Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: carpenter374 on February 23, 2008, 12:27:09 am

Title: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: carpenter374 on February 23, 2008, 12:27:09 am
Just as the title says, i wanna know what you guys like. Ive used  several coats of tru-oil and several coats of car paste wax on my 2 hickory ive done. I did some tillering today. Ill have one ready for full draw tomorrow. Thanx.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Pat B on February 23, 2008, 12:30:20 am
I like 4 to 5 coats of Tru-Oil and for hunting bows I add a quick spray of satin poly to cut the shine. Pat
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: El Destructo on February 23, 2008, 12:42:15 am
Bear Grease and Beeswax ....melt it all together....and put it on and use a Heat Gun to help it absorb.....it is pretty good waterproofing.....and it really keeps the wood conditioned too.........
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Coo-wah-chobee on February 23, 2008, 12:47:00 am
..Hawg er bear grease boned in.............b.ob
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: ricktrojanowski on February 23, 2008, 01:10:39 am
not very primitive, but I like tru oil from the little bottle spread on w/ finger.  I used it for the first time on my most recent bow.  I put on 9 coats.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: cowboy on February 23, 2008, 02:46:54 am
Tru oil - all I've used so far, get's glossier with more coats (not that that's desirable) with a hunting weapon. Am in the market for some bear grease but haven't killed one yet ;D.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: NOMADIC PIRATE on February 23, 2008, 06:25:35 am
Bob, I love your new name ;D...and the signature too ;D ;D
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: NOMADIC PIRATE on February 23, 2008, 06:26:17 am
OOh BTW, ..paraffin
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Ryano on February 23, 2008, 10:28:58 am
I like the minwax spray polyurethane, with a coat or two of Maguire's car paste wax over it. Never did like true oil, takes to long to dry, and doesn't seem to hold up as well in wet conditions.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Hillbilly on February 23, 2008, 11:44:49 am
I like Helmsman satin spar urathane spray or Tru-oil, or both.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: carpenter374 on February 23, 2008, 12:26:33 pm
So if i wanna use hawg fat can i just use bacon grease or do i have to render it further and/or add wax?
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Hillbilly on February 23, 2008, 12:35:57 pm
Bacon grease works as is, just pick the chunks out of it.  ;D It is a little salty, but you can buy a gallon bucket of hog lard pretty cheap.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: kayakfisher on February 23, 2008, 12:41:25 pm
Well I kinda like the Helmsman Spar Urethane used to use the spray but buy it in the quart can brush on now
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Slivershooter on February 23, 2008, 12:57:56 pm
Tru-oil and Tung-oil.  This will make most of you cringe, :o but I just put camo duct tape or limb skins on the bows when they are used for hunting; easy to remove and they don't hurt the finish.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: uwe on February 23, 2008, 02:03:37 pm
Tungoil for example. I like shellack, too. On my "primitiver" bows I often use muskrat grease or fat? Whats correct? Grease or even fat?
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Pat B on February 23, 2008, 03:05:09 pm
Uwe, I believe fat is the solid white stuff and grease has been rendered from that. Two fifferent forms of the same stuff.     Pat
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Rich Saffold on February 23, 2008, 03:34:42 pm
I like mineral oil rubbed in after a burnishing..Your bow is waterproof, and I have thrown some bows into the pool for testing with good results.. It's clean, and you can rub it dry, plus you can drink it if you are constipated so its very safe as well.

For a major shine,plastic or fiberglass look I will coat over the mineral oil with glossy water based poyurethane using a sponge brush. Very thin coats with a light sanding of 1500 between the first few.  If the bow goes hunting after the photo shoot then 0000 steel wool and a good floor wax  coats it.

I also use Paraffin on occasion as well.

Rich
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: carpenter374 on February 23, 2008, 04:42:59 pm
Anyone tried mink oil?
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: nailbender on February 23, 2008, 05:17:54 pm
  I used mink oil (made by Kiwi, in the shoe polish type can) on my hunting bow last year. Got caught in th rain once, the water beaded up an ran off. For those of you that don't know, Mink Oil is a leather waterproofer and conditioner. It is made from a combination of mink oil, silicone and lanolin, and it seems to work well as a finish for bows as well as leather. Just apply it as you would any other type of grease or fat.

  Dale.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: carpenter374 on February 23, 2008, 05:34:03 pm
Cool i keep a couple cans of that stuff around for my boots anyway. I havent had much luck with that kiwi stuff i like the justin oil for my boots.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Justin Snyder on February 23, 2008, 05:49:33 pm
I use whatever is handy at the time.   ;D
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: nugget on February 23, 2008, 10:59:02 pm
 I Use Tung oil or Danish oil followed with a good coat of wax. Either paste wax or beeswax. I guess parafin would work
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Jesse on February 23, 2008, 11:19:11 pm
5 coats of satin water based exterior poly one coat every 3 hours, light sanding before the last coat. I have had bad results with tru oil. It seems to come of if you scratch it. I like to be able to bang it against stuff. The only problem with water based is grain raise but it dries very fast  has low odor and is tough.   Jesse
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Eric Krewson on February 24, 2008, 12:17:47 am
Epoxy acetone (Massey finish) if I have a week or so to put it on. Tru-Oil most of the time, misted with flat spar urathane if I want a flat finish.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: david w. on February 24, 2008, 12:22:05 am
i have only tried deft and thats great if you want your bow now but it cracks under the compression of the bow and looks like chrysals so on my next bow i am using an oil finish
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: PK on February 24, 2008, 03:13:17 am
I like shelac then 3 coats of Spar.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Centerless on February 24, 2008, 11:32:01 am
I've had the tru-oil crack as well and it makes me nervous.  I've been using Teak Oil, 3 applications and then Minwax wood wax.  Easy, quick, no gloss problems and simple to add more wax.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: snakebow on February 24, 2008, 11:56:33 am
I hand rub on 3 or 4 coats of satin dainish oil finish and finish with a coat of furniture paste wax.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: El Destructo on February 24, 2008, 01:06:12 pm
I've had the tru-oil crack as well and it makes me nervous.  I've been using Teak Oil, 3 applications and then Minwax wood wax.  Easy, quick, no gloss problems and simple to add more wax.

I have never had Tru Oil crack ...yet....but it takes so many coats...I can see how it could....I like the Teak Oil too..it looks really good....and it soaks in really well...and is supposed to harden in the wood Grains...so this should add extra strength to the Bow too.....maybe!!!

But Bear grease and or Beeswax is so much faster....  >:D
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: carpenter374 on February 24, 2008, 01:21:33 pm
Ive had minwax wood wax fail me miserably.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Gordon on February 24, 2008, 01:34:23 pm
Mostly Tru-Oil. Occasionally I'll use T-bird expoxy if I need a bullet-proof finish.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Pat B on February 24, 2008, 01:49:45 pm
I have used Tru-Oil for many years and on many bows of many designs and never had it crack. Also, I have sat through some terrible downpours while hunting and the water beaded of. When caught in a rain storm I continue to hunt as long as I can stand it but when I get out of the stand I immediate unbrace the bow and give it a good wipe down with a dry towel when I get back to camp.     Pat
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Centerless on February 24, 2008, 01:57:15 pm
The cracks in the tru-oil certainly could be my fault, maybe got it on too thick on each coat.  I have had at least three bows where the tru-oil cracked, always on the tension side.  These are very thin, just have to be in the right light to see cracks.  Maybe I stare at my bows too much, but they are there.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: mullet on February 24, 2008, 03:07:29 pm
  I've had Tru-oil crack when I put it on too thick. Also, unless you want an ugly mess, don't spray Lacquer over Tru-oil.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: jamie on February 24, 2008, 03:21:43 pm
animal fat for me. water isnt a problem for bows . water vapor as in humidity is. ive found nothing works better at keeping moisture out of wood like grease or oil. thats why oily woods dont really need a finish , they are already protected .
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Hillbilly on February 24, 2008, 05:20:35 pm
I had Tru-oil chrysal on the belly of one bow. I think I put the individual coats on way too thick and pulled the bow before it was completely dry. Other than that, I haven't had any problems with it.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: NOMADIC PIRATE on February 24, 2008, 05:58:09 pm
My latest bow, that I finished this week I used a 50/50 mix of shellac and linseed oil, rubbed in makes a real nice finish.
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: SimonUK on February 24, 2008, 06:19:59 pm
Only ever tried linseed oil and beeswax. I don't know how it compares to others, but it smells great.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether oil reduces the draw weight of a bow? Or the performance?
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: akila on February 24, 2008, 07:39:14 pm
Hello ...can you plz tell me how do you aply beeswax...do you melt it first...or do you rub the bow with solid beeswax, and thenn heat it with a heat-gun???? and can you make it to have that shiny aspect??(glose aspect)
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: El Destructo on February 24, 2008, 09:04:20 pm
Hello ...can you plz tell me how do you aply beeswax...do you melt it first...or do you rub the bow with solid beeswax, and thenn heat it with a heat-gun???? and can you make it to have that shiny aspect??(glose aspect)

You can just rub the wood with the Beeswax...and use a Heat Gun or your Wifes Hair Dryer.....the Later can be ugly if She catches you!!!! And just heat it till it absorbs into the wood...keep putting it on till it wont all soak in...let cool...wipe clean....your done......

Or you can melt it and add about 1/4 vaseline to 3/4 beeswax....mix it good....and rub this into the wood...

I prefer either Bear Grease (Tallow or Lard of any kind will work)....or Beeswax myself...quick and easy.....and the wood loves it...
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: JackCrafty on February 24, 2008, 09:40:32 pm
Pure Tung Oil....not the kind you buy at the local hardaware store (which is mixed with mineral spirits, wax, etc.).
I'm going to make the switch to animal fat & beeswax soon, though...
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Radon on February 25, 2008, 10:09:16 am
1st coat a mixture of 50% danish oli and 50% Turpentine
than 3 coats of 100% danish oil
than 2-3 coats of hard carnuba wax polished on with a buffing machine
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: Pappy on February 25, 2008, 10:53:18 am
Usually Tru oil.and then car wax or spray on polyurethane.Satin finish to dull it or just light steel wool.I with Pat usually 5 or 6 coats if I plan on hunting with it,especially Hickory.  :)
    Pappy
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: TRACY on February 25, 2008, 11:03:12 am
I use mainly tru oil and spar urethane. Light coats with steel wool in between each coat. At least 4 coats. Not had any of the previous problems with cracking/peeling off. Also use linseed and really like the natural finish topped with beeswax. It just takes a little longer to dry and seal than other methods, but I like it. Getting harder to find natural linseed that isn't chemically treated(boiled?).
Title: Re: Whats your faviorite bow finish?
Post by: adb on February 25, 2008, 10:00:12 pm
I like wipe-on semigloss polyurathane. It dries very quick, and gives a super nice finish. For a more natural route, I like tung oil. Make sure you get the fast drying stuff, otherwise it takes FOREVER. Over the tung oil, I also like to rub and polish in a layer of beeswax.