Tru oil and moisture gain

[Nasr]

Will tru oil cause moisture regain in wood? I literally finished a bow up the other day and yesterday I put a few coats of try oil on it. When the bow was finished up and worked in really well it had a 1.25” of set. I got impatient and wanted to take a few photos of full draw and when I unstrung the bow it had increased by half of an inch of set. Really bummed about that so was wondering what changed. I literally worked the bow in and pulled it to full draw at least 100 times before true oil and tiller was fine.

[bentstick54]

I can’t really answer your question do to the way I understand how you applied the Truoil. I have made my 14th bow, all Osage, and have only used Truoil as a finish. After shooting the bows in about 100 shots, I will apply a minimum of 4 coats on,but if patience will allow 5 or 6 coats. I will wait a minimum of 24 hours between coats to make sure that each coat fully cures. If you put 2 coats on to close together, the 2nd coat could impede the 1st coat from curing 100%. Keep in mind no sealer is 100% moisture “proof”, just moisture resistant.

Possibly the type of wood used, and lack of proper curing of sealer could effect the situation, along with a change of weather experienced.

[Hawkdancer]

Be sure each coat is dry before applying the next coat.  You might try a light buffing with 0000 bronze wool between coats as well.  Works great on gunstocks, but I haven't tried it on a bow yet.  I used spray on polyurethane, but it is pretty dry here.
Hawkdancer

[willie]

I would not think true oil could cause the moisture gain. If the conditions have been extremely damp, maybe some dampness got past the finish. Do you live in a warm moist climate?

could you have held the bow at full draw longer when you took the pics, than when you tillered?

[Nasr]

I would not think true oil could cause the moisture gain. If the conditions have been extremely damp, maybe some dampness got past the finish. Do you live in a warm moist climate?

could you have held the bow at full draw longer when you took the pics, than when you tillered?

I don’t truly know what caused it I don’t usually use tru oil it is something I’ve only used once before in a bow. The vast majority of my bows have been sealed with either polyurethane or lacquer because that’s what I usually have around the shop when I am working on my other stuff. But I wanted to start using tru oil from all the good I hear about it for bows. Oh well I guess I’ll just blame myself for being impatient. I guess 1.75” of set isn’t too bad.

[Eric Krewson]

I use Tru-oil on all my bows, arrows and gunstocks, there is no way it will cause a moisture gain.

All finishes will let moisture migrate in and out of the wood. I have several different finishes on my flintlocks, perfect inletting of parts may show a gap after a series of very dry days and wood shrinkage from the wood drying out.

I suspect your bow wasn't completely "worked in" like you thought. I have found a bow doesn't settle in until you put a few hundred arrows through it, maybe more. I have had them to seem to be shot in stable and the next ten arrows change things to the point I had to adjust the tiller.

You have to shoot a bow to to get it to settle in, for me just pulling it on the tillering tree didn't get a bow to settle in.

[Nasr]

I use Tru-oil on all my bows, arrows and gunstocks, there is no way it will cause a moisture gain.

All finishes will let moisture migrate in and out of the wood. I have several different finishes on my flintlocks, perfect inletting of parts may show a gap after a series of very dry days and wood shrinkage from the wood drying out.

I suspect your bow wasn't completely "worked in" like you thought. I have found a bow doesn't settle in until you put a few hundred arrows through it, maybe more. I have had them to seem to be shot in stable and the next ten arrows change things to the point I had to adjust the tiller.

You have to shoot a bow to to get it to settle in, for me just pulling it on the tillering tree didn't get a bow to settle in.

I understand what your saying but when you have a routine and you get specific results consistently and then things have a different outcome or go wrong when trying something new you naturally wonder if it’s the cause. But to be honest I figured out why I got the set and you are rights its not the tru oil I will explain when I post a new topic about the bow. As far as it being worked in it was definitely worked in but the issue was related to an error I made on the tiller tree. Basically I am getting old and pulled it farther then I thought I was pulling when going back to take pictures on tiller tree.

[Eric Krewson]

Over drawing stresses wood that hasn't been stressed before, I might have done it a time or two myself. I learned early on not to hand a strung selfbow to someone to look at, it must be a guy thing but they will jerk it back past their ear in the blink of an eye before you can stop them.

[Digital Caveman]

Unless the bow pulls over 70#.  I can't imagine even the toughest guys could overdraw that in a hurry unless they had trained on warbows.

[PatM]

 People tend to make bows to shoot, not to prevent people from overdrawing them.

[Digital Caveman]

Very true, except when I get the perfect tiller with 15# to go.  Then I just practice till I can manage it. 

[Eric Krewson]

There is an etiquette for selfbows, first you state your draw length then you ask permission to draw someone's bow. Few people know this, especially John Q  Public.

[Digital Caveman]

Good to know. 

[Nasr]

There are monsters of men who are just freakishly strong wether they ever shot a heavy  bow or not. I have a friend  I gave a bow to who was interested in archery and before I can say a word he pulled the thing as far as he can until the thing exploded. Luckily some of the backing saved him. This is why I don’t hand my bows to anyone anymore without making them listen to a lecture before doing so.

[Pat B]

I've been using Tru-Oil primarily on my bows since I started build them back in the late 1980's. I've lived in the Southeast US, GA, SC and NC where the summers have very high humidity and Tru-Oil has never let me down. I do do a quick spray of satin poly over the Tru-Oil to cut the shine but not enough to give any other protection.