natural finish/sealers....

[novice2novices]

I bought a "rough and ready" bow from woodbows.com and the idea is you finish the bow yourself and save a bit of money. I like the idea of using as natural a product as possible to finish this bow. My woodworking experience is shop class in high-school 10 years ago, and my bowyer skills are well I think my name speaks for that.

I've searched the forums, and I found a thread on Bear grease. Definitely something I can get but not till after the Fall. I am looking for a temporary solution (from what I have read, natural finishes need to be reapplied throughout the life of the bow anyways) until I can get some bear grease.

I have some hemp oil on hand and a pile of beeswax. The bow is made from Red Oak and is linen backed. I am thinking to rub it down with the hemp oil and then rub some beeswax into it, but well I don't want to ruin it in the pursuit of a fast, easy solution.
The manufacturer recommends using petroleum jelly. 

Thanks for any tips and advice.

[El Destructo]

BEESWAX WOOD FINISH

Step 1.....Bring 1 pint of linseed oil to a boil in a regular sauce pan and set aside to cool..... Do not allow the linseed oil to burn or it will add a dark color to the finish..... Once boiling.... remove it from the heat.

Step 2.....Melt 1 pound of beeswax slowly in a double boiler and remove from heat..... Never heat beeswax in a standard pan, as it can easily catch fire when exposed to direct heat.

Step 3.....Add the linseed oil to the melted beeswax and stir in 1 pint of turpentine..... Odorless turpentine is best if you can find it.

Step 4.....Apply a light layer of the beeswax wood finish a dab at a time with a soft cotton cloth..... I use my Fingers....Once dry... reapply if necessary..... When finished, buff the surface with a cotton or wool cloth..... It is best to apply the finish when warm, so reheat the beeswax mixture before use.

You can reduce this Recipe as small as you prefer....but it will keep indefinitely...if it stiffens up too much....add some more Turpentine to in and reheat.

[Aosda]

El D, how often do you have to reapply that finish?  And how much darker will it get if you over heat the linseed oil?  Might be useful for two-toning a light colored wood.  Do half the limb with light was and fade out with the dark wax.

[El Destructo]

If I have a Weekend like this last one in Tennessee....I will reapply this often....otherwise I just do it every couple Months...and it really darkens the Mixture if you cook it too long...but it doesn't make the Wood all that much darker though..

[George Tsoukalas]

Any grease will do. Jawge

[mullet]

 I've always kept a small block of rendered deer tallow in my tackle box for a really wet weekend.

[novice2novices]

Thank you for the timely responses. This recipe is perfect. I agree with Aosda, the darkening properties could be useful.

Thanks again El Destructo.

My next hurdle after this will be stringing the bow, as the instructions on the company's website seem counter intuitive. Oh well, one step at a time!

[Aosda]

The easiest and SAFEST way to string the bow is with a bow stringer.  You can make on or buy one.  Definately worth the investment.

[D. Tiller]

50/50 Rosin and beeswax. Works great! Just take the block, of beeswax and rosin, melt it over the bow and then heat bow gently untill the mixture melts and rub it in. Did this on one of my bows and its practically bullet proof in the rain!

[Pat B]

One of my hunting bows this year is a yew selfbow and the only finish is hand rubbed bear fat. I occasionally give it another coat.

[orcbow]

The old time instructions for oil finishes might be good to keep in mind when using the natural/primitive finishes that have been discussed here. This includes linseed oil, animal fat, beeswax, etc:

Apply the finish once a day for a week,
once a week for a month,
once a month for a year,
and once a year for life.

 

[Rocks in Head]

How does  the animal grease affect something like a sinew backing or painted designs or rawhide and hide glue? Would it weaken it or make the glue lose its binding ability?