Rawhide finishing question

[razorback]

So I have rawhide backed my first bow and it has come out looking good. I plan on staining the bow and was wondering how to get the sides of the rawhide smooth, where they have furred up while sanding the corners of the bow.

[SportHunter]

I use a sharp scraper and scrape thin lines of material off until I like the profile.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Try a screwdriver shaft. Roll it over the edge from the top or rawhide side and downward toward the belly. After you get a few coats of sealer on it. Hit it in one direction with 0000 steel wool, I go from the handle to the tips. Lightly and evenly is the trick. It will take it down more. The next few coats of sealer will look great.

[Carson81]

Like Pearly, I sand or steel wool the edges after and between the first few coats of finish. I like Shellac as base finish, especially on rawhide backed bows. It penetrates regardless of oils, dries quickly and sands nicely. And can be topcoated with anything.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I think that shellac helps keep the pilly spots tacked down some to. It is very sticky.

[razorback]

Thanks guys, it's the pilly stuff on the edges that I'm worried about. I figure it will take more stain than the rest and there is not much I can do about that. Just want it to look as good as possible.
I tried the screwdriver and that seemed to work. I will sand, stain and seal with shellac before topping with poly.

[Bison Bows]

Something else that works for me is to apply thin coats of super glue and sand with fine sandpaper between coats before the glue dries....a couple or three inches at a time.