question about finishing a bow

[amateurhour]

So last year in April I made my first bow (hickory) at the Tennessee Classic. I love it, and it shoots (which is more than I expected for my first go at it) but it still needed a good bit of work to be done. I've kept it stored and dry and I've strung it from month to month and shot it a few times and all seems well. My plan was to wait until this year to finish it and work on another one, possibly Osage this time around!

My question is this. After it's been sitting for the better part of a year, does that cause damage to the wood if I haven't properly sealed it? I decided I'd rather go ahead and finish it up and make it look nice and bring it with me to this year's classic rather than finish it up there. I just started cleaning out the garage and I was going to take a stab at a red oak board bow and I thought "why not finish the one you already started on dummy?" : )

Is the bow still okay to work on? It doesn't have any horizontal cracks or anything and seems pretty solid still. Can I back it after the fact with some rawhide or did that need to be done early on?

Any help/advice would be appreciated, and thanks!

[Badly Bent]

Your good to put a finish on it now but I would suggest putting it by a heat source for a week or so to make sure the wood is good and dry before sealing/ finishing it, you don't want to trap any excess moisture in.  I like doing that with all wood but especially when dealing with hickory. If your going to back with rawhide apply it to the bare wood not over the finish.

[Drewster]

X2 what Badly Bent said.  But, I see no reason why you should back it if you've already been shooting it and haven't had any problems.  DO, make sure that it is GOOD and dry.  It is more important with hickory than most other woods.  A week or more in the driest part of your house would be good prior to finishing.

I like to finish my bows with Tru-Oil and then a couple of top coats of Helmsman Spar Urethane.  I use six to ten coats of Tru-Oil and lightly sand between coats as needed.  The finish looks nice if you put on enough coats to fill the grain smooth.  You will need more coats on the belly than on the back to fill the grain.  Stain color and type is a personal choice.

A good finish will protect the wood and make your work look terrific.......and brings the color and texture of the wood to life.  Enjoy and good luck!

[amateurhour]

Thanks guys! Glad to know I didn't mess it up.

I've got a spot picked out in the house so I'll keep it there until it's dry and finish it. I may or may not back it since it doesn't seem necessary.