Bow Finish Problems

[Diligence]

Well, it's been a while, but I'm back in the shop tinkering again.

Just putting the finish on a new elm bow I made, but something odd has happened.

I used some Outers Gun Stock filler/stain to get a nice orange/red color and let it dry.

I applied some Outers Gun Stock finish (looks like Tru-oil) and it would not set up.  It stayed sticky for 3 days.  So I stripped it with acetone yesterday.  Then last night I put on some polyurethane finish using my fingers.  Just a thin coat, and it's still sticky too, after 24 hrs which is odd because the last time I used it, it set up after 4 or 5 hours.

The past bows I made, I used paste wax only, except for a kids bow that I used Tru-oil on.

Anybody else have problems with tacky finishes?  Anyway to accelerate the drying process?

Cheers,
J

[tattoo dave]

It's hard to say exactly. How cold is it where you are? Cold temps will slow the drying time. And some clear coats will separate if old and the hardner will settle to the bottom. Other than that, I don't know what to tell ya. Hope it works out for ya.

Tattoo Dave

[Gordon]

I've had that problem when applying Tru-oil over a naturally oily wood, but that would not be like elm. Try applying a primer coat of shellac first. If you are still having this problem after applying the finish over shellac, something is wrong with your finish or environment.

[randman]

I would suspect the first coat of filler stuff you put on because the the two finishes you put on after were completely different materials and had the same drying problem making me think the filler stuff was affecting both. Gordon has a good plan and seal with shellac to see if that makes a difference.

[Ifrit617]

I have had a similar problem in the past. I find the best way for me to fix it is to stick the bow as soon as I apply a THIN coat of tru-oil, (my go-to finish) behind my portable basement dehumidifier. The dehumidifier puts out warm and very dry air, drying the coat of finish in about 2-3 hours.

Jon

[Diligence]

Hmm - could be the first stain/filler I used, but it's odd that it did that.  The filler/stain was part of a gun stock refinishing kit, which contained the original finish I tried.  Maybe it was old or something?

To answer the cold question, well, the weather in my garage hovers around +5C (41F) likely right now during the daytime.  I did set the bow in my house the first night, with no real better results.

Perhaps I need to strip it again with acetone, then try to strip out the stain/filler.

Has anybody had good success using spray on polyurethane?

J

[Gordon]

Shellac will seal most kinds of problem surfaces - try it and you may save yourself a lot of grief.

[Diligence]

as an update, I just checked the bow and it's still sticky.  Also, I moved the bow to a heat duct to see if it will help it set up.  When I was done, I noticed that not only were my hands sticky, but they were "orange"....the stain/filler is leaching through the poly.

So....the culprit must be the stain.  I'll give it  few days and see if it sets up, if not, I'll re-strip and try to get rid of the stain/filler oils,

thanks for all the advice!

J

[Del the cat]

It's natures way of tellin' you not to stain wood
Del

[straightarrow]

Wow...... what a nightmare. I feel for ya buddy. I hate when things happen out of your control. I had a similar problem with tung oil.  The mistake I made was the previous coat wasn't completely dry. Even after a year it was still tacky. Thank God it was on arrows and not a bow. I mostly use tru v oil now with no problems...... but use caution it can and will do the same thing as the tung oil did to me


Jon

[Diligence]

well, after another day of drying, still no set-up.

So, stripped it all off again.  Wiped it hard with acetone for 20 minutes, and a fresh cloth each time.  Really took the oil out of the wood.  Now to try something different, 1850 Paste Varnish, which I have used successfully on other projects. 

Let's see if it cures overnight or not, but the first coat seems to be setting up already after 15 minutes.

J

[osage outlaw]

Sounds like you got it fixed.  Good job 

[Cloudfeather]

I had the issue with tru oil staying sticky on carp skins. I tried stripping it with acetone, but it is still sticky. Should I just try stripping it again or change to a different stripper?

[Cameroo]

I'm not sure what's causing your problem, but just as a side note, I've been using Minwax wipe-on polyurethane, and I love the stuff.  It dries literally in minutes, not hours.  You can get 3 or 4 coats on in the span of an hour easy.  You might want to try it in the future if you continue to have problems.  Good luck!

[bubby]

I'm not sure what's causing your problem, but just as a side note, I've been using Minwax wipe-on polyurethane, and I love the stuff.  It dries literally in minutes, not hours.  You can get 3 or 4 coats on in the span of an hour easy.  You might want to try it in the future if you continue to have problems.  Good luck!


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