Finishing a Bow?

[Interseptor]

Can anyone tell me what steps they follow when finishing a bow?  What grit sandpaper do you use?  Do you sand the edges of the limbs as well as the riser?  Do you round the limb edges?  Asking in reference to building t/d bows.

[Krasus]

I start at 120. Make sure you break the edges of the glass.  Also be prepared to lose up to 5 lbs in the sanding stage. I then move onto 189 then 220 then I go to 400 then 600. Then I use wood conditioner then I rub in gun stock oil. Then I spray with minwax polyurethane

Sand everything    

[bowberry]

I build selfwood bows but I imagine the process is the same.

I start with 80-100 grit to get all tool marks out--being carefull to not be too aggressive in sensitive areas.

Remember, your the artist, it's up to you what comes off, what gets rounded ect.

I go from 100 thru 400 in what ever increments I have on hand. Im sure you can go finer, I never have. I think some finishes suggest stopping at 220. Im not sure why.

I found that if you spill beer on the wood and let it dry it will lift up the grain of the wood and expose sanding inperfections that were hidden.Sand again 150-->400grt.

Good luck,
Scott.

PS. It doesn't have to be beer. Im sure any adult beverage will work.

[mikkekeswick]

Going finer than about 240/320 is pretty much a waste of time    The finish you use will bring out the shine. The reason you shouldn't go any finer is that most finishes need a surface with some 'tooth' to it for proper adhesion.

[Robertfishes]

I use a "mouse sander" on the riser and to shape tip overlays, 80 grit to start and then 150 grit. Then 220 grit if needed..I never use the mouse sander on fiberglass surfaces back or belly. For rounding limb edges I first use a piece of 2"wide 240 grit Emory cloth about 18" long and in a "shoeshine" stroke I round the edges of the glass.. On a recurve You will have to tear the cloth to 3/4" to 1" wide to sand the curve.. 2" will leave divots in the curve edges. I then hand sand fiberglass back and belly surfaces with 220 grit paper before spraying bow finish. I know other guys who only sand to 180 grit,I did that once and I didn't have good results..could have been the sand papers fault?? I used to use Spar Urethane for the finish, I started using Krystal Dull or Gloss back in January this year..I hope to use Thunderbird or Buffalo Hide finish in the near future.

[PEARL DRUMS]

That rounded edges question is a good one. If you really study the hot shots bows you'll notice they use varying degree's of "roundness". You'll also notice its unchanging. That's one subtlety that's makes it easier to recognize their work. Some risers look like they are sawn out in 2D and just have corners knocked down other than the grip, while others rasp a nice 1/4" radius on all edges of the riser. In a nutshell, round them as much as your eyes like. Do it the same each time and your work will be yours.

[Robertfishes]

I like to round the edges on the risers on my one piece bows. square edges are easier to damage than rounded.. I'm not sure what the guys who build 3 piece bows do where the limb wedges and riser pads meet.. I guess there is a small amount of edge rounding there??    

[Pago]

I accidentally learned that more than 220 is un-needed.  My first bow had several problems, I wasn't worried about perfect sanding.  By the time I was done with finish all the imperfections were no longer visible.