Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: toomanyknots on July 19, 2013, 12:17:07 pm
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I know it seems I have to post a dumb question at least once a day, (I apologize, ;D). I was just wondering though, how do you guys who use tru oil on your bows coat a bow and set it up to dry without getting smudges or finger prints in the coat? I have seen Gordon I think clamp it at the handle, but wouldn't that smudge the handle? I'm kinda flabbergasted, this is the first time I used tru oil, and got the bow I just did sitting on my bow rack drying for an hour or so before I go at it again. I wiped it down with a paper towel in each hand, not sure if I am gonna have smudges or not, it seems like it's kinda hard not to. Is there a good way or method of doing this?
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I only coat one half of the bow at a time. Once that half has semi cured out, I steel wool it with OOOO steel wool and coat the other half. By steel wooling like that, I can keep track of which limb I just did. Josh
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I do everything except the handle for 4-6 coats and then do just the handle that many times. It dries fast enough and steel wool between coats like GD said.
Tracy
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TMK, I'll either spring clamp the handle and rotate the clamp from side to side to front to back on the bow between coats so all surfaces get oil. This is when I intend to wrap the handle after finishing is done.
If I want a bow with no handle wrap I'll hang the bow by the string nocks with some fishing line and flip it end to end
from coat to coat so both nock grooves get plenty of oil.
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I clamp at handle and worry about that till the end. I use a small lint free. Cloth and dab it and go in 1 direction and let dry then lightly wool it then wipe off with cloth and repeat and after I get all the coats I needed I do handle then
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I put a shingle or roofing nail in the handle and suspend it from my workshop ceiling with a stout string. I spray or coat with whatever I am using while holding the handle as needed. Let it go and do the handle. The nail also releases pressure in the handle area to prevent hand shock. :) Jawge
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Thanks guys for the quick replys! I just put coat number two on it, by using a paper towel in each hand, and than setting it on my bow rack to dry. Which obviously ain't the best way I see now, :). Probably gonna get smudges where the limbs are setting on the rack I am thinking... So I guess it would be smart to do the limbs first and then the handle, or the half the bow, than the other half? And George, that is crazy genius using a nail, lol :).
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The nail also releases pressure in the handle area to prevent hand shock. :) Jawge
I know this thread was about finishing techniques, but I am curious about this statement, as I don't follow your train of thought. Please explain.
Russ
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Toomanyknots
The first couple of coats don't matter much if it smudges , cause I steel wool it anyway !
The last 2 coats I rub till its very near dry before I set it down , and then its on the end where it gets scuffed up any way !
After a year or two when the scuffs start bothering me I steel wool it and give it another coat !
That is one of the great advantages to using True Oil easy so fix it up later !
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Russ, I was kidding about the pressure release. Sorry. Sometimes I get in these moods. It's 110 F outside and I can't go out and shoot. Jawge
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But I do hang the bow from the middle of the handle when finishing. I really do. Jawge
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I wipe each limb down while grabbing the center, then the handle being sure to leave any smudges under the grip. Then I sit it on a 1" tube to dry. If it leaves a few marks I don't worry as the grip covers it up.
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I have a loop of copper wire hanging from the ceiling that I can quickly wrap around the top nock of a bow, then just wipe the bow from top to bottom.
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George
Ok - - ya got me. I did think for a moment there that I was missing something. LOL. I hear ya about the heat. I am in AC and I am still hot, I can only imagine what it would feel like if I worked in the great outdoors.
Tru oil is so easy to apply and fix, I just wipe mine down and set it across two points (one at each mid limb). I find that any marks (usually none to speak of) will sand out with the steel wool rub that happens every other coat. I guess it works since each coat I put on is super light. Light coat = light marks. No rush in building up the finish. Takes almost as long to finish the bow and add the bling as it takes to tiller it out.
Russ
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I suspend mine from the nock and wipe the whole thing down vigorously rub it in with my fingers n don't go too thick with the oil cus it'll wanna run....I tried paper towels n didn't like the subtle streaks they could leave..."rubbing" it in with the fingers has worked best for me...
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I wipe each limb down while grabbing the center, then the handle being sure to leave any smudges under the grip. Then I sit it on a 1" tube to dry. If it leaves a few marks I don't worry as the grip covers it up.
I do it the same as Pearly on bows where I'm putting a handle wrap on. If the bow is going to have a bare handle I'll do the limbs right up to the fades and sit it on a spray paint lid to dry. Once its dry I'll put a coat on the handle blending it out into the fades. I repeat that process for every coat.
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I hang the bows from the light fixture in my room by a strand of fishing line tied to one of the nocks. After every coat I put on the bow I rub it with steel wool to get rid of the marks left by the line and for the next coat I tie the line to the other nock so that they will be the same. This way the only time I touch the bow is when the finish is hard enough to not leave smudges.
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toomany I have two screws about 5' apart, do both limbs and then set it on the screws and do the grip, bub
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Do any of yall use a rubbing compound afterwards to rub the finish out?
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after a couple coats I hit it with #0000 steel wool between coats then I use paste wax
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after a couple coats I hit it with #0000 steel wool between coats then I use paste wax
X2
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after a couple coats I hit it with #0000 steel wool between coats then I use paste wax
after a couple coats I hit it with #0000 steel wool between coats then I use paste wax
X2
I'm actually thinking of making my own paste wax, I figure the end result will be pure as well as cheaper by a hair or two, ;D. I got easy access to beeswax, there is a local store that sells locally harvested beeswax for 10 bucks a pound about, which is pretty cheap I think. And woodcrafters got pure gum turpentine I believe, which I am thinking is all I need? I have made it out of oil and beeswax melted together, but I was never really happy with the result. I mean it was a paste wax alright, but I didn't like the feel or look after using it... By the way, anybody ever heard of diatomaceous earth? It's a powder made from fossils of dead bacteria and such, which kills insects by cutting their exoskeletons and drying them out. Supposedly the stuff is sharp and jagged under a microscope, so I was thinking it would make a good rubbing powder, and we happen to have like 20 pounds of the stuff for killing fleas. :) I was googling to see if it would work, and it turns out it can be used for a polish, so I might just try it out after I get this bow done, I am on coat 6 right now. This tru oil stuff is sticky as hell, ;D. How long should I wait before I rub it/polish it? The other thing I was thinking of trying is some of this polish I got at the automotive store, haha. It makes my guitars look just great...
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+2 Pearl. The handle gets covered anyway so it can have a few smudges. Little steel wool cleans it up. I hear most people say they hand rub it as Blackhawk just stated. Can't get the finish right hand rubbing, I use a clean cloth rolled up into a tight ball. Gives me a better finish. I'm sure it's my technique but hand rubbing for me leaves streaks that the cloth does not.
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toomany a tub of quality paste wax is around 12$ and it will last many many years, I may never use up mine
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+2 Pearl. The handle gets covered anyway so it can have a few smudges. Little steel wool cleans it up. I hear most people say they hand rub it as Blackhawk just stated. Can't get the finish right hand rubbing, I use a clean cloth rolled up into a tight ball. Gives me a better finish. I'm sure it's my technique but hand rubbing for me leaves streaks that the cloth does not.
I know I am not loving these paper towels as soon as it starts to get sticky... which seems to be almost instantly. It does suck up a lot of finish too.
toomany a tub of quality paste wax is around 12$ and it will last many many years, I may never use up mine
True, true.
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Russ, don't let Jawge get to you. He's kidding, the nail in the handle is a sight pin. ;)
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I rub out with Rottenstone and Lindseed Oil...
-gus
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I rub out with Rottenstone and Lindseed Oil...
-gus
Well, (I know this is probably stupid for a couple reasons, as you probably wanna wait a week for the bow to cure before you rub it out I gather) but last night after 7 coats I polished it with some turtle wax brand polish, ;D. Not sure if that is the best idea, but the end result looks pretty nice, lol. It was an experiment bow though I was doing it on, in order to get my screw ups out of the way as this was the first time trying tru oil.
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I use the small cosmetic wedges to apply the tru oil. I get a better finish with those than trying to use anything else.
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Here's the results from my first attempt with tru oil yesterday, I am not the best photographer and it is hard for me to get a good pic of the finish, but this is roughly how it turned out:
(http://imageshack.us/a/img838/83/1b81.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/1b81.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img818/3712/pzoc.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/pzoc.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img189/3941/1hs4.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/1hs4.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img42/3852/kulb.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/kulb.jpg/)
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Looks Good Toomany...
As you well know, There Ain't Only One Right Way...
Besides, if you like it, I love it.
Regards,
-gus
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I finish the handle first then when it is good and dry I clamp it in the handle while I do the limbs. :)
Pappy
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With any finish, i just tie some wire around the top nock and hang it from a tree;) works great
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Here's a fixture for holding a bow for finishing. The nocks of the bow rest in small holes drilled in the ends of 1/4" carriage bolts which thread into tee nuts in the brackets. Each bracket is fastened to the 1/4 board with a single screw. Screw the carriage bolts to tighten the bow in place. When tight enough, the bow will stand belly up. I coat the very ends of the nocks with finish, place the bow in the fixture and apply finish to the rest of bow. If using spray finish, wrap the threads of the carriage bolts with foil.
c.d.
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Here's a fixture for holding a bow for finishing. The nocks of the bow rest in small holes drilled in the ends of 1/4" carriage bolts which thread into tee nuts in the brackets. Each bracket is fastened to the 1/4 board with a single screw. Screw the carriage bolts to tighten the bow in place. When tight enough, the bow will stand belly up. I coat the very ends of the nocks with finish, place the bow in the fixture and apply finish to the rest of bow. If using spray finish, wrap the threads of the carriage bolts with foil.
c.d.
Wooaaah... very clever.