Questions On Chasing An Osage Ring

[Carl Galvin]

Hey guys, I was planning on making my next bow out of osage and had read somewhere that you have to seal the back as you expose your desired growth ring. How crucial is this?  The stave is of course currently sealed back and ends.

[JW_Halverson]

It is never a bad idea to seal up the back of the bow. Even if the stave is perfectly cured and would never check...sealing it isn't going to hurt a thing. 

Where I live the relative humidity can be stupidly low.  I have had osage staves that were cut for 6-8 years shipped here and they immediately checked when I chased a growth ring!  So I chase a ring and seal the back even before I start to clean up the shavings from the floor. If I get partway through and have to stop to pee, I seal that sucker! 

Your mileage may vary, depending on driving conditions, barometric pressure, and the rising cost of copper ore in Patagonia. A pint of cheap lacquer, polyurathane, or even 50-50 thinned wood glue is cheaper than a wrecked stave.

[Pat B]

It's not worth ruining a good stave not to seal. Some woods are more susceptible than others.  I keep a can of Bullseye spray shellac on my work bench all the time just for this purpose. If I expose a new back ring or cut an end off I immediately spray it with shellac. The shellac dries as soon as the alcohol flashes off so it only takes a few minutes.

[George Tsoukalas]

I chase the ring; if I think the stave will check, I sand the back and give it a coat of spar urethane.
Jawge

[Carl Galvin]

 Shellac will work right?

[burchett.donald]

Carl,
        It all depends on the wood it's self and what stage you are in...If you are green, then yes some kind of sealer like shellac or many others...If you are locating the ring you want to use on a dry stave you need to consider your sealer because you may want to back it...I have seen seasoned Osage crack on an unprotected back after chasing a ring while waiting for a period to proceed with the bow, though not often...I like to use hairspray on seasoned backs waiting for me to continue progress...It wipes off with a damp rag when I'm ready...My Osage stays inside at this point, I live in a humid environment...
                                                                                                                                                 Don

[BowEd]

Shellack works well.It dries fast and anything will stick to it.Back and ends.Ring chased osage or black locust.I use it even on whitewoods that I pop the bark off of  during the sap flow.Store them out of the sun and out of the wind in a rather cooler area the first few weeks.

[Carl Galvin]

Thanks guys

[Pat B]

The good thing about shellac is it is removed easily if needed with a wipe of alcohol or light sanding, plus it can handle steaming if necessary.

[Yellarwoodfellar]

I use cheap petroleum jelly. I love to chase rings on mildly dried wood. A smooth but dull blade makes for a wonderful crunch in the springwood. I like to get the sapwood off while it's still green. I think it's much easier than opposed to super cured sapwood. Preblanking a bow seems to aid in less checks and way faster dry times too. Enjoy

[JW_Halverson]

I use cheap petroleum jelly. I love to chase rings on mildly dried wood. A smooth but dull blade makes for a wonderful crunch in the springwood. I like to get the sapwood off while it's still green. I think it's much easier than opposed to super cured sapwood. Preblanking a bow seems to aid in less checks and way faster dry times too. Enjoy

See, now I think it is easiest with a razor sharp draw knife and well aged osage! I have done it both ways and I find the sharp blade and the well dried wood requires less force and with good tool control there is far fewer grain tear-outs. Once I have chased a growth ring this way, I can go over it with sandpaper and it is literally ready for a finish to be applied.

Still, every stave is a catof it's own stripe and color, and there's a lot of ways to skin that cat!

[Yellarwoodfellar]

A razor sharp knife works great for me on good straight grained Osage but it tends to find and cut right through pin knots that may not have been seen before. Well cured sapwood is ridiculouly hard to get started through. But like you said, many ways to shuck that hide! Lol

[Jim Davis]

A pint of cheap lacquer...

I have a hard time finding any grade of lacquer. Where do you find cheap lacquer?

[Yellarwoodfellar]

Ain't  much anything cheaper than petroleum jelly. No smell either. It's the best thing I've found so far