Do you still bone the back of your bows?

[Primitive1]

Figured this might be an interesting topic...I honestly have not done this on my last few bows; however, I'm currently working a sapling osage ELB type with many knots and reminded myself to do it while I'm still in the initial long string tillering process...a little more insurance.  I was amazed that when you do this, the back of the bow almost appears to become translucent...I imagine that's the oils coming to the surface...I've got to remember to do this for all of my bows moving forward.  Though I still have pencil marks and a lot of tillering remaining, I feel better about it and will finish is out and re-bone afterwards.  I just use a smooth antler tine that is curved and pointed and fits comfotably in my hand; then rub down the back of the bow while pushing quite hard...I spend a little more time around knots and use the point/near point of the tine to get in the smaller places.  What about everyone else...?  Does anyone do this anymore?  I wonder if this process would be wise on bamboo backings as well?

[Catnapper]

I used a beer bottle on the one I am building now and I really like  the smooth polished look.

[blackhawk]

I bone or give all my girls the steel rod

[Del the cat]

I've never done it on Yew. I thought it was done on the belly rather than the back?
Del

[Primitive1]

It's done on the back, the idea is that the pressure compresses the fibers/hardens the back thereby reducing the chance of a lifted fiber which would then compromise its integrity.

[Pat B]

I've never boned a bow!  I have used beer bottles but only to transport beer to my mouth!!! 

[michbowguy]

always the back.
and sometimes the belly.
if you do the back make sure your color finish is on or its really hard for a good finish to set in.
i like to burnish in fat then shoot it in then add beeswax and bone again all over to seal the bow.
a good friend here taught me that.

[Alpinbogen]

I burnish all my bows, back and belly.  It may help prevent splinters, but I do it more because it creates a compressed, very smooth surface that is glass smooth and repels moisture.  (Splash some water on a burnished bow and you'll see how it beads rather than soaking in.)  That's an added level of natural protection beneath the finish.  Also, dyes and finishes won't cause the grain to raise if the bow has been burnished first. 

[crooketarrow]

  The first few years 5 maybe.I did some,mostly white woods. I did 2 osage I also used a beer bottle some. screw driver some. But mostly I used a wrist pin out off a ford motor,I use to turn the insides down and weld wrist pins to win chokes for shooting matches there killer with 9's and 10 shot. The pins are molly crome super hard with a rockwell harddess of 78.
    Wallmart knives are only in the high 50's. So there very good for barnishing but any hard smooth surface will do..I haven't barnished a bow in a long time sence I quit backing bows and thats what it is. It's really a form of backing. But it's works really good if you have a issue with the back or have a splinter pop up. I'd barnish while tillering and whenwhen finished resand then stain,sell them rebarnish the back. I have stained selled barnished the back,tillerthe bow then stain the rest of the bow when finished. But it's harder to match up the stain this way.
   It really has that luster so sometimes I go back over it with 0000 steel wool to get rid of the shine. But the stain really looks good under the barnished back. Never did the belly it won't stop cryistlelising and this is the only issue one can have with the belly so I never saw any need to do the belly.But I guess it would look good under the stain.
   I asked the same question last year and I think only 2 or 3 people had ever done it.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I burnish all mine. It makes for alot less coats of finish. What took 6 coats now takes 3 or 4 at most to get the same smooth, thick finish.

[George Tsoukalas]

No I do not. But if you do stain first. Jawge

[mullet]

 The last time I did it was on the belly on one limb to tighten it up. I was having trouble with the tiller. And I've done it to pick the weight up a few pounds when I missed the target weight for a bow that was sold.

[Gordon]

I used to burnish the backs of my bows, but now I don't think it does anything helpful.