Things You'll Need:
- Bow wax
- Bow string
- Bow stringer
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Step 1
Wax your bow strings. A good sign that your strings need to be waxed is if they begin to appear frayed or fuzzy. Attentive care of your bow strings will go a long way to keeping your equipment in top performing condition.
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Step 2
Wax your bow as well. Lightly rubbing your bow with a wax specifically made for the purpose will help prolong your bow's life by keeping the finish sealed and helping the bow resist moisture.
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Step 3
Dry your bow off immediately if it gets wet. Even if your finish is waterproof, if your bow has any inner metal parts, they may become rusted and cause your bow to malfunction.
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Step 4
Use a bow stringer. Most professional archers strongly suggest that you use a stringer instead of stringing your bow without one, because the potential for breaking or misaligning your bow while using other techniques is high.
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Step 5
Tighten the arms of your bow gently if you have detachable arms. Overtightening can make the arms become extra rigid, which will not only shorten your draw length, but may also break your bow.
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Step 6
Shoot only with properly weighted arrows. Using arrows that are lighter than your bow was designed for has essentially the same effect as dry firing your bow. Heavier arrows will result in severely reduced distance and accuracy.
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Step 7
Unstring your bow when you aren't shooting. The only exception to this step is if you have a traditional recurve made from one solid piece of wood--these kinds of bows can be left strung to help them retain their shapes.
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Step 8
Avoid dry firing your bow at all costs. The arrow is designed to absorb the shock caused by shooting a bow, so firing your bow without an arrow can cause internal damage from the bow having to absorb a shock it isn't designed to take. Even if your bow appears to be fine after a dry fire, damage you can't see could cause serious injuries if you try to shoot the bow again.
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Step 9
Store your bow in a cool, dry place. To care for your archery bow properly, you should avoid any extreme temperatures, especially heat and humidity. The wood can easily be warped in extreme temperatures.
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Step 10
Replace your string at the first sign of wear.
