Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: DuBois on February 26, 2014, 10:14:20 pm
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Put on my first skins and got the scales off. I have never held a snake skin bow so I am not sure how smooth they should be prior to finishing.
Has a little texture to it but looks good I think.
Should I do anything to the skins before I put on shellac and then tru-oil coats?
Thanks folks,
Doobs
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gaze at the awesomeness!!
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I also just applied my first snakeskin I used Gorgons Hazelnut build along for a guild. On the edges seem to lift a little on the points, I Hit them with lite sand paper steel wool between light coats of tru oil on about my 6th coat and the skins feel smooth now. Chuck
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Have to agree. Took 4 coats of poly before the felt smooth. Added 2 more just to be safe. Tru-oil will go on thinner, so might take a few more coats to get the smooth effect...at least in my experience.
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7 or 8 coats of true oil for me,some a little more some a little less depending on the snake. You want it so smooth you can't feel anything when you rub it up or down,takes patients but well worth it. :) I also use 000 steel wool between coats and always go from head to tail in a light stroke,just enough to smooth it a bit. :)
Pappy
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like pappy said dont rub a snake skin backwards.it will raise little [for the lack of a better word] teets.
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I put a vinyl glove on and with my finger smear super glue along the edges of the skins from tip to tip. It keeps those pesky edges from lifting here and there and "cracking the seal" on the finish.
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Even once the scales are gone, real snakeskins will have quite a bit of texture. No big deal. I finish my skins with multiple coats of semi gloss polyurethane in line with the grain of the scales (grip to tip). I use a gloss or semi gloss so the skins look a bit more 'alive' on the bow. Like Pearlie, I go over the edge of the skins, and glue done any lifty bits with thin CA glue. They're originally applied with TB2 or TB3.
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OK, thanks fellas.
I will post some pics when the bow is done. It's kind of a short Frankenstein bow saved from some other attempts and the skins are rat snake. Not a great beauty but more good learning before I do some rattler skins or something.
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Done with bow and after shooting it some it got these cracks in finish on both limbs around mid limb. It has shellac and then tru oil several coats and them poly. Hard to see in this pic but it is the lighter area across the back and mostly n the middle.
What happened? And what should I do about it?
Thanks,
Doobs
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I would certainly get that section of track repaired before the next train comes through. :o I can't see a crack in the finish on the bow. Skins look nice, though.
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They look like tigers eye sorta across the back. I will probably be retillering some and may just have to sand down and refinish anyway.
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Anybody ever have to refinish snake skin?
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Too much sealing doobs. Your finish was so thick it cracked. A few coats of shellac and a few coats of oil finish is plenty. No need to spray more over all that. I wouldn't worry about re-doing them, I doubt you could without damage.
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I was thinking like Pearlie, too much sealing. I use about 6 coats of Tru-Oil with a good rub with 0000 steel wool between coats. When it is all good and dry a quick spray of satin poly to break the shine. The Tru-Oil is flexible and the quick spray of poly is very thin, just a quick spray to cut the shine.
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I concur with Pat and Pearly. If you put the poly on thick enough to form a skin over the tru oil it will crack every time. Best to just leave it be. Josh
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You can put soft finishes over hard finishes but not hard finishes over soft finishes.
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I assume poly is soft since people cover a lot of others with it. Are shellac and Tru Oil hard finish? I am dumb about what is soft or hard finish.
I think you guys nailed it. I alternated coats with poly and tru oil a couple times and put it on thick trying to fill in to make it smoother.
Thanks fellas.
Doobs
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I agree with the guys, finish is too thick. I had that happen first time I tried to fill the scales with super glue and did'nt steel wool it in between coats. The super glue cracked in areas. I ended up sanding it down again and getting all the super glue off other than what was in the scale pockets, then just tru oiled it and it turned out perfect. Learned a good lesson there. In fact it was last years trade bow I sent to JW. The milk snake and osage bow. Yours was with a different finish but same concept. Danny
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Poly is hard, Tru-oil is soft. When I spray poly over a Tru-Oil finish I do it lightly, just enough to cut the shine but not thick enough to crack.
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if it was mine I would take some thinner and wipe it down careful like and try and get that cracked finish off cause i'd get po'd everytime I looked at it, but that's me
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If it says "oil" in the name anywhere its soft and soaks into the wood, that's why we rub tung and tru oil in. Poly is hard and doesn't soak into the wood at all. Have a look at the directions on some of these sealers. You'll find that some shouldn't have poly used in conjunction. Shellac is one of the very few sealers I know that will work with dang near anything under or over it. I love it for base coats.
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I had the same thing happpen on my personal bow for no appartent reason. I have done at least 20 snaked bows, all finished with lights coats of tru-oil followed by a light spritz of satin spar, none with enough finish to eliminate the texture of the skins. No problem with cracking on any of my other snaked bows.
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Perhaps the health of the Tru Oil plays a part. Or, maybe the moisture level of the skins at gluing. I soak my skins in water, but I also tamp them dry over and over before I smear glue on them and the bow.
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I also give bows with new glued on skins(or rawhide) at least a week to dry before adding any finish. I have found it can take that long for the moisture from the skins and glue to dissipate from the wood.
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I would think it was the finish you used,I have done many,and to thick has never
been a problem,sometimes I put 10 or 12 coats or more of tru oil on them,what ever it takes to get them smooth,I am not happy unless it is like a sheet of glass,I sometimes do as Pat with a final thin coat of satin polly but usually just buff it with steel wool if I plan on hunting with it to dull it a bit then add a fresh coat of Tru oil after the season. It has always worked for me so can't say about other finishes or mix of finishes . :)
Pappy
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I believe it was the amber shellac with the wax in it that didn't adhere good enough to the skin.
I tried to refinish it and ruined the skin by getting too deep when sanding. I tried to touch it up with some colors to match and only got in deeper ::)
I then went ahead and scraped down some and the waxy shellac chipped out of the scale pockets almost like the original scales did.
If learning is done by mistakes, then I must be getting smarter with this bow cause t is a frankenstein of mistakes.
Will never again use the amber shellac under anything. Gonna use it to seal backs and ends of staves this spring instead.
Glad I tried on a rat snake instead of ruining a nice rattler or something, but it still is a shame to waste it. Retillered it also down to upper 50's.
Thanks everybody.
Doober
It is now a nasty pukey black/green/brown thing. Will post it when all done again.
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sometimes the learning curve is a loooong curve dubes just gots to roll on ;)
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That's a bummer doobs :-[
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You know it Bubby, just gonnal keep on rollin'
Hey Thad, yeah it's a bummer but at least it shoots ;D
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I've had great luck with watered down TB to smooth the scale fuzzies, then cheap superglue along the edges. I've used tru oil and poly, never together though. The only issue I've ever had with skins was a carp skin. I tried every frickin' thing you can think of to keep those scale flaps from lifting, but they kept popping up and lifting through the finish. I even tried to superglue each individual scale pocket, no luck though.
The bow almost got snapped in half on account of my frustration with it. I think I might use some leftover belly skin from a set of skins I've got. Couldn't hurt to try. lol