Tru-Oil and streaky limbs

[JSimon]

Is there a good method for avoiding streaks on the limbs when applying Tru-Oil? I'm just using my finger to apply it and I'm having a hard time avoiding streaks on the limbs, especially the black glass. The Tru-Oil gets tacky very quickly and I'm having a hard time blending the overlapping strokes.The green glass doesn't seem to be as bad and the riser is looking great.

I put the first four coats on the entire bow, but tonight, I just did the riser and the black glass. Trying to work fast on the glass seemed to help.

Below are some "before" pics and some pics from tonight. The latest coat went on better but I don't think the streaking would show up in a pic anyway. I didn't take any pics of the green glass since I scuffed it with steel wool and didn't apply a coat to the green glass tonight. I did pretty good sanding down to the serial number markings and not too bad around the logo. However I screwed up and wiped the limbs down with alcohol and smeared the logo pretty bad. Another swipe or two and the logo would have been gone. I'm not too concerned about doing a perfect job since I only use this bow for bowfishing. I mainly want to just re-seal it up good for protection and practice re-finishing.

I should have taken some better "before" pictures when I started the restoration, but here are a couple of before picture of the bow in action. It's a Ben Pearson Hunter 709. I got this bow from my Dad and I didn't even know what it was until I started sanding all of the black paint off. I have no idea the year:
 
 

Here are some pics from tonight with a few more coats to go:
 
 
 
 

[Gray Wolf]

Simon I hung the bow horizontal and did one side at a time with a sponge type brush. The finish would flash and take away the bush marks. Just make sure there's no fans or A/C ducks to get lint in your finish.You can see my bow on Docs restro 101 pg 46.
Mike

[CrookedStick]

Wow, some very effective before and after pics!

I don't have an answer to your question, except to say keep that TruOil going on in REALLY thin coats. But I just wanted to chime in and say it looks great!

Oh yeah, and bowfishing rocks, nice pics!

Bernie

[ductape]

Nice before and after pics. Tru Oil is lin seed oil thined down and can be applied in different ways. I use a cheese cloth or a terry cloth and just wipe the oil on, (cheese cloth leaves no lint to sand off between coats). This method will give you the smoothest finish but will require more coats to get the desired thickness. Just my two cents. Good luck!!

[4runr]

Another method is to use 4ought steel wool. Dip the steel wool into the TO and apply it that way.


YOU WILL NOT GET A GLOSSY FINISH! It will be a matte finish with the steel wool.

[JSimon]

Thanks guys. I actually did this last coat with the bow horizontal and I did notice that I got a better finish that way, so I think I'll just do one side at a time, plus the riser each time, from here on out. I think I'll try the foam brush or cheese cloth for the limbs also. It sounds like I would have more control than using my finger.

[JSimon]

Originally posted by 4runr:
Another method is to use 4ought steel wool. Dip the steel wool into the TO and apply it that way.


YOU WILL NOT GET A GLOSSY FINISH! It will be a matte finish with the steel wool.

I might try that as well. I have some fine synthetic steel wool pads that might work good too. The nice thing is that if it doesn't turn out all you have to do is scuff it back up when it dries and apply another coat.

[ckruse]

Another point regarding Tru Oil is that it is best to use good fresh stuff. It goes bad kind of quickly, and can cause a variety of problems if it's a little old. CKruse

[d. ward]

another good trick is use tru oil in a spray can.Its thinner and will take several coats to cover.But looks pretty good once dry.bd

[kurtbel5]

I could never get it right with applying tru oil with my finger.
I use Bjorns style, Paper towel folded,drop of water on one end, nickle size drop of tru oil on the other, apply very thin
      Kurt

[Gray Wolf]

Here's tip on tru-oil, store it upside-down that way the film that forms on the top is on the bottom when you use it. Did that make sense?
Mike

[d. ward]

cheap package of coffee filters they lieve no lint behind.bd

[Tom I.]

Yeah, Mike, makes perfect sense...I've done that for years.  Works for all varnishes as well.

I would caution against applying any finish with
4/0 steel wool, unless you like orange rust spots in your finish.  It's impossible to keep the fine fibers of SW out of the finish and they will oxidize at some point in time.  Steel wool between coats is fine, but you must be careful to remove all residue before applying the next coat.
Tom I.

[JSimon]

I used the coffee filter to apply the T-O tonight and it worked much better than my bare finger. Thanks Bowdoc! I just applied it to the green glass and the riser tonight. Here are some pics of the green glass and the logo I messed up. I sanded into it just a bit, but the alcohol before finishing really smudged it up. I'm still happy that it is readable though. I think a couple more coats and I'm going to call it done. Anyone know what year this bow is?