After a couple of coats have been applied, I’ll sand the skins between coats to remove the little “nibs” at the tips of the scales. With some 220-grit paper I sand lightly in the direction of the scales (from the handle to the tips). Be careful not to overdo this step as it is easy to sand through the skins – a couple of light stokes is sufficient. You’re not trying to smooth the skins in one step – it will happen gradually over the course of several coats.
![](http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/HazelnutBuildALong/hzb163.jpg)
I’ll also lightly sand the wood surface with 400-grit sandpaper about every 3rd or 4rth coat to remove embedded dust and other surface irregularities. After sanding I wipe the bow down with a clean cloth and then blow any remaining dust off with compressed air.
![](http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/HazelnutBuildALong/hzb164.jpg)
Here is a close-up of the tip after about 4 coats of finish. In all I will apply about 10-12 coats of finish. But before I go much further I will need to letter the bow.
![](http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/HazelnutBuildALong/hzb165.jpg)