Bow finish - repair . . . help

[foambeetle]

Greetings all - I hope this post is appropriate here.  Thanks in advance for taking the time to look this over.

I endured a very wet and cold week of elk hunting in MT the third week of Sept. (it wasn't all bad, did have a very close call with a nice 6x, and spent some very nice, and rare, time with my father in camp).  It was very "slushy" and wet for a few days.  I had the good fortune of being able to return to a place where I could dry my gear out each day; however, I still ended up with some "water issues" with my bow.  This obviously does not bring one joy.

So, I'm interested in trying to find a workable DIY 'fix,' and hopefully not a complete strip and re-finish (if that is even what it would take - I'm pretty much a total novice with this stuff).

Any suggestions? (hopefully my attempt to post pics via Imgur works)

Thanks!

     

[foambeetle]

Okay, pics didn't work - it doesn't look like.  Let me work on that.

[foambeetle]

Let's try this option . . .

 

[Trux Turning]

Looks like the finish failed on the wooden parts- riser, overlays, ect. I would sand off the old finish with some medium and then fine sanding sponges and then put on a better finish...

[foambeetle]

Thanks, Trux.

Any suggestions on what a good/better finish would be?  Different types - pros/cons?

Anything to be concerned about or cautious about as I proceed?

Appreciate any help/advice you can offer - thank you.

[Trux Turning]

What finish was on there?If you don't have the ability to spray a epoxy based or conversion varnish then tru oil would be one of my first choices. It's easy to apply and maintain, you can also spray over it with a rattle can finish like deft. It looks like the old finish should sand off easily, I would just hand sand everything and go with multiple coats of tru oil- you shouldn't have any issues.

[LittleBen]

That sounds like a good plan. I recently refinished one by sanding back all the old finish to raw wood and fiberglass (go very light with fine grit on the glass)

Then I sealed with superglue, sanded, superglue, sand ... then sprayed with satin laquer, last coat I sprayed a bit far back onto slightly tacky lacquer to get a little texture ... came out nice. Idiot proof (even I did it and I'm finish inept)

[foambeetle]

I have no idea what the finish is/was.  This bow was made for me by a professional bowyer in 2012.

I think I will probably have to undertake the sand-down and re-finish route, and I appreciate your suggestion(s).  Thanks, Trux and LB.

I'm open to any suggestions that experienced folks can offer.  My end goal is the bow back in shape and well-protected for future hunts.

[Bob T.]

If this bow was made for you by a professional bowyer in 2012, I would give him a call and send him the pictures. He might make good on the finish and redo it for you, or at the least let you know what finish he used. Good luck.

[foambeetle]

Unfortunately, I believe the bowyer has gone out of business (?).  His website is down, I have recently noticed.  I'm hoping for a response to e-mail to maybe get something worked out.

The riser doesn't spook me too much (seems pretty straightforward, as there is no glass).

Any quick pointers on the superglue process?  Is it necessary as part of the re-finish process if it was done when the bow was originally built?  Does the answer to that depend on how much/lightly I sand?  

What kind of superglue is best for this?  Application method(s), etc.?  I will do a search in the archives here for more info. on the superglueing . . .

Thanks, everybody - I appreciate the comments/advice thus far.