Adding some color to a new piece of hickory

[M2A]

Hi Folks. Finished shooting in a 60" hickory bow today and getting ready to pretty it up so figured I'd post the progress here and maybe that would help some folks out with some new ideas. First off I should state that when I began to make bows I made a few self imposed rules to follow, 1 of those was to use my resources the best I can to complete a bow. This has taken me down the path of making stains and pigments to complete a project. Not always 100% natural but sure do find it interesting using natural materials in the process. 

Like stated above my recent project is a nice piece of local hickory. Hickory sap wood is the perfect white wood to use my normal materials on. And this bow, along with arrows and points that need made still, is what I hope to  hunt with this fall. My original plan was to keep things more simple however because I think there is some interest I will be putting a bit more
color into it. Just having some fun here now that the hard work is done 

So here is the piece 60" ntn. hope to refine the nocks and give it a final sanding tomorrow before I begin on stains.
IMG_4078 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Walnut stain lasts forever and I have some from a few years ago but figured I'd start from the top and make a new batch. It also means I can get them out of the freezer which should make the wife happy:) I collected these in the fall of 2019 and been in cold storage since then.
IMG_4074 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr
A dozen american walnuts in about half gallon water. Put it all in a pot and boiled for an hour.
IMG_4075 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr
Then I strained off the remaining liquid, removed the solids, and boiled again for an hour. ended up with about 12 oz of stain that should last me a good long while at the rate I use it.
IMG_4077 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr
I do need to add a little alcohol to the mix before long to keep mold from growing on the surface.

Thats where things stand right now. I did cut some barberry today, for yellow, and hope to start on that tomorrow.
Thanks, Mike
       

[Digital Caveman]

Barberry?!?!   That stuff is awful!

It should be yanked out, torched, and the ashes scattered   It is a growing ball of barbed wire and plagued my days as a landscaper.  It is actually illegal to sell it in Maine because it is so invasive. 

[Pat B]

I agree about barberry, they are a scourge. The birds love their berries and replant them all over. Years ago I planted some barberries here and I still find seedlings everywhere. At least they are easily spotted.
 A good source of yellow is tumeric, the spice. It even stains our porcelain dinner plates when I use it in a recipe.

[PatM]

As kids we used to eat the berries to keep us going while out wandering the fields and woods.  We even made candy with them. One of those flavors you can recall as if you just ate some.

[M2A]

I also read its a good place for ticks to hang out. They tried to wipe out the American barberry 100 years ago because it is a host to a rust/smut that impacted the wheat crop in the US. Then imported the Japanese to plant all over lol. I would never know the difference between the 2 species but find it common in remote locations in the Allegheny Nation Forrest. Regardless I have a source of larger Japanese barberry with easy access so use that.

Here is the piece I cut yesterday.
IMG_4080 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

I use the inner bark for making the stain, so I like to rasp off as much outer bark as is practical 1st. Not sure it matters but seems right to me.
IMG_4081 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Heres a cross section pic of that branch with the rasp pointing to the layer of inner bark. Pretty wood, I have a few small seasoned pieces set aside, just have not found a reason to use them yet.
IMG_4082 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Then it's just a matter of scraping off the inner bark.
IMG_4083 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Add some alcohol and will let this sit for a couple days. So pretty simple and it makes use of a resource that I have. I should note that if you try anything like this you should exercise some caution. Barberry, like many other plants have been used for medicinal purposes for a long time. If you concentrate the chemicals in these plants you should treat with care. Thats all I'm qualified to say about medicine, so if you try something like this just be smart. Anyways here is what I got now. Need to sand the bow and get it ready.
IMG_4084 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr                 

[Morgan]

Mike, is that barberry a tree? Will it make a bow?

[M2A]

Its a shrub Morgan. If I recall Simpson made one years ago, but I'm not sure its the same species in Europe. The stuff I have seems rather light for bow wood, if you could find a large/straight enough piece.     

[Digital Caveman]

You could probably do more damage to your quarry by simply throwing a ball of barberry branches at it rather than trying to shoot it with a barberry bow.

[M2A]

Sanding it all down, double checked tiller...Time to begin with some of the walnut stain I made up yesterday. Here is a before pic.
IMG_4094 (2) by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

This stain is not as easy to use as any over the counter stuff I have tried but it seems I got this batch thick enough and works as well as I can do. I hate to do the same every time but sure do like to use this stain near the grip and sides on white woods so thats what I did here. this is after grip was done.
IMG_4095 (2) by Mike Allridge, on Flickr   

And here is it with this part finished. kinda hard to see but think it shows up well enough.
IMG_4096 (2) by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Thats all for today. I need to let this water based stuff dry over night. Tomorrow I'll knock down the grain on the sides and better fade the stain on the back by using some very fine sandpaper. This stuff is hard to fade out. I found at this point it will also move if it gets wet so got it up high away from any dog noses This stuff really makes locust look good and will sometimes use on the whole bow. Tonight or tomorrow I'll begin on making some bloodroot stain(orange)
Thanks, Mike   

[Hawkdancer]

Good info!  For the yellow, turmeric sounds like a lot less work! 

Pat B - I take it that a little turmeric will make a nice shade of yellow? 
Hawkdancer

[Pat B]

Yes, Jerry. At least on our dinner plates.  I guess it will do the same for white wood.

[bradsmith2010]

looks great enjoy the process,,

[M2A]

Turmeric may be a good option, if I understand correctly its the same chemical compound for the color in both. May need to try one day but not for this project. Would be easier for many to get maybe.  But if you have used, please share your research with pics ofc
Thanks Brad!

Hoped to get more done today but something came up and didnt get much time in the shop today.

Used some 1200 grit sandpaper on the walnut stain to knock down any grain and to fade out the stain on the grip. I do like to hit corners a bit harder to lighten it up more.
IMG_4100 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Next I got my Dried bloodroot and processed it into powder. If you try this I do recommend using a mask to not breath in the dust! I have seen this online sold for natural medical use. I have some growing in my yard and dig a few roots after it blooms to get me until next year.
IMG_4097 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

IMG_4098 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Added alcohol and its ready to use.
IMG_4099 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Finally, over the winter I collected some soft rock that was high in iron. Then I heated it in the hopes I'd get a red pigment. Not as bright as I wanted but not bad. I crushed it up today with the intention to add with egg yolk(binder) for a tempra paint. I have used this method with charcoal and some copper compounds but never rock dust. Not much experience with this (only used on 3 bows I think). Going to see what color I get when mixed before I decide if I'll use.
IMG_4101 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr
IMG_4102 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr

Turning out to be a bit longer and more detailed than I would have figured here. Not an expert on any of this just having some fun. Hope the bow is tillered well enough to warrant the extra work  Hope to get back to it tomorrow but it may be a few days before I have more time.
Mike
         

[M2A]

Had some unexpected time off this morning, so was a good time to continue. I added the yellow stain to the limbs. Quick and simple and with the amount I made from this batch I will have enough for many more projects. Sure do like the contrast between that and the walnut. Don't feel i need to but going to give the barberry some time to dry before I continue with the bloodroot stain.
IMG_4103 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr   

[bownarra]

Looking good so far. Dyes are great fun and can really enhance some bows.