Tamerlane refinish questions

[wookiewebster]

Hi,

  I am new to this forum, but have been reading a lot of posts on here for a while, including BOWDOCS guide.  So, I have refinished a couple bows and I really enjoy the process and shooting them.

So, to the point: I acquired a Bear Tamerlane that I think could be a beautiful bow, but it currently has issues. I have not done anything to the bow yet, but I would like to finish it.  One of the problems is that there are small cracks in the outer glass layer.  I know this is common and can be filled and finished over (like bowdoc does). However, because this layer is white, the cracks show up from the darker under-layer and look bad.  So, do I just live with it, or is there a way to cover these cracks? Would a thin coat of some type of paint work?  Has anyone dealt with this issue.  

thanks
(will post a picture)
     

[d. ward]

well there are a couple different ways to tackle those little beggers.One would be to get yourself a super fine I mean super fine tip paint brush.And some white paint maybe like testers.You may have to add a super super small drop of a darker color to it.Because that fiberglass is not snow white(like the paint) never was snow white.99% of the white fiberglasses do have some streaks of off white colors in them.But you may be able to just ever so gently paint over them and kind of cover them.You would want to do really thin coats of finish over the white because most finishes will melt the testers paint and wipe the lines right off.
Another idea is to take a dental pick and pick the cracks as clean as possible.Maybe even picking a little glass out in the process.Then mix white pegment with some epoxy and fill them.Let the epoxy dry over night (do not use 5 minute epoxy) and sand off the excess bd

[wookiewebster]

@bowdoc
Thanks for that info.  I will try to match some off-white paint and see if I can get it to look a bit better. The color is definitely an eggshell white. I don't know if I am talented enough, but my daughter is good with a brush and has a steady hand.  She might be able to do it.

The wood on this bow is really nice, so I am hopeful.

[wookiewebster]

Is it possible to paint a thin layer (of something) on the entire surface of the glass area, or will it crack easily when flexed?

[wookiewebster]

OK, while I am at it, here is another issue I am facing.  Does anyone know where I can get a sight or sight cover to put in the empty riser slot?  Please don't laugh if this is one of those impossible finds. I am still learning about these old Bear bows.

I think it was called a "Bear Premium Bow sight" or "Bear Premier Hunting sight" or something like that.  I see pictures of them on Tamerlane, Tartar, Temujin, and some Alaskan bows.  I hope I can find one.  If not, I guess I will need to improvise something.

   

[wookiewebster]

Where would I find Bear replacement decals?

[doug77]

Al Hartford. E-mail is [email protected]

And were all very lucky to have him doing this.

doug77

[wookiewebster]

Thanks doug77!  I will look into it.

[wookiewebster]

OK, I talked to Al Hartford.  He needs some close-up pictures of the decals on the Tamerlane.  If anyone knows someone who owns a Tamelane and can take some pictures for me, I would appreciate it.  My bow came stripped of all hardware (sight, coin, insert) and finish, so I can't get any photos to Al.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

[wookiewebster]

I got some pictures to Al and he is looking into getting some decals made up.

   

[wookiewebster]

I started to work on the refinish some more.  I got the cracks filled and stabilized, but I was still unhappy with how visible they were. I mixed some Estes paint up and touched up just the cracks, but it still didn't look good. So, I looked around until I found a spray-on product that was almost the exact color of the original glass.  The color is called "heirloom white" and I found it at Home Depot.  I carefully taped the limbs, one side at a time and applied coat just thin enough to cover the cracks.  It took some care, but I think it looks really good.  

I also got my package of parts from 3Rivers, so I was able to insert a new Bear coin and a front riser insert.  Since I still can't find an original riser sight or cover, I made a cover from aluminum and coated it with a black finish for guns and baked it on.  After more sanding, I began to apply thin layers of finish coat, sanding between each.  

       

       

       


I still want to get decals on it to get it close to original again, but I also wanted to test it ouut to see if the finish was going to be strong enough to handle all the flexing and vibration.  My son, who works at Jakes Archery in Orem, UT, built me a string and we got it all strung and setup for a test.  We measured 38# at a 28" draw and 40# at my draw of 30".  That is much less stacking than my dads 62" Bear Tigercat, which pulls 53# at 28" and jumps up to 60# at 30". The geometry of the tamerlane's 69" height really came into play. On Jake's indoor 20yd range, we gave it a good workout, putting about 250 shafts downrange.  I found the pull to be really smooth and comfortable.  The large, heavy riser keeps vibration from being felt by my hand and the shape feels comfortable in my grip.  I can shoot this a lot without fatigue. After all this, the finish was still good with no sign of any  problems.

       

I am not much of an experienced recurve shooter yet, but I felt like I was starting to get some consistency with this bow.  

       

If I can get some decals on it and a couple more finish coats. It will be all done!

[jvanhousen]

Hi all,
I'm also new to this forum.
I'm also refinishing one of the all-phenolic HC-30 Tamerlanes and am addressing the same issues re: stress cracks and transfers.
Firstly, if I could get in on a transfer buy that would be great!
Secondly, the best success I've had w/ the cracks is, as Bowdoc suggested, gently 'raking' the crack w/ a pick, or the edge of a razor blade, and filling w/ crazy glue. I have pigment concentrate used in the fiberglass industry that I've mixed w/ the glue that works well, just need to fine tune the color, as you have to use tiny amounts of pigment (white) with a minuscule amount of black, as the limbs are white, but not 'refrigerator' white.
The other issue I've had is the color of this phenolic is not deep black, but has hues of grey, almost olive green, even after some clear was test sprayed over it. I own several other Tamerlanes, some w/ wood/phenolic combo risers that are ink black, and had another HC-30 w/ original finish that was also deepest black.
However, sometimes on the devil's swap meet you see these bows photograph w/ grey/green/brown color. I'm wondering if there is a way to get the deepest black finish. Maybe Tung/Danish oil the phenolic first?
I'm looking forward to shooting this bow again, and building up the muscles in my bow arm!