bear fat or lard?

[TimothyR]

Will store bought lard work like bear fat at waterproofing bows?

[Wiley]

Pig fat, bear fat, the wood won't know the difference. The only difference is how primitive it is, pigs are not a native species and bear are. At least this is how I understand it.

[Pat B]

Yes, lard should work just fine. Pig, deer, cow, moose, bison, all have useful fat but bear fat was always considered the best by most and it was used for everything from dressing leather and wood to making great biscuits and other edibles. .    I'm gonna use only hand rubbed bear fat on the osage Eastern Woodland bow I'm building now.

[Bogaman]

Pigs are more primitive than chain saws, belt sanders, band saws and drawknives. Yes, pig fat will work just fine;^)

[George Tsoukalas]

Yes, I even used bacon grease in the past. Just don't hunt in bear country. Jawge

[kleinpm]

I have been experimenting with beef suet on bows. The only thing I dislike is that it never seems to really "cure" like other finishes. The suet seems to attract dirt which is hard to just wipe off. Water beads up and doesn't penetrate the wood, which is good.

Maybe I am doing something wrong. I wish I could figure it out because I sort of feel like I am cheating using modern finishes on some of my more primitive bows, but try-oil leaves such a nice, easy to maintain finish.

Patrick

[Pat B]

Patrick, I hand rub it in with enough vigor to build up some heat. This helps it sink in a little then I wipe the excess off with a dry rag. You can pre-heat the wood first to help it sink in a little.

[JW_Halverson]

Pigs are more primitive than chain saws, belt sanders, band saws and drawknives. Yes, pig fat will work just fine;^)

Bogaman scores a point with that one!  LOL!

[PatM]

If you are using Crisco you are probably using plant oil that has been hydrogenated to make it appear to be animal fat.

[TimothyR]

If you are using Crisco you are probably using plant oil that has been hydrogenated to make it appear to be animal fat.

I've used Crisco to steam bend. Im working on an Ash backed Ipe bow and I wanted to use a more natural Finnish.  I've got some butcher block oil thought about that and the lard mixed with beeswax. Hopefully thats natural enough.

[George Tsoukalas]

I heat it in with a hair dryer. Jawge

[bubbles]

Bacon grease might be good to use if you're hunting bear.