Help with refinishing a bow

[KentuckyTJ]

I have a couple bows I would like to refinish. One just has many years of character marks and the other I would like to sand off the bowyers scribblings. I would like to think I could do this without having to send the bows back to the bowyers. Only thing is I have no idea what products to use or where to begin. I would like the finish to very dull or matte with no shine and very tough like the finish black widow uses on their bows. If you could please lay it out for me step by step with the products I would need.

Thanks for the help.
T.J.

[macbow]

I'm not going to be able to lay out as you want.
I've re-finished a few longbows and recurves.
If your doing it at home without a spray booth and controlled climate it will be tough to match the quality of the big guys with controlled environments.

If you want a semi-durable finish use some spray polyurethane the gloss is the hardest but shiny. This can be followed by Satin which wears easier or you can scotch brite the gloss finish.

The next step up would be the thunderbird finishes. But if your desire is a better finish you'd be way ahead to contact a bowyer in your area and see if you could contract a finish job after you did most of the work.

Other possibilities are the Massey finish (epoxy and acetone mix. It's very tough.

Good luck and remember the finish is only as good as the prep work.
Ron

[KentuckyTJ]

Thanks Ron, you've scared me straight. I think the $85 will be money well spent to send it and have it done.

[Apex Predator]

What if you send it to a "professional" and they scribble on it?