Paint for a linen backed bow?

[amberb_57]

Hello out there!  I'm to the point now with my first bow where I can sand down the belly to get the tool marks out of it and give it a few coats of linseed oil, and I was wondering about recommendations for a type of stain or paint for the backing.   The bow was made from an oak board that had good grain, it's a straight bow, 55 inches from string nock to nock, and I put a linen backing on it with titebond 3.  I want to either stain or paint the backing red, but I'm not sure what to use.  I'm not sure what the paint would do when the bow is flexed for shooting.   Any suggestions?
  I plan to use the bow for SCA target shooting, so I want it to look more "interesting".
Thanks for any info!

Amber

[n2huntn]

Leather dye works good. I get mine at hobby lobby when they run it for 40% off about every other week. I like cheap! It holds up well and can be sealed with poly.
Jeff

[medicinewheel]

If TB3 didn't soak thru the fabric you can use any wood or leather stain.

[mullet]

 If you want to paint it, Lacquer is a good finish for a bow.

[Hrothgar]

I've used acrylic paint on my linen backed bows and it works fine. Depending on the brand of paint and the colors you use, 2 or 3 coats might be needed, but it dries quickly. You might want to check out my bow from earlier this month "Four Winds".

[Josh]

I've used acrilic paints from Hobby Lobby or Walmart on linen backings without any problems too.  Haven't ever used the leather dye before but it should work pretty good too.

[JW_Halverson]

I've used hobby store acrylic, watercolors, tempera paints, even housepaint samples from the hardware store.  I have yet to have a problem with paint cracking.  Nice thing about exterior housepaint is that it seals pretty well, too.

[amberb_57]

Thanks for the replies! 
Medicinewheel, I put a coat of TB3 on the outside of the linen after I put it on the bow to make sure it soaked through well enough, and after it dried, I put another coat on it.  I guess you could say I sealed it with TB3.  :-)
  I suppose that if I'm going to use linseed oil to seal the bow, I should use a paint that's compatible with it.  I'm not sure what acrylic paint would do if put over linseed oil.

[Hrothgar]

Amber, I don't think you will be able to use a water-based acrylic paint over linseed oil. In an oil based paint the linseed is an extender which has to be mixed with mineral spirirts or paint thinner to dry out. By it self linseed oil will never completely dry. One suggestion, if you have already added an additional layer of TB on the the backing it will be fairly water resistant--not water-proof; also, outdoor acrylic paint is waterwater proof, and even hobby paint will protect against moisture to a limited degree and won't wash off when dry. You can always put a coat or two of polyurethane over the paint if you want to completely seal it.

[toomanyknots]

So if you use like a glossy paint, you can seal with some brush on lacquer? Can you get a glossy finish with brush on lacquer? Is it strong enough to use on siyahs that will have a string rubbing up and down on them all the time? If not, would anyone suggest a finish to finish on black piant, since I was going to piant siyahs, and also be glossy and strong enough to not rub off when the siyah loop is rubbing against it. Or if there really isn't one that does all that, what do yall think I should use instead? (I've never finished anything except with beeswax)