Sealer for whitewood bows?

[eastcreekarchery]

I'm going to start working on a hackberry bow soon and I know that it's whitewood and therefore susceptible to moisture gain/loss, especially in areas with high humidity like where I live (bt 70 and 80% annual average). Does anyone know of a good sealer/sealing technique for these conditions?

[Pat B]

I use Tru-Oil on all my bows, whitewood or other. If you don't like the high gloss shine a quick spray of satin poly with calm it down considerably.

[bradsmith2010]

I have heard great things about the true oil, any tips on application, I want to try it,,

[eastcreekarchery]

I have heard great things about the true oil, any tips on application, I want to try it,,

Truoil has a great finish. I think three to five coats is good. I rub it on with a cloth and let it dry for 24 hours before I apply another.

[kbear]

Tung oil is one of the best water-proofers you can get. It is a hardening oil, that when mixed 50/50 with gum turpentine penetrates well into the wood. Several coats of tung will provide excellent resistance to moisture, and and attractive sheen. You can put tru-oil over the top. In fact, I finish most of my bows this way...... three coats of tung-oil, followed by 4 or more coats of tru-oil. Looks real nice too.

[Hamish]

Many years ago Dean Torges did a test at which finish was the most effective at keeping out moisture. The top two were, melted paraffin wax, and shellac. They scored much better than varnishes, oils, or oil/varnish mixes like tru oil.

If moisture protection is your priority then these are your best choices.

You may also want to consider the cosmetic effect of a finish on white woods. If you want to maintain the natural appearance of a white woods, then paraffin, and white shellac will do the best job. Garnet shellac on whitewood doesn't look very nice. Oils etc yellow the white wood.
If your bow is for hunting then most people like to stain whitewood, you can use an oil based stain to darken/camoflage the brightness of the timber. Water based stains, or alcohol based stains, will likely run if you try to put paraffin or shellac over these finishes.

Tru oil is a good finish. It looks great, and is relatively easy to apply,and relatively easy to touch up. Its only average for moisture resistance. None of the finishes are ineffective, they work fine. They're just not as effective at keeping out moisture as paraffin or shellac.

[Morgan]

Another forum member put me into paste wax and I like using it a lot. Easy to apply / remove if you need to. Keeps water out and looks nice as it will shine up as much or little as you want to buff it. I’m not crazy about it when stringing the bow because it grabs the top loop as you’re sliding it up the limb.

[George Tsoukalas]

I use spray spar urethane.

[Yooper Bowyer]

So do I.
I use the wipe on stuff (I broke the nozzle on the spray can ).  It ambers the wood a bit, but I like that I can just put it on and not have to worry about it.  Maybe sometime I'll try some kind of oil/wax.

[Fox]

Shellack all the way...


-Fox

[bownarra]

Hamish has it right
Tru-oil is pretty lame in my opinion. Not great moisture resistance and little scratch resistance. I've used just about everything over the years....and you just can't beat a properly applied tung-oil finish. Shellac is also highly under rated.
Anything that comes out of a rattle can should also be avoided - too many solvents to make it come out of the can thin enough for the low pressure....

[Fox]

Plus who wants to cover there beautiful wooden self bow with nasty chemicals? Shellac is made from shellac Beatles, and is a very old sealer.


-Fox

[bassman]

I have a mixture turpentine, linseed oil,and bees wax that I have used. You apply ,and heat it into the wood , but you have to be in the open air. Lots of bad fumes. Haven't used that for a while.  Now I use 3 to 4 coats of shellac with min poly over top,and then wax on top of that.