I have been on the bow making journey for about a little over a year now making fiberglass longbows and it has been as addicting as you lot had warned me about. In that time there have definitely been educational mistakes galore :o . One issue that I can't seem to shake is my finishes flaking lightly around the bow string grooves. I've used both wipe on and spray Helmsman Spar Urethane and I have had it happen to both. It doesn't seem to be on every bow or on both tips for the same bow but occasionally I will just have one start to flake. It seems to be solved with some steel wool sanding and a new light coat of finish but that always leaves the area looking different from the rest of the bow. Any tips, tricks, remarks, and suggestions are welcome!
Are you using a build string that is waxed. If so be sure all that wax is gone before you finish goes on. I use rubbing alcohol then even some rolled up 320 grit emery cloth to clean the grooves.be sure you finish is cured good before putting the string on.
Try thin superglue....clean with denatured alcohol or acetone before applying the finish, spread it on with a Qtip, 2 or three light coats, use a Scotchbrite pad to smooth it out.
Thanks for the tips! On my next one here shortly I'll try making sure the grooves are cleaned of any wax and wiped down with rubbing alcohol. I've definitely had a finish flake off thru all layers to the bow before as well as just seemingly having one layer come up so it is probably a combination of mistakes. How long would you leave the bow finish to cure when using Helmsman Spare Urethane before stringing?
When using Minwax semigloss poly, I wait 3 days before handing the bow or applying the arrow plate and arrow rest.