I worked at Warwick castle in about 1999, I was just telling someone today about Kevin the Archer and how he gave us archery lessons on the river island at the castle. I then found this video in a serendipitous moment. It was an honour to be shown how to shoot a longbow all those years ago in such a magnificent setting. A memory that has never left me. Thanks.

Keven you're the best. We need more chaps like you in this world.

Glad the Mother of Pearl has given your bow a few more years use, I am also glad to see you have ordered some replacements strings! Will get those made up for you soon.

Hey Kevin, could you do a video about the activities and kinship of the medieval archers? What kind of work did they do when they were not at war, what did their tent accommodations look like on campaign, that sort of thing. Thanks!

Awesome I didn’t realize your a bowyer

This was really cool, I would love to see how would folks back in the old day maintain their bow without any of modern help.

Love the knowledge you’re sharing mate. Things haven’t changed much in hundreds of years of soldiering, look after your weapon and it’ll look after you. Thank you brother, keep it coming 🆎🟥👊🏻💥🤙🏻

I need to do this with my own bow. I made it from a yew stem. Made horn nocks and the string. It might not be the most powerful bow but it certainly delivers an arrow! Thanks for this, Kevin.

Just got my first bow, couldn’t have come at a better time! Thanks Kevin for bringing me into the hobby :)

Simple things but essential. I remember seeing you at Warwick with that bow good to see it again. Thanks

Reminds me of the movie "Deliverance" every time a I see an arrow "squeal like a pig"!!

It’s a really specialised weapon, that amount of care during the medieval times would require well trained and well versed artisans, no wonder bowmen were hard to get

Thanks Kevin for another outstanding video! 👏

It is such a pleasure to watch. I get into archery as a little kid and had no one with the same hobby or someone teaching me some basics so I tried a lot over the years and decades but nothing compares with the elegance of a well made longbow. It is somhow impressiv how good it feels and work and how much detail is hidden in the old "simple" way of bow desing this things. There are no higthech components, no highly synthetic glues but every little secret mother nature have to offer goes into the perfect design. It has almost some kind of magic in it. It is realy sad, that we have only a little comunity spread over the whole contry where I live so I'm verry happy that the english holding this tradition somewhere deeply in their hearts.

I absolutely love the caltrop as a paper towel holder.

Great video Kevin lots of great information as usual 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

Thanks Kev. I've been shooting for years, but still learned some stuff!

Greetings once again from nova Scotia, another fun video to top off A lovely day. I admire the time invested in becoming an archer, I have leaned towards throwing tomahawk, different skill sets, same passion. Thank you once again, please keep the good stuff coming, be safe and as always best regards. Arthur

Excellent sir.

This was great. Thanks for sharing

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! It's greatly appreciated!

I found this most helpful as I attempted to string a recurve bow for the first time yesterday. I played havok with it and ended up needing help from a friend. If I had seen this first, I would've been able to do it myself and look less like a fool.

Always a pleasure.

Thanks Kevin.

Love it!

Very informative, thank you

You’ll be at a million in no time! Keep up The good work

Fascinating as usual. Thanks

Very good videos Kevin. Really enjoy your content. Thanks again.

Thank you!

Dear Kevin,love the fact you still consider yourself not to be an authority on the subject even with your extensive experience. Have a most talented dear friend of mine that has created many a wonderful example of a Split Bamboo Fishing Rod. Like yourself he doesn't consider himself a Craftsman, believing his remarkable talent something anyone capable of. As Alway's an Absolute Pleasure to watch a fellow Craftsman. A Most Impressed and Appreciative Raptor Rob

great job Kevin.

A very informative video. Well done Kev!

Very well demonstrated and explained Kev !!

A caltrop as a paper towel holder? Well I like that...you're a reg'ler renaissance man, Kev!

Brilliant. Very useful

Thank you

Another great video thank you so much!

That's the most efficient and easy way to string a bow I've ever seen! I will remember this!

I love the Ford emblems on your bench!

Thanks for sharing 👍

Thanks Mr. Hicks 👌👌

The more I watch of your videos the more I discover the commonality between us and our lives histories. Kudos to you Kevin! Keep your string dry!

I wipe of excess right away and let the wood dry without any shiny pools or thickness. Better drying that way avoids stickyness and you can do it multiple times until satisfied. good tip on the dry spots. Dry areas are normal even when oiling metal parts. Great demonstration thanks for the info.

Really really enjoyed the love and affection you have for your bows, I understand completely. I build my bows from fibre glass and even they all do require maintenance from time to time and it is always a pleasure to get your bow back to optimum. Thanks once again Kev really appreciate your videos.

fantastic vid.

Great bit of information 👌

I’ve never shot a bow, but I found this very interesting anyway

This is absolutely great! I really appreciate these videos. Now I'm about to destroy a pair of garden gloves to make a couple of string keepers. Thanks, and greetings from Sweden.

Mr Meticulous in Life, Work and Play ,a joy to observe.

“I know one or two little things…” still humble despite being a master archer. Thanks so much for sharing all your knowledge.

Thanks Kev, brilliant stuff as ever, missing you in the uk!

I have stopped several archers in our club including the mainstay from trying to string my bow over their knee as the maker stated it was bad for self bows and I sensibly listened to that instruction

A video on how to make a bow or chose wood to make one would be interesting!

Great video, thanks :)

Love your videos, always been a history buff and am happy to always learn more. Plus my you look like my grandfather with that mustache. Sadly he passed last year. but seeing you with it, while teaching me history is amazing.

You have a beautiful bow, it speaks a great deal about you that you have been able to keep her healthy lo these many years.

Well that was a very relaxing watch Kevin. Thanks. I'm a varnish man myself on my self bows. So long as you keep a watch to touch up any breaks in the varnish the natural moisture level in the wood shoiuld be maintained, as far as I know. Love linseed oiling tool & weapon handles/shafts though. Gives a beautiful lustre to the wood. As an archer I'd have loved to know the draw weight at your usual draw length.

Your a Legend bloody good video

Awesome looking bow! Defiantly want to make myself one someday

Thank you for your wisdom Kevin I appreciate it! From california

Good stuff Kevin, when i was a kid i had a bow with a what we called a carp rig, a reel with a string and a fiberglass arrow for shooting fish, we had lot of fun with bow and arrow, i love your bow, love your vids also, thx matt

Just got the news today about Her Majesty the Queen, I’m in a different time zone and was at work when I heard it, I wish to express my deepest condolences and regrets; the memory of her will be everlasting

Greetings my good Sir..I am sure like me you were devastated by the news we all knew was coming. Her Majesty was a beacon to all of us who had been in Service may Charles 111 be a growing light in the coming years. God save the King

You must be right because you have a FORD emblem. Thank you for your very informative videos.

Kevin I truly enjoyed your videos on arrow making and preparing a longbow for shooting. Excellent job! Do one on selecting a proper archer’s sword and dagger.

It’s cool to see this. I visited Warwick castle with my school in 2002 and remember you shooting what was probably this bow. I also remember you giving an interesting demonstration of the bolloc dagger with an American tourist.

Kevin, we had a traditional archery shop , where I bought my first long bow, they offering a course in self bow making.. I ended up working with the owner later when I worked on Jaguars.

Very interesting Kevin, the only thing I used to do differently is I used melted beeswax and linseed oil to oil my bow and I changed my string every year

Nice how too do! 👍👌😁

Just got my first longbow, can't wait to start shooting, first I'll have to get some arrows for it.

Long live the King

Another great one!!!! Thanks Kevin……..love your show.

I learned a lot here. Very interesting Kevin. :)

The way it's going over there, you ppl will need it.

We use Lin seed oil for our hickory handles of our axes here in Los Angeles county’s fire department. I really enjoy your channel. I’m a new subscriber

I simply love how careful and respectful you are to your bow. Cheers!

Helpful ? Oh yes ! I happen to have made some bows , one supposed to be a " yew longbow " , by far not as well made as yours , sir , my main problem having been to find a proper stave (in Brittany ) , the best I found had the softwood running only three quarters of the length , but it can somehow shoot despite that , two others are ash and a mix of ash and yew , thanks for the "extra groove" , its a great idea !

Fantastic video, Kev - informative and charismatic. Also, looking sharp with that moustache there! You looking to grow it out more?

I bow before your content, good Sir! :)

By chance could you do a short video on caring for and doing repairs on the bowstring?

That bow is just beautiful!

Great video Kevin!! Thanks for sharing sir.

Very intriguing. Thanks for the exposition of your bow.

I've a couple of forty year old Quarterstaffs, and another that's closer to fifty. I wax them with beeswax and check for nicks and splinters, using sand paper if I absolutely have to. They are stored flat on the floor at room temperature and played with most days. Chances are they'll outlast me and end up as firewood!

Hello from Alabama again. Im an Archer as well. Love the video. So I also noticed you like the Blue Oval too. Ford man all the way. Interesting stave on the right. A new project? Perhaps you can tell us about it. Iv made a few self bows Osage Orange. And a few sinew backed as well. I have a few staves seasoning now.The tillering to me is the best but sometimes most nerve racking bit lol. Thanks for the video.

I think it doesn’t take any more oil because linseed oil turns into a sort of resin after a while. That is what happens when painting with oil color. It builds up a film. This works as a seal which hinders new oil to get into the wood. Of course this makes also a fine protective layer…

Thanks so much for doing this for me! Really interesting as always (Sandy)

Amazing knowlege🙏 Thank you good sir!!! Is it the same for hikory, osage or other wood types?

I rub it down with fine sand paper and then wipe it will diluted oil I leave it to dry I then check the bow for any damage then brace it check the first melle and adjust if needed then wax the string and leave flat under a bed in a linen bag

LOVE this material.

Why do I enjoy watching this? Lol

Great video as always…..What Ford do you run ?

Great video! When you were talking about binding back down the parts that start to split up, what is that black material you use to bind it?

A visit to the workshop with a bow with a personal history that can never be replaced. Thank you for taking us in for a viewing and with a lesson on bow care. Makes me wonder what else remains to be seen.

Dear mr. Hicks, thank you for sharing with the world your 1st tool of the trade, the longbow, alongside with your 2nd, the wit and charisma. Tell me please if the special temperature for the bow storage is require, alike in the situation with music instruments, is it humid or dry? And what about precations for archers? Does the bow might be dangerous for the shooter on par with firearm? Cheers.

I watched this while also being nicely oiled. Keep it up, very good to see your new videos.

Jeez!!! You made me jump then ☺️

That was really groovy. Thank you Kevin. Snapping a bow is like losing an old friend. Thank you also for showing the measurements with the linseed oil and turps. One small Q: what's the bow string made from? As I make my own bow strings. Longbow is simple and brilliant. 🙂

I’m really enjoying all of your videos and have been binge watching for days!! I also have a question…. Can you tell when your bow is needing another oil? Is it because it looks/feels dry on the surface? Or does it become more ridged or harder to Draw as it dries out?