Decorative inspiration please!

[MattZA]

Hi all,

I'm busy on a new bow which includes a couple of firsts for me, including being 73" long and the first time I've ever used rawhide as a backing.

My question/favour is this:

Can you guys give me any ideas or pictures about how to finish the rawhide backing?

Thanks a lot,

Matt

[Pat B]

I finish over rawhide backed bows just like any other bows. I use Tru-Oil for a finish and have painted designs with craft acrylic paint and drawn with India ink. I'll try to find some pics later today.

[MattZA]

Cheers Pat, I'd appreciate that.

Perhaps I used some strange rawhide, but mine seems an awkward mix of mostly clear while having white/rawhide colour patches underneath. After sanding the rawhide it seems to go white and almost fuzzy on the back?

I didn't know you could oil rawhide like wood. I must remember that

[Pat B]

I think the more oily the finish the more translucent the rawhide will be.  It's not uncommon for rawhide to do as you suggested. For me it works well as a camo pattern and the paint or ink will still work on it. You may want a more even colorization and I'm not sure why it gets that splotchy appearance.
Try a test with a scrap of the rawhide using oil first to see if that will give you a more even, translucent finish.

[DC]

I've often thought that little cave drawings would look great on a white back. I've tried it a few times but mine always looks like chicken scratch.

[bradsmith2010]

put the finish on,, sand,, put more finish on sand,, repeat till you like it,,if I paint on it,,I spray poly over it,, but above advice is great,,, many ways to finish rawhide,, its pretty versitile stuff,,
and looks great how ever you do it,,

[MattZA]

Some interesting info here, thanks.

Pat, I put a little oil on it last night, and I see what you mean about it becoming more translucent. It's still got a few whiteish splodges, so I'll give it another couple of coats and see if that helps. I'm impressed with how smooth the finish gets, though. I'm out of higher grit sandpaper, so I sanded it down with 40 grit and then used a razor blade to scrape it, and it's already very smooth. Interested to see how 800 grit will make it feel.

DC, I was thinking a similar thing. The only issue there is my artistic skills are about as good as my skill at shooting straight - terrible! I was considering getting something to trace a design onto it.

[DC]

I tried tracing them and it didnt work for me. I think the beauty is in the shading and line width and I couldn't duplicate that.

[bjrogg]

I really like the design Matt Wikie has on his bow. It's actually a thin fabric that he got from JoAnne's fabric. Might be a good place to get ideas.
Bjrogg