finishing up

[troutbum76]

Well got the tiller pretty well done on my board bow. Have shot it a few times and i tell you shooting a bow that i made myself was awesome. The bow is 70 inches ntn and pulls  a little over 45 lbs at 26 inches. I want to finish it off and this is my plan. Sand it down with varying grits of sandpaper till very smooth, cover the backing and stain the wood, then after drying apply a sealant, and finally a leather grip on handle. Does this sound right? Will any stain work? What type of sealant should i use?

[Pat B]

Sounds good to me. Be sure all your corners are rounded a bit. Most stains will work. What wood did you use?  I like Tru-Oil as a finish on wood bows. 5 or 6 coats with a rub down with 0000steel wool between coats.     Pat

[dragonman]

i think the sealant depends on the weather and dampness the bow will have to tolerate, where i live its REALLY damp, so i use 5 or 6 coats of poly-varnish, and then wax it as well

[troutbum76]

Sounds good to me. Be sure all your corners are rounded a bit. Most stains will work. What wood did you use?  I like Tru-Oil as a finish on wood bows. 5 or 6 coats with a rub down with 0000steel wool between coats.     Pat

The wood is red oak, and I have already rounded the corners. Can i get Tru-Oil at the depot or lowes?

[sailordad]

i have always used tongue oil and/or carnuba wax
i too due the rub down with xxxx steel wool between coats.
dont foget the more ya sand,the lighter the draw weight will become.not a real huge loss but a couple of lbs. will be lost.

personally if this is your first bow,dont spend alot of time worrying about maintianng the draw weight.cause your gonna shoot the living heck out of it and a lighter weight bow lets you shoot longer before your arms/shoulders/fingers get tired and sore.
jmho.

good luck

[Pat B]

You can get Tru-Oil from Wally World or a sporting good store. It is a gun stock finish.   Pat

[troutbum76]

You can get Tru-Oil from Wally World or a sporting good store. It is a gun stock finish.   Pat
[/quote

Thanks, living in Arkansas I am always near a Wally World. I spent my evening shaping out another bow. A maple board with a poplar riser. This is so much fun I can barely stand it. If  I could just keep from tracking sawdust and shavings into the house (and pissing my wife off) I would be in heaven. Thanks for all the help!                                                    Cory

[ricktrojanowski]

After you sand and before you put on any stain.  Rub the entire bow down with a paper towel.  Do this really vigorously to the point that the towel gets warm.  Take the bow out in the sunlight and it will show any tool marks that need to be sanded out.  Once you get the stain and finish on it really shows marks and then it is much harder to get them out.  I also like tru oil or Waterlox.

[DanaM]

You can get Tru-Oil from Wally World or a sporting good store. It is a gun stock finish.   Pat

Actually I believe Wal-Mart discontinued this item last fall I know ours did as I bought all they had on clearance for $2.00 a bottle

Pretty much any finish will work, spar varnish is a better choice than poly as it is intended for wet conditions and has UV inhipitors, heck
I've even used crisco just don't let the wife catch ya eh

[troutbum76]

What about using Teak Oil that is used in marine applications?

[kayakfisher]

I agree on the Wal Mart issue our's down here does'nt carry it anymore. I like helmsman spar varnish,its desighned for more outdoor weather stuff. Lowes ,Home Depot carries it havent been able to find true oil at the lumber yard or hardware stores
                                                                               Dennis

[Ryano]

I like minwax spray poly and you can get it pretty much anywhere. I use 5or6 coats of the satin and then put a coat of carnuba over the last coat when it dry's.