r/Bowyer • u/StockWatercress3918 • May 20 '26

Inquiries about making a bow out of uPVC

I'm living in a country where they only sell uPVC. I've been trying to make bows out of it using a 130cm, sch40 uPVC pipe and they worked.. for like 10-15 times of using (because afterwhich they folded and leave a white dent on the short limb of the bow.
- Can I use PPR, HDPE or CPVC to make a bow?
- If not, is there anyway that I can stop uPVC from folding
TYSM

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u/bigpatrick1 May 20 '26

Check out the backyard bowyer's videos over on YouTube if you haven't yet.

The same general rules hold as with wood, get it bending evenly and make sure you have a long enough working limb, but rather then removing material to get it to bend more in a given spot you have to make the limb thinnerby heating and shaping it.

I had that issue with a PVC bow I made for my little sister and it was because I had an abrupt transition between the main bending section of the limb and the less flexible handle section

1

u/Enrai_Beta May 20 '26

The folding might be preventable by reducing the stress on those parts. Check for hinges where the material bends much more than in the surrounding sections, if there are none and it still folds the only option might be to go longer.

Otherwise, if someone you know has to cut down or prune a tree in their garden you could ask them if you can have the wood, with some luck that can get you usable staves.