Bow refinishing

[kurogane_84]

Hey all im in dire need of answers to a question, my mothers friends kid got a hold og my bow, i dont know how i was away from home at the time, but some how the lil bugger got the sinew torn off, i dont mind that i can replace that, but the handle leather was ripped off, and the adhesive the company used is still on there in gobs,  i told my mothers friend if the bows damaged more than that its 1200 CAD to get a new one, i dont think she will be coming here again LOL,  i think its a barge cement, i dont know if it is or not, but it was suggested to me to use acteone, im afraid to do so because the finish will be effected, is there any other way to get it off?? goo-b-gone  wont work on this stuff, any advice guys??

Id like to refinish the bow but im afraid if i do that the whole bow will look like crap LOL

[Pat B]

If it is Barge cement you should be able to rub it off with a dry finger. Barge makes a thinner but that could affect the finish. Do you know what the finish on the bow is?

[kurogane_84]

its the satin miniwax polyutathane im guessing its not, i got an email from the guys i bought the bow from 3 Rivers and they said use acetone and refinish with that spray,  im nervous of using that solvent on the bow because its a solvent and the bows a laminated bow, any advice on what i can do to get the glue off?? im thinking its an epoxy

[Pat B]

Put a little acetone on a rag ad see if it will affect the finish under the handle wrap.
  Without knowing what glues were used and what finish was used it is hard to give you a good answer. If you can contact the builder I' suggest you do that.

[kurogane_84]

Put a little acetone on a rag ad see if it will affect the finish under the handle wrap.
  Without knowing what glues were used and what finish was used it is hard to give you a good answer. If you can contact the builder I' suggest you do that.

Pat heres what they emailed me back just then

Jon,
 
The adhesive that was used to keep the rest material on the shelf should come off pretty easily. It is similar to rubber cement. Just use some denatured alcohol.
 
The adhesive for the grip is a different story. You can work on with denatured alcohol but it will take an extremely long time to get it all off. Your best bet is to use a debonder or acetone. This will strip clear coat off of the grip however. Once you have all of the adhesive removed you will want to go over the entire area with a clean cloth and acetone again. After the area is clean you can re clear coat the bow. The spray on polyurethane from Minwax will match what is already used on the bow. Just make sure to get the satin finish.

Im just wondering if there was another way to remove it besides a solvent, i know im a pest but its a expensive bow and if it got ruined id break down and cry i knows

[Pat B]

I'd go with their recomendations. I doubt you will hurt the bow any more than the kid did. If you are still concerned, send it back to the builder for the repair and send the bill to the kids parent. 

[kurogane_84]

yah they offered a limited life time warranty so far its over 12 months if have to pay 999.99 dollars for warranty if it broke, but then again it would be easier than me doing it and destroying the pretty thing LOL, hey Pat i was wonderign for a fresh off the block guy trying to make a bow what woods and what style do you think would be easiest?? i like the pyramid and the gull wing, and also the R/D long bows, and the plain long bows also, im still cant figure out the poundage thing, how to get it to the weight you want it to be at, im kinda dunce i guess

[Pat B]

A straight limb bow would be the easiest to learn on. For a first time bowyer I'd suggest that you get a red oak or hickory board. A good design would be 68" long, 1 1/2" to 2" wide at the fades and out about half the limb length before tapeing to 1/2" tips.
  When you get your bow to floor tiller stage and are sure both limbs are bending evenly and together check your weight. Never go over your intended weight. So, pull to your weight and see how far it pulls. If everything is still good, remove a little wood and check the tiller and weight again. If you never go oner your intended weight you should come in at the weight you desire. Try to make your bow a bit heavier than your intended weight(tiller to a few inches short of full draw) so as you sand out the bow and shoot it in you don't come in under weight.

[kurogane_84]

ok thanks Pat, there is a store that sells a red oak board, never checked the prices tho soon enough lol

[Pat B]

Read over George Tsoukalas' site about choosing board for bows. You will find it at the top of the "How To" page. Lots of good info in George's site.

[kurogane_84]

ive been reading his site actually and the boards are 6 inches across by 1 inch thick, and upto 10 foot length, but  some got bad knots ot cross grains id have to look for one that has mostly straight grains  there are oak and pine only, i may buy a 30 dollar stave, its cheaper in the long run lol

[kurogane_84]

Well i took the plunge and the bow handle is harsh looking, i used acetone to get the glue off, there is some still there, im going to give the bow a light sanding but im still nervous LOL, im worrying that the bow will look like crap after i finish LOL, and advice on how to go about it after the sanding, any tips to get an even layer??

[gstoneberg]

Are you worrying about the sanding affecting the polyurethane finish?  If so, it's no big deal. As you sand into the finish it will turn white.  Hit that spot with fine sandpaper and respray with the satin poly. It'll look brand new when it dries. It might look best if you give the entire limb a light coat, but I've touched up several bows and it usually comes out perfect. Satin polyurethane is a very  forgiving finish.

George

[kurogane_84]

Are you worrying about the sanding affecting the polyurethane finish?  If so, it's no big deal. As you sand into the finish it will turn white.  Hit that spot with fine sandpaper and respray with the satin poly. It'll look brand new when it dries. It might look best if you give the entire limb a light coat, but I've touched up several bows and it usually comes out perfect. Satin polyurethane is a very  forgiving finish.

George

well George ive sanded it with find sand paper twice now, and cleaned it with a sanitizing wipe seemed to bring out the best of it , im going to go ver it again before i get the spray varnish, im going to go over the whole bow, and go form the handle to the tip on one end then let it dry and do the same on the opposite end, my question is when i removed the glue that was on there the wood accent on the front of the handle started to sho pits in the wood grain, is that normal, or is that going to be a problem?? 

and should i use fine or should i do a medium then a fine sanding on the whole bow?? also the sides of the limbs will it hurt if i sad there as well?

[gstoneberg]

I'm not sure what you mean by show pits? Satin poly is going to cover what's there. Imperfections will still be visible. If put on heavy, it will fill up an uneven surface, but if you're spraying, you'll likely get runs. Light coats are best.

If the original finish is satin, I would not sand unless I needed to.

Good luck,
George