refinishing a glass bow

[ks_stickbow]

Guys, I have a mosshorn that I've had for a while. It was one of wess's first bows, and the finish is a typical mosshorn finish.

I want to strip off what is there and hand sand things and refinish. I want to do this right....what strippers do you use without delaminating things or causing damage?

What do the pro's use to finish thier bows? Teu oil, Linsead oil, tung oil???

what is a hand rubbed finish?

I want to steeel wool the glass but don't want to end up with cloudy glass...how do I go about doing it?

on my selfbows I typicaly just put 6 coats of true oil on there, but my selfbows finish looks a heck of a lot different then those I see coming from the pro's

I have heard about acentone and two ton expoy then sprayed on...what other stuff is out there

do I cover the glass too or just the rider and the sides of the limbs?

thanks...

PS I know abot bowdoc, but I am poor and would rather do this myself

[Tom Leemans]

Don't know about "safe" strippers.

Many pros use two part conversion finishes. I've been happy with multiple coats of spar varnish myself. You can get finishes with UV inhibiters, etc. Tru-oil would work o.k. too.

A hand rubbed finish is just a finish that's been (wet) sanded with progressively finer paper, in between, and after applying a number of thin coats of finish, then buffed (again by hand) with some sort of compound. That depends on how shiny you want it. Building the multiple coats and sanding in between gives that baby butt smooth look to the final finish. Tiny imperfections and pores get filled in while doing all of this. Remember that gloss is harder than satin, so build up with gloss and finish up with satin. (If that's the look you want)

If the glass is clear, finishing up with ultra fine automotive wetsanding paper (nothing coarser than 600 grit IMO) before the finish goes on will help. It'll look a little cloudy until the finish is applied. (yes you cover everything)

[ks_stickbow]

would something like this work?

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=45875-000000024-63200

to remove the old finish do you just sand it off? I have read that using strippers can delaminate if there is a void.

[Mike Byrge@home]

I wouldn't use any kind of stripper for fear of "un gluing" the glue.  I've refinished several and I use a scraper/small knife to scrape the finish off the wood and sandpaper on the glass just to rough up the prior finish.  I like minwax water-based wipe on because I can use it in the house and not worry about the fumes.  Living in Louisiana I've not had good results using oil based finishes like tru-oil, tung-oil, etc.  With our humidity it takes days for even a thin coat to really dry.

[OconeeDan]

I wet sand mine with 400 grit automotive sandpaper and water, and work up to about 600 grit.  It will dull the glass, but it'll brighten back up with clear finish.  Go real easy on the sides of the limbs.  On the belly/back of limbs, you are only going down to the glass to remove the finish, not into the glass.  You would have to be very aggressive to hurt it.  Don't sand over writing, silkscreens, or decals.  On the riser, try to stop before you get through the finish and into the wood.
The less sanding you have to do the better.
Get it squeaky clean and spray the finish.  Some manufacturers use Fullerplast, I use it and like it.  But expensive for one bow, you have to buy by the gallon.  You can simply use spray can polyurethane, I have done it and it works fine.
All this sounds hard but it is not, just take your time.
Dan

[ks_stickbow]

well I used my scrapper and sand paper...worked it down to 600 grit...I was hoping to get the writing off as wess's handwriting back then was as good as my 4 year old nephew...I wanted to rewrite it. after sanding it down I did notice there was some limb flex side to side so i retillered it...if I loose a couple pounds it will be for the better. I am using true oil...i've been running my dehumidifier in my shop for a couple days and it's now 35% in there...aught to dry nice and fast....I'm on my second cote and planning on 6 coats to get some depth. Not as hard as I though it was gonna be...I was a litle scared at first, but once I got to the point of no return the rest was easy.

thanks for the advice....

dan what do you spray the Fullerplast....I have a auto paint sprayer and air compressor how long can that gallon sit? I'd buy a gallon, but I do not finish but a handfull of bows a year

[OconeeDan]

Jeff, the fullerplast will last years if you keep it cool and in a well sealed can.  You can mix it and it'll last several weeks if kept cool and dark and in a sealed glass jar .  It is catalised (you mix a hardener in with it).  Make sure you get as close as 16:1 as you can, and thin it so you can get a good pattern from it.  You can use any auto sprayer, touch up sprayer, or HVLP spray gun.  Air brush for small stuff. Buy the "kit" which has the fullerplast, hardner, and reducer.  I suggest buying satin.  The flattening agent settles in the bottom of the can.  Stir gently the top of the can, skim off the top, you get high gloss finish.  Stir the whole can well, you get a satin.  Pour off the top, then stir, and use the bottom stuff, and you get a  flat finish.  First spray gloss for first coats.  When you are finished spraying bow, you can then spray the last coat or two with satin or flat if you desire.  All out of one can!  The stuff is very easy to spray and get good results.  Gets very hard in a very short time.  If you buy it, call the seller (Van Dee) and get details on time between coats, etc.
Dan

[Benoli]

The Bowyer's Juournal Vol. 3, issue 2 has a great article on how to brush on epoxy.
http://www.bowyersjournal.com/page6.html

[ks_stickbow]

Dan I did a google search to see where I can get fullerplast, but nothing really turned up as far as a retailer....I did learn the guitar trade uses it extensively...would you mind PM'ing (not sure if your allowed to post the names here) me some sources for it.


Benoli, I have that issue need to do a little reading. thanks for riminding me

[ks_stickbow]

came out pretty good



thanks for your help