Painting bow question

[BUCKY]

I litely sanded the finish to rough it up and i will painting with Rustoleum camo paint. Do i need to use a primer? The paint is ultra flat so i dont think i do but im no sure. Thanks

[Snow Crow]

Not necessary to prime, though you may choose to.

The ultra flat/camo spray paints scratch and wear more easily than a semi or gloss paint: if the surface is super shiny or bright colored, there will be some show-through after normal use.  If the original surface has been sanded or steel wooled, the show-through will be minimized.


FYI: camo spray paint can be removed quite easily with a number of solvents.  Primers and semi or gloss paints require a bit more aggressive methods to remove.

HTH...

[mahantango]

Not really, just may take an extra coat or two. Just make sure to wipe down well with denatured alcohol or acetone.

[BUCKY]

Yep steel wooled and wiped clean with denatured alcohol. Two coats it will be. Im not doing a camo job just solid olive drab . Thanks

[shag08]

I haven't done camo on a bow. But I have done a few AR's. When the paint is cured, I then put on several coats of flat clear spray poly to protect it...same stuff I've used on bow refinishes. Makes the camo paint much more durable.

[ThePushArchery]

No, you do not need a primer. However, you should clean it after sanding with mineral spirits or acetone.

Make sure to clear coat the camo after you're done with your camo job. It will enhance the durability considerably. Also, when using flat or matte clear coat, you can choose your colors based on preference rather than sheen finish. Because the top clear coat dulls all the color sheen below.

See this recent video we did on our youtube channel:

 

[JusAGuy]

Thanks for posting this question - it prompts a related question i have.

I'm wanting to camouflage the heavier set of limbs i have for my bow (SWA "Spyder"), but don't want to actually paint them...

Does anyone know if spray paint will bleed through painters tape? I googled this question, but did not find a definitive answer.

There are stick-on skins available, but i already have camo paint on hand....

[shag08]

I've used blue painters tape to mask off areas I didn't want painted and the spray paint didn't bleed through. However, I have seen it creep in ever so slightly around the edges of the tape. Personally,  I don't think I'd attempt it.

[JusAGuy]

Originally posted by shag08:
I've used blue painters tape to mask off areas I didn't want painted and the spray paint didn't bleed through. However, I have seen it creep in ever so slightly around the edges of the tape. Personally,  I don't think I'd attempt it.

Thanks Shag08 -

I used to do a fair bit of interior painting, but always used interior latex not rattle-can paint...

[Sam McMichael]

I used a camo paint years ago that advertised how easy it is to remove using their remover. Damndest lie I ever ran across in archery products. I never did get all the paint off those two bows. Good luck, but I'll never stick paint on one of my bows again. Just make sure this is intended to be permanent.

[Dave Lay]

I've painted a few bows but never did prep em with roughing or used primer . The paint usually came off pretty well, I just used plain krylon flat colors

[NY Yankee]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
I used a camo paint years ago that advertised how easy it is to remove using their remover. Damndest lie I ever ran across in archery products. I never did get all the paint off those two bows. Good luck, but I'll never stick paint on one of my bows again. Just make sure this is intended to be permanent.

[NY Yankee]

Sam, I had the same exact stuff. The paint was permanent and the stripper was like I was using water.

[YosemiteSam]

Blue tape didn't bleed through for me.  But if you care about how your bow looks, then I would think twice before breaking out spray paint.  You might be more patient than I with it, though.  

My bows are work-horses for me so I don't really care about scratches or bad paint jobs.  To me, if it can't get dirty, it can't go into the woods.  So take my advice for what it's worth.

[M60gunner]

There is a spray paint available in camo colors for doing boats and such for Duck hunting folks. Maybe the same as stuff Martin Archery used to sell as a kit years ago. It even came with stencils. It came off the bow rather easy with mineral spirits. Bought a bow that had been camouflaged in latex house paint. Tried to remove the paint to sell bow. Ended up using "Lestoil" cleaner and that ruined the finish. Cost me a refinish job and back then we did not have guys doing that for a living. You may not have any intention of selling your bow today but unless you want "yardsale" price think about what you use or how much you "rough up" the finish.

[BUCKY]

I have two of the same bow so painting one is no big deal. They are also not fancy bows anyway. Both have black glass.

[BUCKY]

Coat 1 done. I wonder if the bowyer would be offended? Something i always wondered.

[bamboo]

he is
LOL!

[BUCKY]

Lol mike i asked the bowyer if he was offended he said no cause he painted some of his.