Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Stick Bender on November 23, 2017, 01:12:03 pm
-
For you guys that do Boo bows what's the easiest & safest way to take the Rhine off Bamboo ?
-
Scrape it lighlty with anything from a knife, to a sliver of broken glass, then sand smooth with a light grit sandpaper.
-
Cabinet scraper, It's not as delicate a task as one might imagine.
Del
-
Don't try and flatten the nodes for most species of boo.
Tonkin cane is sometimes filed a little flatter with bows, but even with that stuff I prefer not too touch the nodes. Fly fishing rod makers do file it flat but a bow bends more than a cane rod does.
-
I have made over 50 BBOs, on some of the ones I made early on when I was real agressive with the scraper would pop a splinter on the back of the bamboo over time. I could tell after staining I was leaving small cuts from my scraper on the bamboo that were still there after sanding. I suspect these cuts were causing the splinters to lift.
Now I scrape lightly and don't try to get all the rind off, just most of it. I sand slightly with an orbital sander with 220 grit, then hand sand for my final finish. I don't get all the rind, especially right up against the nodes. I only take the crusty top off the nodes, through light sanding, no filing.
No more splinters have raised since I started giving the bamboo backs a light touch.
-
I remove the rind on bamboo with a scraper.For me I use a planer blade, but any good scraper will work fine. Leave the nodes alone ,but scrape upto them.When I scrape I start the stroke lightly and quickly increase the pressure to remove the rind. I start on the belly first, to get my technique down, and then do the back. You really don't want to violate the surface with cuts or divets, as this leads to lifting. I then go over the surface with coarse steel wool and then finer to remove the little bits of rind left, and to polish the surface ready for the finish. This also reveals any spots needing attention, and use your workshop light to examine the surface for scratches.
-
Why remove it?
-
You don't have to remove the whole depth of the rind but the gloss needs to come off or stain won't penetrate and finish won't stick well.
-
I use a scraper on mine.
-
Razor blades work great if you don't have a scraper. Be sure to wear a thick set of gloves though.
-
Heating when green then wiping while hot works for me
-
Regarding nodes... the have a sort of step and then like a ridge sticking up. I take 'em down to the step, any further risks splinters lifting IMO.
Del
-
I have never used Bamboo as a backing only sinew and raw hid before and I appreciate the technique but I'm wondering how thick is the layer under the rhine is it like wood in layers or rings I have read it is more like a grass ? The reason I'm asking because the bamboo had some marks from ruff shipping that scraped off some of the rhine and on one off them left a few minor dings under rhine ? I sanded lightly on the rhine and one is just slightly visible under in the light ?
-
Nice pic on this post from my blog shows a good cross section of boo, you can see the fibres are packed closs together near the surface and spread out more deeper down.
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/tri-lam-glued-up.html (https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/tri-lam-glued-up.html)
(click on the pic to bring it up big)
Del
-
Thanks Del I will look !