Finishing/sealing

[mccaw69]

On the verge of finishing my first self bow,final tiller,and light sanding to be done hopefully this weekend.My question is this,I plan to hunt with this bow,so linseed oil,for sure.Single or multi coats?Stain or not to stain?And what to seal it with? Polyerathane,or spar urethane?For that matter any other suggestions.Also with in the next week I'm getting a hickory longbow made by a friend of mine,he's gonna oil and wax it before he ships it,will it need additional sealing as well?Any assistance anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.I've read the various books that direct you on what to do,I just want some real world advice that works. Thanks.

[Steve B.]

I only know about Tru-oil and parafin and what I've read about spar finishes. With oil I would do multiple coats, one every other day for a week or so. Stain for color changes. Osage will darken on its own over time but lighter woods might need some darkening for hunting.
I sinewed a piece of scrap wood. I covered one half with parafin wax and left the other bare. I kept a mist of water on top and let it soak all day. In the evening I could easily lift the sinew from the unwaxed side but the waxed side was solid. I waxed over a sinewed bow of mine but haven't used it hunting yet. I'm thinking about parafin as sealer for future bows, sinew or not. I don't know how well it would hold up over time but I could always touch it up before, say, a hunt or even carry some in the field and apply as needed. Not sure about beeswax.
Hope this helps.

[Kirk]

Helmsman Spar varnish is excellent stuff.... any thing that has wax will need to be stripped before using varnish though..... true oil is decent stuff too, but doesn't hold up as long. Kirk

[bronco2]

i am to in the middle of redoing a recurve. so far so good...lol. i may have messed up. i used some clear coat form a auto company. it was a Shakespeare model x 30. it was scratch all to pc. may finish it up today..thanks

[crowandraven]

I like Spar varnish, it is designed to flex

[Greywolf]

Aloha all

I have a different numbers of finishes I do, I'll finish a take down different than a one piece, using different finishes on the same bow. for the take down, I'll do 2-3 coats of super glue on the riser. I use this as a filler and sealer. once dried, I sand it down and see if I can still see the pore dimples in the wood, if I do, I use another coat or two still they are barley noticeable.
at this point, I move to the finish for the riser, this can be #1, Helmsman, or #2 I might use Tru-oil, #3 The ready mixed Thunderbird finish for a splatter finish.
Either way, it's going to be a labor of love for the finish. The finish a lot of times will take longer than building the bow it's self. Unless your using the Thunderbird pre mix then it'll be ready to fly the next day.


Helmsman is the easiest to do, just sand to your liking, wipe tack free of dust, spray two coats of High Gloss finish (yes high gloss!) let dry, sand then add 4-5 more coats of Satin then write on the bow what ever you chose then 2-3 more coats and send it on it's way.

Thunderbird pre mix is the next best fastest finish, I put it in the detail gun and spray a light to medium coat on the riser keeping the gun 16-18 inches away, (Just make sure it don't run) What this does is make a splatter dimple in the finish. it'll be rough to touch, but will still show the beauty of the wood you used. Also the splatter finish is likely be a less reflective and shiny in the woods. and it is a nice hard bomb proof finish that has stood up to my abuse when I hunt here in Hawaii.

The take down, Tru-oil is my favorite riser finish, it's rich deep and lasts forever. it's all a hand rubbed deep rich finish and is a labor of love and time. you can do 2 coats a day till it's to your liking, 6-8 coats is what I like to do on certain woods. As for the limbs, I spray 3-4 coats of Helmsman satin on the limbs, steel wool then write on the limb, then spray 2 more coats send send it off.

Which ever you decide take you time and it'll come out show room perfect. Best part is if it runs let it dry an extra day sand with 400 grit and do another couple coats, real easy.

Have a good Bowhunt.