Vintage Bow Cleanup

[Captain*Kirk]

My latest vintage bow came with more than usual scuffs, scrapes and minor scratches in the limb glass, riser, etc. A good scrubbing with a soft cotton old sock and warm water removed the majority of the grime, fingerprints and smudges. I know a light coat of carnauba wax will do wonders, but is there anything I can use before I get to that that on some of the scuffed/dull areas that won't harm the lams or glass resin, etc? I was tempted to go at the scuffs on the limb backs and belly with Flitz, but it smells so strongly of ammonia I had second thoughts. I don't want to remove any of the current finish as all the lettering and silkscreens are intact and in good condition, and it's a rather collectible 'survivor'. I just want to spruce it up some. Any ideas?

[Pine]

You might want to post this on the bowiers bench. 

[mangonboat]

Mineral spirts or rubbing alcohol are mild and shouldn't hurt the finish. peanut butter or canola oil will dissolve a lot of sticky stuff. I will sometimes use mineral spirits on a Mr. Clean eraser on tough spots, but not too much on any one spot as its a mild abrasive.

[Scubadogs]

Sometimes you have to scuff it up more to remove old scuffs.  Try using 2000 to 4000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, use it wet and very little pressure while sanding. Watch you decals! Then after the bow is dry do a very lite coat of Tru-oil by Birchwood Casey.  Put very little on a clean cotton cloth and rub it into the bow. you might have to do this a couple of times. It should look new after that. 

[Keefer]

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   I have used this on many bows with a soft Terry cloth rag and it really lifts the old grime with a little elbow grease .
   I got this at Lowe’s for just around $10.00 and it goes a long ways .

[Keefer]

   In these two pictures you will see a before and after polish I did on this. Bear K special .

[Captain*Kirk]

Wow! What a difference! I ended up using rubbing compound, then polishing compound followed by carnauba wax. Turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself!

[Keefer]

Kirk,
  That turned out really good. I like to “ Try” to leave the original finish on a vintage bow even if the finish has yellowed or has a few dents or light scratches .
  Yours turned out very well and I’ve used different compounds as well on some old Howatts I once downed but a good friend has them now.
   I have one Howatt Diablo I’ll never part with cause it was a gift to me almost 9 years ago when I turned 50 . 1/4away Gifted me that bow cause it was 50# and made the year I was born.
   I used a swirl remover to polish it up some but it was in great shape really .
 Just wanted to really polish it up as if it was a new truck lol.
   

[Captain*Kirk]

Keith, sometimes that's all it takes! I was reluctant to remove the original finish as well...how many '69 Black Beauty Super K's do you run across in a lifetime that you can actually afford? Not many. That's why I jumped on it. Quite pleased with the way it turned out, and it shoots like a dream! Thanks for the tips and the compliment!