Sealing bows from moisture

[cutty]

Does moisture enter a sealed bow mainly at the two nock areas? Seems like that area would wear off the most with the string contact.

[RyanY]

No finish perfectly protects against moisture. Even if the knocks are unfinished there wouldn’t be enough moisture travel from there to the rest of the bow to make any difference. The string materials generally used get worn out before any noticeable wear on the wood of the bow.

[Pat B]

Any finish only reduces the hygroscopic rate of the wood but does not eliminate it.

[bownarra]

If you use a finish like tung oil you can add a coat at all time.

[Pat B]

...but you still won't stop the hygroscopic rate. Some woods are affected slower than others like osage and other oily woods but nothing will stop it.

[DC]

Like everyone said but additionally most strings are waxed and even if the finish was worn off it was probably replaced with a well rubbed in layer of wax which is probably a better sealant.

[bassman]

On self bows I use a Bee's wax,linseed oil, and turpintine boiled,and mixed together, but I think the bows still take in moisture. It is just the nature of the beast.

[PatM]

I  hope people realize that wood is pretty hollow from end to end.   If the end pores get unsealed moisture can go right through the stave through those tubules.

 Get a roughed out stave and stick an end in a bucket and blow through it like a straw.  Bubbles will come out of it.

[darinputman]

I started using tru oil on arrows and bows a couple or three years ago, before that I used the massey finish substituting denatured alcohol for acetone. If I lost an arrow with the massey finish and found it a while later the arrow not always feathers would be fine. With tru oil arrow is not so great under similar circumstances. I'm just finishing up about 15 arrows using the massey finish for the first time in a while.

[cutty]

I thought moisture would enter the fastest from the end grain, which is where the nocks are.