Morning All! Thus far in my bow building journey I have been using rattle can finishes which have worked out fairly well but I am itching to try Thunderbird since it seems much better on my one non-homemade bow that is finished with it.
My question is, for those of you that spray Tbird or similar epoxy finishes with a compressor and gun what sort of set up/equipment specifications is the minimum I need to be able to lay the product down well (compressor, moisture trap, and gun)?
I don't have a compressor or gun so I'll have to buy both and researching finish spraying in general (non bow applications) there's a lot out there saying you need a 30+ gallon tank compressor to get good consistent spraying. Ideally I would like to not spend a small fortune getting a massive compressor if I don't have to since it will be just for spraying bows. Although I might finish other woodworking projects with the compressor if it works better/is easier than wipe on finishes but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Spraying finish is a trade all in itself. The harbor freight HVLP gun with a 1.3 mm tip size is where you want to be. A smaller compressor can be used if you have an extra tank for volume.i used one for years with a 20 gallon tank and a 10 gallon holding tank. it's more about air volume than pressure. HVLP stands for high pressure low volume.
Next you really should have a spray booth set up than can be heated in winter time, but many don't.
As far as spraying T-Bird epoxy goes. that is tricky stuff to work with, and very expensive. You may seriously want to think about learning your spray techniques with a conversion varnish like Crystal, Or using marine spar varnish.
Spraying epoxy finishes, there is a large learning curve. viscosity, tack time, and learning not to get too much material laid down on each coat. The trick to getting a good finish is not having to sand between coats and get an even build up with more thin coats. If you do sand epoxy between coats, if you hit bare wood anywhere it sticks out like a turd in a punch bowl. If you lay it down to heavy the finish can get cloudy on you too. and epoxy finishes all yellow out over time. i quit using epoxy years ago after spraying many many gallons of the stuff.
Another option for high quality finish is auto clear coating. this stuff doesn't yellow out, but there is another huge learning curve picking the right material and learning how to apply it smoothly. This is what i use professionally is auto clear coat.
Honestly.... You might be better off just sticking with rattle can finishes unless you plan on building a lot of bows. that's about 5 cents worth there.... Good luck.
Afraid that might be the case...in terms of can finishes I've seen folks recommend some of the auto rattle cans a few times on here. Are they markedly better than something like the helmsman spray I've used in the past or are they more or less similar in terms of durability and overall appearance?
Youre swap bow is finished in rattle can clear coat wheel paint 4 coats of gloss, 2 coats of semigloss. Cans are from o Reilly, i never get a perfect finish but its my current best option and its good enough for going through the woods.
I bought thunderbird too and a gun, just haven't had the cajones to try on a good bow yet.
Quote from: Guster on July 23, 2026, 03:06:41 PMAfraid that might be the case...in terms of can finishes I've seen folks recommend some of the auto rattle cans a few times on here. Are they markedly better than something like the helmsman spray I've used in the past or are they more or less similar in terms of durability and overall appearance?
The rattle can clear coat will dry on bocote and other oily woods where helmsman works fine on native woods here but second coat on bocote turns to sticky crap. "might dry eventually but I ain't got time to wait" :biglaugh:
Quote from: Watsonjay on July 23, 2026, 03:41:12 PMI bought thunderbird too and a gun, just haven't had the cajones to try on a good bow yet.
The trick to that stuff is thinning it down, watch your tack time, and apply it in thin coats without sanding between them. Trying to spray a wet coat with that stuff is asking for trouble.
Too many guys just getting started try and get every coat looking perfect, and apply too much material doing it. 3 thin coats is way better than one heavy coat... trust me on this one.
If you sand through the cured finish in spots and try to spray it again, the bare wood section will stick out like a turd in a punch bowl. you might as well sand the whole riser again if you sand through applied cured finish....
And when you are done, don't touch it for 24 hours... let it cure real good.
Duplicolor wheel paint matte clear will lay down flat, 6 coats is about the whole can. Follow directions on can. gloss did not do a good job for me
I use a 3M Final Finishing Pad, buffing as hard as I can for a slick finish (Buffing only takes 2 minutes or so) . Google both
Matte ONLY is a hard finish You will be happy
I sprayed 6 bow one time with 6 cans, some over spray (more than normal) and buffed them slick. :shaka:
MadMax, happy to see you posting feels like its been a while. Interesting note with Matte only, im only ever semi happy with the finish of using gloss to build up. Will be using matte only and your 3m pad technique next bow. Very interesting
Quote from: Mad Max on July 25, 2026, 08:47:35 AMDuplicolor wheel paint matte clear will lay down flat, 6 coats is about the whole can. Follow directions on can. gloss did not do a good job for me
I use a 3M Final Finishing Pad, buffing as hard as I can for a slick finish (Buffing only takes 2 minutes or so) . Google both
Matte ONLY is a hard finish You will be happy
I sprayed 6 bow one time with 6 cans, some over spray (more than normal) and buffed them slick. :shaka:
That's interesting.....Typically the high gloss finishes have more solids and provide a more uniform build up. I use a high gloss auto clear coating myself, but i'm running an HVLP gun in a spray booth. I get my non glare satin finish spraying a very fine matte texture.
But i may try that wheel finish on my wheels on the boat trailer.
I know the matte wheel finish soaks in a lot more coats than the clearcoat. So I spray 4 coats of clearcoat o wood surfaces, steel wool and spray one coat on entire bow,then 2 coats of matte wheel..
It was a game changer for me.
I don't make many bows so I use the Matte clear in the can.
Late this year I will be making some Bamboo backed Ipe bows.
I followed Kenny's recommendation and have been happy with the results.
Quote from: kennym on July 25, 2026, 03:55:20 PMI know the matte wheel finish soaks in a lot more coats than the clearcoat. So I spray 4 coats of clearcoat o wood surfaces, steel wool and spray one coat on entire bow,then 2 coats of matte wheel..
"Clearcoat" What product Kenny?
I was at autozone to pick up a can of the Dupicolor matte and came across this. I'd never seen it before but decided to see how it works.
It applies a bit rougher finish than the regular matte. It's a very tough finish.
20260726_145323_copy_639x1323_1.jpg
That's what Kenny said to use! I just got done with the final changes to this bow. That's the finish I used.
Quote from: Mad Max on July 25, 2026, 08:47:35 AMDuplicolor wheel paint matte clear will lay down flat, 6 coats is about the whole can. Follow directions on can. gloss did not do a good job for me
I use a 3M Final Finishing Pad, buffing as hard as I can for a slick finish (Buffing only takes 2 minutes or so) . Google both
Matte ONLY is a hard finish You will be happy
I sprayed 6 bow one time with 6 cans, some over spray (more than normal) and buffed them slick. :shaka:
For me after sanding down the wheel clear and wiping it down with denatured alcohol it would get sticky.