Two Tracks String Scallops

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#7122

Anyone using them? I’ve been hearing lots of good things, and I can see certain advantages to them – very light and low bulk compared to wool yarn puffs, which are by far my preferred string silencer material to date. And for tuning purposes, they can easily be moved up and down the string which seems like another big plus. Good deal at $10 for 2 pairs (with free shipping!). I have some on the way…

[jmsmithy]

#58357

Absolutely love them! I use them pretty much exclusively after trying everything from BW provided spider silencers, bow hush, various puff balls, rubber bands etc etc. I have them on all my Widows, my Allegheny Mountain, both of my Fedoras as well. They are easy to install, easier to tune. I’ve never once worried about them moving on me nor have they, or picked up any debris…can’t say enough about them, plus I like the sort of ” minimalist ” look they have on the string…:lol: 8)

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#58375

Good to hear, and that seems to echo what just about everybody else says. While I’ve found wool puffs most effective, I don’t particularly like the bulk or the way they collect burrs. This seems like a great and simple solution.

[Patrick]

#58408

I don’t like using ANY silencers. I just don’t find them necessary on my bows. With that said, Tyler has them on his Java Man Helms Deep, and there’s no way I’d shoot it without them, or any recurve, for that matter. They work great on his bow, and he really likes them as well.

[Etter1]

#58498

I’m a VERY strong believer in wool puffs but I have heard nothing but great things about these and they’re easier to move around for tuning purposes as well. I’ll give em a try the next time I put a new string together. My widow is due for a new one anyway.

[grumpy]

#58778

Audrey is demanding to know why youse guys need silencers and NONE of my bows make string noises. I’m clueless. Would someone please enlighten us?

We are also wondering how long that beard would be if he didn’t get it caught in his bowstring.

Am I wrong or does that look like the felt lining in my snow boots?

[David Coulter]

#58819

Grumpy,when’s the last time you had your ears checked!?!

I have them on my longbow and they work great. Truth be told, I had whiskers on it, too, and they were fine. If I’m in good form and into my back right, i get no noise. If I’m getting sloppy, I get noise. But I like em. I call them string slugs, since I’m inland. Dc

[Robin Conrads]

#58841

grumpy wrote: Am I wrong or does that look like the felt lining in my snow boots?

They make boot liners too! I love mine. T.J. raves about his hat from Two Tracks as well. A great family business making excellent products.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#59389

I hear ya, Patrick. I’d rather not have anything on my strings at all. And I can get my longbows close to silent, but not completely. That’s why I’m hoping these little doo-dads will do the trick, and I can ditch the larger wool puffs, which I end up trimming down quite a bit anyway.

grumpy wrote:

Am I wrong or does that look like the felt lining in my snow boots?

Yep. A rather ingenious thing to do with felt scraps, I’d say.

[Patrick]

#59404

Smithhammer wrote: I hear ya, Patrick. I’d rather not have anything on my strings at all. And I can get my longbows close to silent, but not completely. That’s why I’m hoping these little doo-dads will do the trick, and I can ditch the larger wool puffs, which I end up trimming down quite a bit anyway.

They will definitely do that for you. Gregg Coffey puts them on all of his bows now. In hindsight, I wish I would’ve at least took the set for my Elkheart. I could’ve just shipped them off to you (doh!).

[Stephen Graf]

#59501

Smithhammer wrote: Good to hear, and that seems to echo what just about everybody else says. While I’ve found wool puffs most effective, I don’t particularly like the bulk or the way they collect burrs. This seems like a great and simple solution.

I’ve tried different things, but wool puffs seem to be the easiest/cheapest/best solution I’ve found. a scane of real wool costs $20 to $40 bucks, depending. And makes enough puffs for probably 20 strings. So the cost is comparable. Although puffs usually can’t be reused…

After I shoot a while, I trim the puffs down quite a bit which reduces their bulk substantially. Look cooler too.

Never had a problem with burrs, and we have plenty of ’em.

That said, I like to move my silencers around when tuning up a bow. Puffs usually move pretty well, but sometimes the fibers can get tangled up in the string fibers and make a mess.

So I see an advantage there. And they would be pretty easy to make from any old thick felted wool I would guess.

I wonder how they compare as far as killing the twang. Hard to believe it could be better than a puff.

No mention of performance in the video…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#59553

Steve Graf wrote:

I wonder how they compare as far as killing the twang. Hard to believe it could be better than a puff.

Might depend on how much ‘twang’ you need to kill. My bows are pretty darn quiet already, but if I was shooting a loud recurve, it might be a different story.

No mention of performance in the video…

Well, if two of them weigh the same as one cat whisker, I can’t imagine they affect performance much at all. But I’ll find out soon…

[Etter1]

#59726

I put an order in. I’ll let you know how they do on recurves and carbon hybrids. I’m like you. I can’t imagine they could be as good as a puff but we will see. The reviews are great but I did see where several people had to use all four when they were using only two of other type silencers.

[Patrick]

#59733

Steve Graf wrote: I wonder how they compare as far as killing the twang. Hard to believe it could be better than a puff.

They perform at least as well as puffs.

I should also mention that in my opinion, they are the sharpest looking of all the silencers. If I were going to use silencers, I’d use the String Scallops.

As far as performance goes, you guys probably already know this, but the closer silencers are to the arrow nock, the more they’ll affect the speed, and vice versa. I moved the String Scallops on Tyler’s Helms Deep as far “down” the string as I could for this very reason.

They taste NOTHING like sea scallops though. 😥

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#59748

Patrick wrote:

They taste NOTHING like sea scallops though. 😥

Not even if you sauté them in a little butter and garlic?

[Ralph]

#60017

Gotta add the toe jam.8)

I have a recurve I’ll have to try a pair of them on.

[Stephen Graf]

#8426

Smithhammer wrote: [quote=Steve Graf]

No mention of performance in the video…

Well, if two of them weigh the same as one cat whisker, I can’t imagine they affect performance much at all. But I’ll find out soon…

I was talking about the performance of the silencer (ability to kill sound), not the performance of the bow 🙄

But I think Patrick Answered it anyway…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#9017

Steve Graf wrote:

I was talking about the performance of the silencer (ability to kill sound), not the performance of the bow 🙄

Oh, that. 😳

Well, as of this afternoon, I feel a little more qualified to comment. I put a pair of String Scallops on my Primal Styk today, and just shot about 50 arrows or so with them on.

I started out with the Scallops about 1/4 of the string length from the tips, which on this bow means about 15″ from either end. After shooting it this way for a bit, it seemed to me that they were equally as effective as the Mini Wooly Whispers I previously had on the string.

Then I decided to try the ‘heterodyning’ thing, and see if/how much of a difference that made. I kept the top Scallop at 15″ from the tip, and moved the bottom Scallop up to 20″ from the bottom tip (1/4 & 1/3 the string length, respetively). While it wasn’t huge, it was a noticeable improvement than having them equidistant @ 15″, and a little quieter than I had been able to get the bow previously with the Wooly Whispers.

Here’s a pic of the Scallop on the string, and the Mini Wooly for a size comparison:

So, at this point I’d say they are at least as, if not a little more, effective than Wooly Whispers. Which, when combined with their lower profile/bulk, ease of installation and adjustment, ability to easily remove them and reuse them, and that they don’t hold burrs the way that Woolies do, it seems like they are well worth it to me.

Keep in mind I’m shooting a D-shaped longbow, and it’s not a very loud bow to begin with. I’ll be curious to hear Etter chime in with his experience, and of course, anyone else who is using them.

[David Coulter]

#9047

I put on a pair and they work really well for me. I have them adjusted pretty much equidistant from the tips. I tried the 1/3-1/2 method and didn’t find any significant improvement. I like em. dwc

[Etter1]

#9070

Mine still haven’t arrived 🙁 and no amount of checking the mailbox seems to be helping.

I will have a full report from a black widow recurve and a carbon backed hybrid that is pretty noisy without the silencers.

[Alexandre Bugnon]

#9631

I used them on one string once but wasn’t crazy about them, and went back to woolies. Now I only use the acrylic yarn puffs that come installed on my SBD strings. IMO, nothing else comes close.

[Stephen Smiley]

#9706

I ordered a pair to try them out since experimenting to get the best setup is part of the fun. Like Alex I recently received a new SBD string with the acrylic yarn puffs and am very impressed with how much quieter my Black Widow is.

I also ordered a pair of their wool boot liners to try out.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#9785

It’s funny you guys mention SBD strings, and it’s interesting just how much personal experience differs with different setups. I’ve tried several SBD strings (with wool puffs) and never found them to be any quieter than my typical 16-strand FF strings, not matter how much I tuned them. And this has been the same experience on several different bows. But, I’ve heard so many good things about them, and I have a buddy that loves them on his bows, so I’m not sure what the deal is, and why they haven’t worked well for me.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#9990

Well, this is what happens when I make pronouncements like the one above…

Reading this morning’s posts about SBD strings but another bug in my ear to try one again. And I have to say – being able to pop the Scallops off and put them on a different string in mere seconds was great. I put the SBD on the same Primal Styk I’ve been shooting, adjusted the Scallops, and indeed, it was quieter. Not sure why, since I hadn’t gotten those results before, but heck – the proof is in the puddin.’ And speaking of ‘puddin’ I’m going to heat up a slice of humble pie…:oops:

[David Petersen]

#10246

Scallops are ridiculously overpriced, considering they are (I have heard on good authority) made from scraps from clothing items made by the same company. But that’s the only negative I can come up with, having used them for several years (and FYI I’ve used nothing but SBD strings for those same several years) and never had to replace the first pair. They may or may not work as well as larger and more complex silencers so far as silencing … but they work well enough for elk and Coues deer and turkey, and they don’t care about getting soaked with rain. They are also small and tight enough that you really have to work at it to get them to attract stickers, and it’s clear by now that the set I have will long outlast me. But they still cost too much IMO. It’s the world we live in.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#10256

Just taking a quick look at several different retailers of trad gear, a single pair of Wooly Whispers (or most fur strip options) run from $5 – $6, and that’s before you’ve paid for shipping.

So, getting two pairs of Scallops for $12 (and free shipping) doesn’t seem any more “ridiculously expensive” than the other commercially-available options. And, when you factor in that they are easily re-usable (which most wool/yarn puffs aren’t after using them for a while) I would say they’re actually pretty cost-effective compared to the competition.

Of course, making your own silencers from scratch will always be cheapest, but you could probably buy a pair of felted wool soles and cut out enough scallops to last a lifetime (or go through the time-intensive process of felting your own wool…). Personally, I’m ok with kicking a couple extra $$ to a homegrown trad company of really nice folks who make good stuff.

[Stephen Graf]

#10756

Well said Mr. Hammer…

When our sheep shed in the spring, I get a new lifetime supply every year… So I guess I won’t be buying any silencers. Nice to know, though, that there is still room for innovation.

Who’d-a-thunk?

[Ralph]

#11126

So Steve you be using “wooly buggers”? 😀 Good for fly fishing too. 8)

[Etter1]

#11284

My order went through on the 5th. On the 8th, I put orders in at big jim and at three rivers. My big jim order came in yesterday and my three rivers order is due tomorrow. Still no scallops.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#11288

Weird – I ordered mine on 3/4.

[Etter1]

#11300

I think they’re prejudiced against us southerners.

I really can’t blame them though.

[Stephen Graf]

#11773

R2 wrote: So Steve you be using “wooly buggers”? 😀 Good for fly fishing too. 8)

Too hot and polluted in these parts for trout… Used to have em here 60 years ago, but no more.

I fly fish for blue gill now. It’s actually kind of fun. Never did get into tying flies. Don’t really have much knowledge of or skill with the fly rod.

If you want some wool for making flies let me know. It’s courser than wool used for cloth.

[Ralph]

#12238

Steve Graf wrote: [quote=R2]So Steve you be using “wooly buggers”? 😀 Good for fly fishing too. 8)

Too hot and polluted in these parts for trout… Used to have em here 60 years ago, but no more.

I fly fish for blue gill now. It’s actually kind of fun. Never did get into tying flies. Don’t really have much knowledge of or skill with the fly rod.

If you want some wool for making flies let me know. It’s courser than wool used for cloth.

Steve I just figured you had an exotic name for your particular type of string silencers:like “Wooly Bully” or something.

[Doc Nock]

#12384

Hmmph. Don’t know nutting bout all this silencer talk…tried all sorts of stuff and settled on somethin that works but isn’t well liked here, so I’ll keep it to myself…:roll:

As for the Wooly Bully, well, I got myself soaking wet sweated to that an other likely tunes back “in the day”… walked home soaked to my socks…

As for some of those old album covers, Ralph, they never silenced my string…just the opposite, but those WERE they days of MY youth… ah, yes, youth… ancient memories…

Course, back then, Stick Bows didn’t have websites. Stick bows were all that we HAD to Choose from..well, SELF bows…in those days a “selfie” meant something different then an ego pic of today!8):shock:

[Ralph]

#12394

Some things need muffled. 🙄

Just a thought Doc, wondering what kind of string mufflers you use. 😀

[Doc Nock]

#12452

I’m not expecting it to be cold enough to require a “muffler” on my bow string here…(Grandma called a scarf a “muffler”)

And if you’re talking silencers…well, HA! this is an ARCHERY SITE, Ralph!

Not a fishing site so quit fishing… and bait fishing, you be trying at that, baiting me and all…:roll:

You KNOW I’m a fly fisherman… but I ain’t rising to the offering to chatter on type of silencer. I’ve read enough to know what folks here profess to like…

I’ll just keep my dime and $.08 change to my own self… :lol::D:roll:

[Ralph]

#12528

You being from near Yankee land I was just wondering about terminology. We are trying to muffle sound right? Keeping our neck warm be under emergency gear. 🙂

By the way, Steve has wool offered for tying flies. 😆 Or string mufflers.

[Doc Nock]

#12534

NEAR Yankee land? You call PA NEAR Yankee…?

Interesting. Times change, language changes with local and time.

When I install SILENCERS on my bow string, it’s to SILENCE THE STRING NOISE…mufflers I buy at Midas…they bring the noise to levels the cops like…

Don’t ask me how Grandma’s era a scarf was called a MUFFLER…maybe cause you could wrap it around your face and muffle your cough in the cold?

❓

In winter I got to wear my Grandpa’s Mackinaw coat and a muffler…

I don’t use wool on flies… use artificial dubbing. Sparkley yarn like stuff… but it doesn’t work well on strings… 🙄

I tried wool silencers…work great in the dry…get em wet, slows the string and on the shot, there is a rainbow formed when all that moisture explodes into the air! Nah…:roll:8)

[Ralph]

#12541

Doc Nock wrote: NEAR Yankee land? You call PA NEAR Yankee…?

Interesting. Times change, language changes with local and time.

When I install SILENCERS on my bow string, it’s to SILENCE THE STRING NOISE…mufflers I buy at Midas…they bring the noise to levels the cops like…

❓

In winter I got to wear my Grandpa’s Mackinaw coat and a muffler…

Not far there pard!!:wink:

I didn’t know Midas sold silencers.

Bet that was cute. Warm though. 🙂

[Doc Nock]

#12553

I was NEVER cute, Ralph…always just Handsome!:roll:

Now,

Bruce, I think that any good silencers i’ve bought, striving for “natural” materials till it dawned on me that I shoot carbon arrows so what was the fuss…but I tried a lot of cool natural stuff.

‘”

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Arctic fox

Quivieute (?) Muskox belly fur

Beaver

Rabbit

Wool

Wolverine

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All absorbed water and changed shot when wet to damp… but the price, when anyone takes time and effort to isolate something, you can either pony up or find a way to do it yourself! Time is money… and these silencers/mufflers/scarves for bow strings sound like a decent deal and not so horribly expensive if you’re game to try them!!!

[Etter1]

#13706

My opinion is that they dont compare to wool for silencing. I put four on my zipper to make up for the two yarn balls I took off and it still isnt as quiet. I expected this because they are so small but needed to see it for myself after so many good reviews.

There was no noticeable difference in arrow flight or speed between the two.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#14242

That’s too bad they aren’t working for you, Sean. I have to say, I’m amazed that any longbow would still be making noise with four silencers on it!? 😯 Regardless, silencers are yet another one of those things that seem to respond differently to different setups, and I don’t think there is any one magic solution. Sounds like you should stick with what was already working for you, and I’m happy to take those Scallops off your hands…:D

[Doc Nock]

#14302

Smithhammer wrote: That’s too bad they aren’t working for you, Sean. I have to say, I’m amazed that any longbow would still be making noise with four silencers on it!? 😯 Regardless, silencers are yet another one of those things that seem to respond differently to different setups, and I don’t think there is any one magic solution. Sounds like you should stick with what was already working for you, and I’m happy to take those Scallops off your hands…:D

Amen, Bruce…!

Every bow, every design, every shooter, differs enough to introduce more harmonics or less…

Harmonics cause the noise, I’m told and I believe it. My Sasquatch stops dead once arrow leaves the string…all the stored energy goes into the ARROW and nothing left to go into the bow or me the shooter…ergo, little noise, with or without “mufflers” aka, silencers.

I do use the 1/4 and 1/3 position on my tiny string silencers, but couldn’t tell you from memory which is top or bottom.

We pays our money, takes our chances and learns individually…

Quiet is also relative to the shooter, I guess… Someone once was going to try using a sound proof booth to do some decibel testing of string silencer placement, and of types and sizes of feathers, but it was a complex project that last report on another site, never got off the ground!

[Etter1]

#14351

These carbon backed bows have a sound all their own. Its sort of a “thnk” if that makes any sense. I also prefer it at a slightly different brace height than is the quietest because I find it to be more forgiving on short draws.

I actually moved them around today while stumping and got them about equal as the yarn puffs. Just have to use two pairs on mine.

Their ease of install is my favorite thing about them.

[grumpy]

#14356

[quote=Doc Nock]I was NEVER cute, Ralph…always just Handsome!:roll:

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Arctic fox

Quivieute (?) Muskox belly fur

Beaver

Rabbit

Wool

Wolverine

etc

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I have all of that stuff in my fly tying stuff.:wink:

[Doc Nock]

#14376

Etter1 wrote: These carbon backed bows have a sound all their own. Its sort of a “thnk” if that makes any sense. I also prefer it at a slightly different brace height than is the quietest because I find it to be more forgiving on short draws.

I actually moved them around today while stumping and got them about equal as the yarn puffs. Just have to use two pairs on mine.

Their ease of install is my favorite thing about them.

I enjoy this forum so much for all the exposure to issues I’d never encounter as an “N = 1”

I often read of the TINK of carbon limbs… I had a Morrison with C/FC limbs. My Sassy Lady is 2x carbon, with veneers. I’ve shot a lot of other carbon limbs, but NEVER heard a TINK…So it’s curious to me about that… I could hear a “TICK” Under the limb pad on my Morrison Cheyenne. Bob was working on it and suggested a thin piece of felt under the limb in the pocket…fixed that!

I DID hear a friend at my place shooting his bow and there was an audible TINK… not subtle by any means… he blamed it on his bow quiver…

I got him to take it off entirely…nope! Still there! Turned out his arrow nocks were so tight on his serving that holding the arrow nock to load it, it deadened the sound, but on release, TINK! big as life!

Opened up his nock a wee bit and walla…no sound!

I’ve heard a few others at shoots with that sound, and pulled my nock off, tried it on their arrow (so’s not to mess their brain changing their nocks) and the noise went away…

Not— NOT suggesting that is YOUR tink… no way!!! Just sharing and hopefully, perhaps someone will find it solves a problem…

Now, Grumpy…

Those Musk Ox belly fur silencers were balls of braided musk ox thread… so how you’d use them for flying ties ….er, tying flies, I don’t know! I went to all synthetic for dubbing and only use elk hair and fedders in the naturals or I sneeze and blow all my dubbing off the bench! Not good… can’t tie with watering eyes! :roll::x

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#14766

As someone far wiser than me once said,

“If everyone is tinking alike, then someone isn’t tinking.”

[Ralph]

#14784

I’ll be tinking on that one Bruce. 😀

This could get wet:roll:. With all the ty flying stuff.:wink:

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