Hickory/VS/Moisture Q's

[PeteDavis]

Howdy All-

Ain't been around here for a while, building a house and volunteering a 30-ton chimney. Too busy to breathe really.

Regardless of all that, I have resolved to hunt a few days this year with my hickory/burlap creation. It's really a Rudder stave, I ground a pound of wood off of it, burlapped the face and tillered it to 60 pounds. I am splurging this year, and got John Weeks to make a dozen cedars with charteuse fletches! This bow likes 55-60# arrows and at 16 yds I can take a deer with it. Prefer those 8 yds shots.

Anyway I always read about moisture infecting hickory bows. I sealed this critter with TruOil, then six hits of water/based wipe-on poly. Over that I put dark brown briewax over and over. The bow maintained the same set through the damp months this summer, but I didn't shoot it a lot then. Now that the air is crispy again, I am shooting 15 arrows a day. The bow has stabilized at it's current weight and set, but I unstring it religiously.

Question: If I hunt with this sucker, and I will, do I have to avoid damp or drizzly days? Assuming I slather the sealed bow with briewax over and over, can I consider it waterproofed within reason? I like to hunt damp weather, but not so much as will wash away blood trails.

Good luck to all of you this season!

PD

[woodstick]

i put tru oil on all my bows, then before season i put about 3 good coats of minwax on em. i hunt all the time and i dont run home from the rain, point is i think it will be fine, and thats a fine looking bow, you know how to make them so if something goes wrong you can allways make another. just dont stop the hunt cause of the damp weather, thats some of the best times.

[sailordad]

wax it up and go kill something with it

[El Destructo]

I would not be afraid to use it....go for it....got one Question though....what Wax are you using from Briwax?? The Original Formula....or the Beeswax? These Waxes are made for cleaning and nourishing Woods...not really Waterproofing them...won't hurt...but don't expect a Miracle from it either...the Beeswax Formula would probably be a better choice.......JMO

[PeteDavis]

This stuff has the bee on the can.

I wonder about Johnson's paste wax? Have a tub of that too.....

PD

[El Destructo]

If you have Tru Oil and Poly....I would not worry about it....unless You plan on Hunting in an All Day Soaker!!!!

I normally only use either Tru Oil....and forget it.....or just Bear Grease and Beeswax....one or the other....and as long as they are Applied religiously....you will have no problems with them either

[sailordad]

i like bees wax,cant beat the smell    mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[El Destructo]

Yep...especially if you apply it with a Hairdryer or Heat Gun...........

[Pat B]

No matter what appropriate finish you use on a wood bow you will never make it waterproof!..and you don't want to make it waterproof! Wood has to breath and by breathing it takes on and released moisture(hygroscopic) as the ambient relative humidity changes. What we are trying to do with our wood bow finishes is to slow down the hygroscopic rate by protecting it with a good, practical finish and store it in a controlled environment that prevents it from taking on more moisture. Storing your wood bow in a hot box or in your home with central air you are giving it the best environment to prevent it taking on too much moisture.
  Another thing. You can throw a raw(without a finish)bow in a lake for an hour and take an internal moisture reading before and after, I would bet the M/C would not have changed much if at all. A thin outside layer probably did but the hygroscopic rate is a slow process and it would take a while for that moisture to reach the core of the bow.
   I have sat through many rains and storms while hunting with little or no ill effects to my wood bows. When I get out of my stand I unbrace the bow(remove unnecessary stress), wipe it off with a dry towel and store it where it is somewhat protected from the elements. This is hard to do at hunting camp but every little helps. It is the M/C of the air and not the water itself that effects the wood bow. Eventually the water will work itself into the wood but it is a relatively slow process.