How much is overkill?

[AKmud]

When finishing a bow with a product like Tru Oil, how many coats do you all use?  I tend to go with 6-8 but I'm wondering when it becomes overkill and there isn't much benefit to more coats...  How many coats is minimum for a durable finish?

[Shaun]

I often stop with two and figure on touch up after hard use afield. Then again, nothing like that luster and depth from multi coats and a finish of wax.

[Roy from Pa]

I do 4 coats of tongue oil. What about small nicks or scratches in an all wood bow, just how picky do you get?, knowing it's going to be used in the field..

[PEARL DRUMS]

4-6 coats is my norm. But I will grab a random bow off my rack and slap a coat on once in a  while just to keep it fresh and sealed. A few I own probably have 10-12 coats by now.

[Dan Landis]

I usually do 5-8 coats with a paste wax rub down with steel wool to reduce the glare. The number of coats depends on the wood, more porous woods get more coats....Dan

[Dick in Seattle]

I usually do three or four.   I tell myeself I'll do five or six, but I get impatient      

[red hill]

I went with 6 coats on my trade bow. Appeared to be jusst right.
Stan

[George Tsoukalas]

3 coats on osage to seal the pores and 3 coats of spar urethane to keep out the rain. Jawge

[scrub-buster]

I did 8 on the last bow and it looked great.  In one of the pictures, I could see my reflection in it.

[jess stuart]

Gosh I really don't know.  I don't even bother to count, once the grain is filled and the finish looks kinda deep.  I call it good, probably five or six coats.

[Bowjunkie]

Roy, how picky do we want to get? Me? lol... to be hunt worthy, it's got to be really fine... representing my best work to that point, or it stays home.

Nicks and scratches? It could happen at any time, but I've got bows here that I've used for years and years and they have barely a single mark in them. I try to take reasonably good care of them, and a tough finish goes a long way in keeping them looking new when they're anything but.

[Osagetree]

Depends if it is a hunter or target shooter. Gloss + Sun = shiney reflections!
A little movement in the sun will spook a whitetail pretty quick. This I know!
Look at them wheelie bows they hunt with,,, ever see a shiney one?  

[Walt Francis]

I put on six to eight coats now, in the past ten to twelve.  The twelve coats looked great but a couple of the finishes developed cracks because, in my estimation, it was too thick.  I haven't had any problems with six to eight coats.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

About 4-6 coats on a bow and I found out that it takes at least 5-6 coats of Tru Oil to fill the scale pores in snake skins if you back it with skins. Then I buff the shine down with 0000 steel wool and will probably spray a coat of semi gloss or satin poly over it before hunting season gets here. If that's still too shiny I'll buff that down.

As long as you have a good solid base of 4 coats or more you can always add another later on like Pearl said. I've done that myself when I see a few scratches in the finish.