive but what a piece of art.........

Come on guys!
Join us in 2013

WOW! Some great photos there. Wish I could read it, too.. Some of those bows I aspire to be able to make as well someday. Beautiful! At least one of the bone topped bows looked as tho the bone was preshaped and then inlet to the top. Now THAT is a great idea, tho it would lose (IMHO) some of the beauty of the edges of the bone feathered to match the curve of the wood. But lots easier.
And the bone nuts and the mortised nut sockets were just lovely and perfect.

Another thing I'd really like to know, is how the pom-poms are made so tightly, and how they are attached...I tried that a couple times, with not much success. But still have the wool skeins ready to try again.

Most of the bows seemed to also be multi axled. Which, is very intimidating to me, (and not really something we'd do in the shop, our clients would not really pay for that kind of labor cost)

So many bows to build, and so little time! Thanks so much for the photos, and, it WOULD be great to take a trip in a couple of years! I will keep it in mind, not that I can really afford it, but ah well...

Best!

Lightly