Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: luke the drifter on February 12, 2012, 11:02:52 pm
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this has probably been talked about by other members of this community. would regular soap and water sufficiently degrease the back of a bow or do i need to use something like acetone?
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Personally, I prefer denatured alcohol over acetone for all degreasing purposes in the garage, including prepping bow backs for sinew. Pat B has a good buildalong of his sinew-backed yew bow. I think he used boiling water. Don't forget to roughen up the surface of the wood prior to degreasing.
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I roughed up the back of my bow with a toothing plane blade but you can use a hacksaw blade turned sideways and dragged across the surface of the back like you use a scraper. Then I lightly sanded the back to remove any left over scrapings. While rehydrating the sinew I wet the bows back with warm water then washed it well with Dawn dish soap(original Dawn is the best grease cutter) and rinsed it with boiling water(watch your fingers,don't ask! ::) ) I then blotted the excess water off of the bow and set it up to begin sinewing.
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I always use acetone and never had a problem. I like Pat's way of washing the back of the bow to clean and get the wood to pucker up for hide glue.
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hey pat,
i like your idea more because of not having to use harsh chemical like denatured alcohol or acetone. after you blot the excess water off, do you apply a layer of hide glue as a base for the sinew? the reason i ask is will the back still be wet and would that affect adhesion of the hide glue and sinew? Would that even matter?
luke