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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Roy from Pa on March 03, 2010, 05:23:00 PM

Title: Removing Bamboo Backing
Post by: Roy from Pa on March 03, 2010, 05:23:00 PM
Have a deflex/reflex bow in the works here, and  the boo split on me. The Osage is such a nice piece of wood, that I'd like to salvage it. Any suggestions on how to get the boo off? Thought I would cut it off with the bandsaw, and stay just outside the glue line. Then use a power sander to get down to the Osage.. Thanks, Roy
Title: Re: Removing Bamboo Backing
Post by: JoshB on March 03, 2010, 05:27:00 PM
that's what I would do... If your belt sander has an aggressive belt on it I would use rasps to get it back down to the original wood to keep from going too far into the osage.
Title: Re: Removing Bamboo Backing
Post by: Pat B on March 03, 2010, 06:03:00 PM
What glue did you use. If TBIII you can heat the bow up to 150deg(F) and the glue will release. I did this with a heat gun and chisel on a hickory backed osage bow. Clean up both surfaces and re-glue.
 If another glue like urac or smooth-on you may have so saw the two apart. If you are careful you might recover both pieces.
Title: Re: Removing Bamboo Backing
Post by: No-sage on March 03, 2010, 06:34:00 PM
You can remove it with a heat gun if you used URAC.  Just go slow and pry it up as you move the heat along.
Title: Re: Removing Bamboo Backing
Post by: Roy from Pa on March 04, 2010, 06:59:00 AM
Used Urac, tried the heat gun and it was very slow going, came off in small chunks.
Title: Re: Removing Bamboo Backing
Post by: Eric Krewson on March 04, 2010, 08:31:00 AM
I have done it both ways, remove the bamboo to save the osage and removed the osage to save the bamboo.

When I am removing the bamboo, I grind almost all of the bamboo off on my belt sander except for about 1/16" and glue my new piece to this small strip of bamboo. This is on almost finished bows where I don't want to get into the osage.
Title: Re: Removing Bamboo Backing
Post by: Roy from Pa on March 04, 2010, 04:17:00 PM
Thanks Eric, that sounds like a plan. And it would leave a nice layer of boo between the next layer of whatever I put on. Might glue on some Zebra wood lams. Darn bamboo has given me fits over the years, splitting on me. But a BBO Bow sure is pretty when ya get a good one.