I have found a new fondness for a Herters Perfection Sitka 58'' 50lb. Really one of the most fun and unique bows I have owned and shot.
I gave it a new clear coat and put some snake skin over a long deep scratch I assume a broadhead once left. Added a very comfortable leather grip. There are 4 holes drilled where a sight once was mounted. I haven't come up with an idea to cover them. Anyone got any tips...
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What I do is chamfer the edges of the holes slightly with either a large drill bit or counter sink. I then fill in the hole with a piece of glued in toothpick so it's filled up near the surface. I then mix 2 part epoxy with a little acrylic paint to match your fiberglass color and dab that into the hole so it's raised up past the surface. Let dry and sand with a sanding block to dress them down to the surface eventually finishing up with around 1200-1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Then put on a few coats of Tru-oil wet sanding between coats until you can hardly see the patched area.
I had to catch the light so you can see where the holes were in this '69 Super Kodiak because under normal light conditions they are invisible.
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You could drill them to a standard size small wood dowel and plug them with the dowel and stain to match as best you can. The dowel glued in with Tite-bond would be a good permanent fix...I would think! Oh ,I might add....that's a neat looking bow!
Really like the great looks of settled wood on vintage bows!
Thinking out loud; maybe a design etched over the area to cover hte holes? You can always drill a hole & fill with a dowel. Then you;d need to match & stain the finish & hope to polish it out to perfect.
Suggest Spar Urethane over whatever you decide. Along w/000 steel wool you can work magic. Good luck.
If at all possible I will collect sanding dust from the substrate and mix it with the epoxy.. Perfect color match every time.
I know myself well enough to know I am not handy enough for the drilling ideas. I really like the option of covering the whole area with something, but cant decide what. I will be sure to try the dowels and sanding epoxy match on some 4x4s though.
I like reddogge's method very much. Epoxy putty colored to match or painted works well too. It also depends on where the holes are...in the wood or glass-each calls for a different approach.
You could always find the right one to match the holes and re-mount the sight :D
Guy
How about some little deer hoofprints or bear foot print decals.
carve some deer tracks out of antler and place them in there and then refinish the whole bow.
If you take saw dust and add a little wood glue you can make your own wood filler.and paint or stain it with a qtip after it dries.
Mosaic pins for knife making would look nice as well.