Osage & seal ?

[Stick Bender]

Hi Guys  I have a osage stave thats 7 months off the stump Im planing on chasing down to the final ring & ruffing out the bow next week & setting it aside to season but was wondering if I still need to seal the back at 7 months ? Just trying to avoid getting the shellac off later.

[Urufu_Shinjiro]

For a half a second there I thought you were posting a osage bow backed with seal skin.....lol

[bradsmith2010]

yes you should seal it,,,leave an extra growth ring on and take it off to get the sealer off,, or use tite bond to seal it,, then back with raw hide or snake skin, then you don't have to remove the glue, ,just rough it up a bit with sand paper,,
be sure and seal around the handle and fades,, new wood likes to check there really bad,,

[Aaron H]

Definitely seal, there is plenty of moisture still in there to cause checking

[John Scifres]

Yes, that stave is still green.  Also, keep in mind that checking is caused when wood dries (and shrinks) unevenly, thereby pulling fibers apart.  To combat this, be sure the limbs are about 5/8" thick from side-to-side and end-to-end.  You have to leave the handle thick so be sure to really seal that area well as mentioned above.

Shellac is pretty easy to scrape or sand off.  At least if it is still good and hardens all the way.

Be sure and store it somewhere sorta cool and moist (basement, unheated garage) for a month or so before moving it indoors, especially if you are in a heated house.  Then store it in your house for a month or two.  Then put it in your attic and it will be ready to work come next bowmaking season.

[Springbuck]

Every time I wondered something like this, it turns out I should have.............

[Pat B]

I seal every newly exposed back, no matter how long it has been off the stump. I've had 10 year old osage staves check over night because I didn't seal them.   
 Shellac is carried with alcohol so you can wipe it off the back with a rag and alcohol or a light sanding will do it. If you are not gonna stain the bow's back just leave the shellac on the back. Probably any finish will go on over shellac.

[Dances with squirrels]

What Pat said... I always seal freshly exposed rings because I've had them check slightly without it when i thought they wouldn't... though I've never left the shellac on there since I have other aspirations for color and finish on those bows.  Shellac comes off very easy when it's time. I got another can of shellac today. That makes 3 :^) I use it a lot.