Sanding off old clear coat finish?

[JSimon]

I'm in the process of sanding off the old clear coat on a Ben Pearson Hunter and I'm looking for some pointers. This is my first attempt at refinishing a bow and my main concern is oversanding the fiberglass. I'm using 220 grit paper and right now I think I have it down to the fiberglass in a few places, but it is difficult to tell. It looks like along the edges and a few spots along the limbs that the gloss is a little different, so I'm assuming I'm down to the fiberglass in those areas. How can you tell when you are down to the glass and all of the old finish is off? Do you just look for some color on the sandpaper? Am I being overly concerned about sanding the actual fiberglass?

In woodworking I always here to use a sanding block and not your fingers to prevent low spots. I started out using a piece of foam, but it seemed to be sanding off more material on the outside edges of the limbs. So, I just started using my fingers with a piece of sandpaper, trying to stay away from the areas where it looks like I'm down to the glass. Is it OK to just sand with your fingers like that?

Also, any pointer when sanding the finish off the logos or the serial number markings? Should I just leave a little finish over those to prevent sanding them off?

I appreciate the help

[Howattfan]

I start with a cabinet scraper to carefully take the bulk of the finish off the limbs.  Then I start 180 grit, you can see the difference in the color/look of the limb when you get down to the fiberglass.  Once is get there then I work up through 220, 300,400,600 up to 1200 grits.  Your are correct, you do not want to take off the fiber glass, just the finish.  Go slow and you should not have a problem.  I prefer to use the flat sanding sponges to do my work. I get a better feel for what I am doing with them.  As far as the logos go, if you want to keep the original logo, very lightly sand over them and then feather out the rest of the finish around it the best you can.  On black limbs you should be able to blend it prett well without it being too noticable.  You do not want to sand too heavily on the logo lest you damage it and have to remove it completely.  I use 600 grit over the logo.  You can also tape them off to prevent any damage to them.  Good luck, I have refinished 4 bows and I learn a little more about what works and what doesnt each time.  Like I said, go slow and you should not have any problems.  Dave

[Novaln1975]

I have only refinished one bow, so this suggestion should be taken with that in mind. I scraped the varnish off the limbs with a carpet knife disposable blade.  The blade eats through the varnish and just slides on the glass. Finished the job with 200 grit paper.

[TRAP]

I've found it's easiest to start at the riser and work toward the tips.  You'll be able to follow the color change and feel the diference.  Kinda like chasing a growth ring on a selfbow.

Trap