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Author Topic: Tip for finishing: turn off the lights  (Read 1669 times)

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Offline Carson (CMB)

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Tip for finishing: turn off the lights
« on: November 16, 2015, 12:46:48 pm »
The best light for finish scraping and sanding is natural sun light, but this time of year, that sun often sets before I am ready to call it  a day. The shops I work in have fluorescent lighting, which doesn't allow me to see the detail very well when finish sanding. Well last night, being frustrated that the sun went down again, a tiny light came on in my head..."turn off the flourescent lights and use the incandescent heat lamp for directional light"
This worked out very well and really set the mood for some intimate sanding time...just me and yew.  ;D

I thought I wood share this little personal lighting revelation. I have seen others recommend this for chasing osage rings, and that is probably what gave me the idea for using it in finish sanding. It also makes great light for some photos. I didn't think to take a picture of the light set-up, but it is just a heat lamp shining down at the work at a lowish angle.

Also be cautious when sanding yew indoors. I cracked the door and turned on the exhaust fan to get a little cross breeze and keep the dust out of the old airbags.

One last tip (I started keeping better bow building notes and writing tips to myself so I don't have to relearn them each time I finish a bow...So I am full of tips right now :D): time spent finish scraping with a nicely edged scraper is time saved sanding.







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"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline bow101

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Re: Tip for finishing: turn off the lights
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2015, 05:30:48 pm »
Nice silky smooth finish, I will never get there I'm allergic to sand paper...... >:D  I do all my spray finishing the following day when the dust has settled.
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"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."  Joseph Campbell

Offline wizardgoat

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Re: Tip for finishing: turn off the lights
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2015, 09:35:46 pm »
Nice tip Carson, my bows are always scraped clean before any sanding.  I always seem to miss a tool mark or 2 no matter how much I try
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Offline BowEd

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Re: Tip for finishing: turn off the lights
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2015, 06:27:26 am »
Yep.Nice tip.It's a bit of maticulas work finishing and for some people it's not their thing but I feel if your gonna stick that much time into it going the extra is worth it.Catches the eye every time.
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BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Tip for finishing: turn off the lights
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2015, 07:12:42 am »
Yeah, decent lighting makes all the difference, it's not necessarily the brightness either, the angle makes a big difference.
Keeping notes helps, that's how I started my Bowyers Diary, as an aide-memoire for myself.
Del
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