How do you seal/finish your bows? what do you use, what is your process and why?

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I use either 10 coats of tru oil. Now on my own bows I'm going to start using a 50-50 mix of deer tallow and bees wax. So far I've only used it on a hickory bow and it soaked this stuff up like a sponge when heated with the heatgun on low then hand rubbed to a polish. I think I'm going to use it more often. It's completely natural and seems very water proof. It turns soft in your hand when rubbing it in but seems to stay hard when in the wood.

Kyle

[Adam]

The smell of warm deer fat and beeswax is wonderful too.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Boring woods gets a Helmsman satin rattle can finish, pretty woods gets a coat of shellac wiped on, then 3-5 coats of tung oil wiped on then 3-4 coats of Johns paste wax.

[wizardgoat]

Pearly, does the coat of shellac before tung oil make a huge difference?

[dueb]

Would the shallac stop the tung oil from penetrating the wood?

[PEARL DRUMS]

I like how it "activates" the grain. That's why I use it as a base coat under tung oil. 

[bubby]

I just started using shellac as a under coat and i think pearly has something there

[wizardgoat]

Cool, I'll give it a shot.

[tattoo dave]

I don't spend a lot of time of finishes. Wipe on some teak, or danish oil, cause that's what I have at the moment. That's it. You'll probably never see me sand a bow for myself to 400 grit or higher. I have no problem with tool marks, sanding marks, or imperfections. I'm a firm believer in the old saying "form follows function". Seal it with whatever's available and call it good

Tattoo Dave

[darinputman]

Haven't made many but have  used  the massey finish I use on my arrows, stain if desired then use the epoxy/acetone mixture (I substitute denatured alcohol for acetone), 6-8 coats. Have also stopped a couple of coats shy and put a couple coats of tru oil on last.  Makes for a very tough finish.

[bowsandroses]

 Soft woods I always use true oil. Hard woods for my own bows with no snake skins or raw hide I just use paraffin wax and wax them couple times a year.

[DavidV]

I don't spend a lot of time of finishes. Wipe on some teak, or danish oil, cause that's what I have at the moment. That's it. You'll probably never see me sand a bow for myself to 400 grit or higher. I have no problem with tool marks, sanding marks, or imperfections. I'm a firm believer in the old saying "form follows function". Seal it with whatever's available and call it good

Tattoo Dave

That's exactly what I do too, or did. Moved on to using tung oil to bring out the grain then clear lacquer over the the top. Most people I've built for lately like a glossy finish so I wet sand and buff by hand. Steel wool for a matte finish.

[Pappy]

5 or 6 coats of True Oil, maybe more depending on what I plan on doing with it,000 steel wool between coats ,usually 1 coat a day depending on the weather and how it is drying. Then if I plan on hunting with it a couple coats of satin polly to dull the finish a bit.
  Pappy

[Springbuck]

  Depends.  Usually I do any coloring with dyes rather than stains, and then use spar varnish or outdoor polyurathane.

 But, on most of my primitives, I do the beeswax and fat finish, and I love it.  You CAN'T just wipe it on, though. There is a process.

 I render just a few ounces of elk fat, (the hard waxy stuff off the hips, back and brisket) and then mix it 40:60 fat to beeswax or so.  I've done it with Crisco, too.  It cools very hard.  Then, when I have a truly finished and shot in, sanded bow, I put it in a hot car or in front of the fireplace to get good and warm.  I let the wood get hot enough to melt the wax, and just rub it on until it looks wet, then set the bow back to drink in the finish.  When the bow looks nice and dry, I do it again.  about 4 applications in, and thebow will feel dry, but water will just bead upp and roll off, and I have bows that still shed water tlike that years later.

[Dances with squirrels]

I'm a stickler for a professional quality finish in looks and durability. I sometimes blend various colors of aniline dyes and then always apply several coats of Thunderbird epoxy finish with an air touchup gun... sanding in between coats as needed until the grain is filled... then a final coat or two and, wahlah.