Best way to refinish a bow

[lpcjon2]

I was thinking of a re finish on my bow. Can I just steel wool it down and then add a new top coat? and what topcoat would work best? thanks for any help.

[Don Armstrong]

You would need to know what it was finished with. A lot of finishes are not compatable and could make for a mess. I usually sand all the finish off but it is a lot of work. Don

[lpcjon2]

Its a HH Tembo and is fairly old, how would I go about finding what finish it was? Thanks Tim

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have resealed several glass bows. I take them down to raw wood and glass. I have never lost draw weight or screwed up a tiller. Go easy with the sand paper on the glass. I finish the glass with 400 grit and the wood with 220 grit. Then spray with Helsman of your flavor. I have done a half dozen this way. The cloudy glass goes away with the first spray. These are all my opinions and some may disagree.

[7 Lakes]

The old finish needs to be removed (by sanding)and refinished just like it was a new bow.  All the chemical "finish removers" I've tried ate the fiberglass resin.  Even if you are sure the finishes are compatable who wants a double or triple thick finish on their bow.  It just adds weight and the extended problem of maybe crackling, especially in cold weather.

[Igor]

If the original finish is in "decent" condition there is no reason IMHO to sand it down to the wood. I've done it both ways a number of times and I'm sold on leaving the original finish on if possible and sanding it with 320grit to 600grit and using very light coats of Tru-oil as my finish coat.

Good luck
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Glenn