Aluminum Thumb Ring v4
Just as my business was picking up a bit and my archery improving along with my ring designs, I decided to injure myself. I was working on a small paver job and for whatever reason, impulsively summoned the gods of complete and total nonsense to briefly alter the laws of physics so that a brick might do what it otherwise should be prohibited from doing. How it happened, I still don’t understand. I think magic and stupidity may have a common root. The brick landed on my draw thumb, splitting the nail from cuticle to tip, but very strangely not all the way through it seems. It left a visible line that channeled the bleeding and has made thumb-release painful again despite my best rings. I got lucky with that experiment in pointless destruction and can already handle casual shooting again. Except for the new and improved inguinal hernia I induced by lifting a recently watered, large ceramic potted plant. For much of this year, I’ve been suffering tendonitis and what seems arthritis that similar to the brick, debuted unexpectedly and abruptly. Having adapted to work around a weaker form, my core had withered. I’d been feeling strong, mostly due to taking a new supplement, which after starting three weeks ago had dispelled much of my pain and restricted range of motion by the third day. But a weak core is insidious. I’m now permanently bloated with a reminder of this wisdom. I’m also unable to do much of what I normally do, thus decided to proceed with another aluminum thumb ring in my unwelcome abundance of spare time.
Behold V4. (UPDATE: V4 has been modified to become v5)
Practice may not always make perfect, but it certainly causes improvement in some cases — and this is the best, although not prettiest, aluminum ring so far.
Meanwhile, Girtha and I were having minor disagreements, and in a fit of discontent disproportionate to the problem, she decided to transmogrify. I cannot deny the improvement, but miss the original as it was.
Quite happy with both the modified Girtha and V4, I crafted a simple leather necklace carrying case for each, which also has a leather thumb glove for variety. As mentioned, the leather thumb glove is one of my favorite ways to shoot =< 60lbs. If you practice thumb release and haven’t tried one, I highly recommend a well-made leather thumb glove.
The next aluminum version will have a lip, or groove, or what ever it’s properly named. It will, if successful, be a shallow hook style. As the hernia presently is, I’m confident I can pull a bow string without trouble, though I have yet to verify this. If wrong, perhaps I will solicit Joerg Sprave to build me something wicked, for the infirm.
Remember to mind your core strength, for all purposes great and small.