sealing a new stave

[northvtarcher]

I was just reading a post here about new bow wood and I was surprised to read that you were supposed to seal the back of the stave. I knew about sealing the ends but did not realize it was important to seal the back. I cut some white ash and let it season without sealing the back and it did not seem to have any ill effect. So my question is why seal and how do you seal?

[straightarrow]

If the bark is on...just seal the ends. I only seal the back if I peal the bark. Some say on here you don't even have to do that....just do the ends with the bark off. I only do it as a safety net from checking. You can use elmers, paint, shellac, urethane to do the ends....I don't think it matters much.....alot guys will just use the old paint in garage. I did seal the back on some hornbeam I peeled the bark from. I made sure it was clean/dry and used polyurethane. That way when the bow is finished I could just use a little 220 .....and its ready for the finish. If you do seal the back....don't make the mistake I did and seal it with elmers.....because it adds alot of extra work scraping the dang glue off....Hope this helps

Jon

[Pappy]

Like was said some don't seal the back of white wood after removing the bark but I have had some check so I always do. I use cheap wood glue watered down a bit and put it on with a paint brush,It is easier to remove when you get ready to work on the bow.Always seal ends also. It is important to keep all white wood in a dry place also. If it stays out in the elements long it will  dry rot  quickly and make it useless for a bow.   
   Pappy

[adb]

I've cut ash and maple staves, and I never seal the back (after I remove the bak), only the ends.

[toomanyknots]

It's always best to have a good 5 to mabie even 10 inches longer than you need just incase of checking still. If it does check you can just cut a good 5 inches off and be happy. I have used olive oil on the ends just too slow down moisture escaping. It still checked but not as bad. On a 5 - 6 inch diameter split hackberry log in the summer it only checked about an inch deep. Once I sealed the ends of a 2 inch diameter sycamore without splitting because it was too small, and when I ended up bringing it out to make a bow, it was molded all threw the inside of the bow? So I would not seal the ends of an unsplit stave. At least in my experience.

[cryostallion]

If you do seal the back....don't make the mistake I did and seal it with elmers.....because it adds alot of extra work scraping the dang glue off....Hope this helps

Jon

uhhhh...oops
just sealed the backs of about 14 ash staves with elmer's.

[George Tsoukalas]

Well there you have it. LOL. Experienced bowyers doing things differently. Here's another wrinkle. LOL. It's good because it lets you decide. When I feel the need to seal the back of a stave, which is almost always for a osage or black locust and almost never for a white wood, here is what I do. I'll take of the bark and chase a ring ( for osage and BL) then I'll sand and remove nicks. I'll get that son smooth and ready for some serious tillering. In other words, the back is done. I don't seal the back of whitewoods. I don't want to have to deal with scraping of glue and what have you from the back. If you leave the bark on it will cement itself to the back and it will be hard to remove. I suggest you take it off within a week. Waiting  a few days lets the stave settle in its new surroundings and get used to being a bow. Jawge

[okiecountryboy]

Jawge
Get used to being a bow? I love it...Personally I've caught myself ( in a frustrating moment ) actually talking to wood ( well...cursing  ) telling it what it IS going to be. LOL!
Love the ZEN outlook.
Your the best Jawge..

Ron

[George Tsoukalas]

Okie, thanks. I don't know about the zen stuff. LOL.  I learned to make bows from Bob Holzhauser. He was the best osage bowyer I've seen work. His philosophy, and now mine, is to only heat to get the string on the handle and that's about it or may be heat to even off a situation where one limb is reflexed and one is not. He always claimed he learned from an old Indian in PA. I pretty much "listen" to the wood and let it "tell" me  what it wants rather than beating it into submission which never worked for me. Of course, the wood does not talk but the signs are there to see if you can read the grain. Jawge

[shamus]

Some woods you can seal the back, others can be left alone. You can find out by leaving the back of one unsealed and finding out. Me, I don't like to chance ruining a piece of wood.

For me, if the bark comes off, then I seal the back.  I would suggest using a few coats of unwaxed shellac (superb water-vapor resistance, and you'll need to slow down that water-vapor exchange as the stave dries).  Removal is easy: Shellac can be removed with denatured alcohol or scraping.

You can also use poly, but I've become sold on shellac.

[Pat B]

I agree with Shamus about the shellac. I put Bulls Eye spray shellac on every stave back I expose. It is cheap insurance and easily removed(as Shamus mentioned) with alcohol.

[northvtarcher]

What about using paste wax? Seems like you would not have to worry about removing it.

[osage outlaw]

I like to cut staves at least 70 inches and put lots of glue on the ends.  When I am ready to use it, I just cut the ends off to get it to the length I want.  If I remove the bark when green, I seal the backs with shellac.  Works for me.

[shamus]

What about using paste wax?

That's pretty much like using nothing. No effective water-vapor resistance or water resistance. Wax's only benefit is abrasion resistance, and  as such works best as an addition to other finishes.



Shellac works, it works VERY well,  and it can be dissolved with alcohol.  Or you can scrap it off with a few passes of the scraper.

[Pat B]

...or you can add your design or finish over the shellac. Anything will stick to shellac and shellac will stick to anything(I have heard).
  You can't stain through it though so you will have to remove it if you want to stain your bow!