Q: Backing a finished bow (elderberry+danish oil)

[lleroy]

Hi Folks,

I made a HLD-style bow out of elderberry and finished it with a few coats of Danish Oil.

Now there is a crack in the back, across the bow, probably just the outer ring, since the bow did not explode...

I am considering backing the bow with flax, using PVA glue, and then re-finishing with Danish Oil.

Would the PVA glue adhere to the finished back, or would I need to sand off some to get better adhesion?
How much would I need to sand off, ie. how deep does danish oil penetrate the wood (elderberry)?

-- lode

[simson]

Crack across the back? How long , how deep?
IMO it is not worth the effort to do a backing.
Better make a new one, it is the same time.

[Del the cat]

I agree with the above... but if you insist on a repair, then use white spirit and wire wool to take off the Danish Oil, then coars sandpaper to key the surface.
Del

[Pat B]

I also agree.

[mmattockx]

I am considering backing the bow with flax, using PVA glue, and then re-finishing with Danish Oil.

You will need to re-tiller if you back it with flax. Another option to consider is to put a patch over the crack area and not back the whole bow. Same procedure to remove the oily surface and get to clean wood, but only on a small area instead of the whole bow.


Mark

[WhistlingBadger]

You will need to re-tiller if you back it with flax.

Hey, Mark, sorry if this is a thread jack, but could you tell me a little more about this?  I've been thinking about making a chokecherry bow (only semi-decent bow wood around here) and backing it with flax or other plant fiber (milkweed or dogbane) if I can't find any sinew.  What would that do to bow performance?

[Gimlis Ghost]

Now there is a crack in the back, across the bow, probably just the outer ring, since the bow did not explode...

Perhaps scraping or sanding down the entire surface of the back below the bottom of the crack then backing with a thin layer of Bamboo would salvage the bow while improving performance.