Poor old Grizzly in need of help

[jester]

Dear knowledgeable and helpful folks here at TradGang's collector forum,

this poor mistreated Grizzly lay on my doorstep last night. She obviously spent the last 20 or so years of her young life in some attic, so she is in dire need of some help and care.
 
What do I use to clean this dull and stainy surface? Some kind of alcohol? Window cleaner?

 
The window is about the only spot that still has some kind of varnish on it. Better sand that down too? And then: what to apply? Any clear coat or varnish ready for outdoor use, or just some natural oil?

 
Can twisted limbs be treated with heat, like with a wooden bow?

 
What do to with these stress lines?

Any help would be highly appreciated – many thanks in advance.
Best wishes from Germany,
Jan

P. S: Tried to find some information in the archive, but couldn't. In case there's an older thread on that, please let me know. Thanks.

[450 marlin]

look at the restoration 101 on the 1959 Kodiak in this forum

[Tom I.]

You ain't gonna believe this......but baby wipes do an excellent jobs of cleaning up old bows....and other stuff...even cleans crayon off of a hardwood floor....once you get the grim off the bow, you'll be in a better position to determine it's needs....
Tom I.

[Shaun]

Limb twist can be fixed without heat. Use repeated hand straightening.

[Bjorn]

Those little stress lines are nothing! Straighten the limb like Shaun said-no heat, and don't crank too hard!
Read thru the thread on refinishing 101 on here........it will answer all your questions including the ones you didn't know you had!

[Bjorn]

The thread is called 'restoration 101 on 59 Kodiaks'
here's the link:
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=001670

[jester]

Thanks everyone.
So far, I've worked through the first 10 or so pages of bowdoc's excellent 101 – should make a book out of it, with an index. Will keep on looking there, try to get it clean first and limbs straight then.

Seller said he tried to wipe it clean with a moist cloth and the surface became dull in that process. I'd rather say the poor little thing spent too many years in an attic, exposed to heat and cold and moisture. Pics on the bay didn't show the twisted limbs nor some of the other – literal – sh*t.

Tom – what the heck is IN those baby wipes? Shouldn't it be something rather soft and mild? I'll definitely give it a try, just don't know if I'll ever use them for baby's butt ...

[Tom I.]

Jan....I'm not sure what's in baby wipes, but I  they contain a soapy substance and some alcohol......they do work tho.....
Tom I.

[osiristheclown]

I would start with alcohol, probably a 12 pack. Next I would read the thread mentioned. I would be careful with alcohol around the bow though, too much of the wrong kind and one of you might get hurt.

[jester]

Alcohol is fine with me, and what's good for me can't be bad for the bow, can it? I'll start with some cans right now, one for me, one for the Grizzly ...
;-)

[portugeejn]

I have had good luck cleaning old bows with Flitz metal polish.  It works well, and has taken some
'This needs to be refinished' bows to more than acceptable.  

Also, I received some good advice from BowDoc (and others) about using Tru-Oil.  It seems to work well, and I have bee able to use it for touch-up work on some older Bear bows.  Just make sure it is fresh.

RonP

[jester]

So far, so good – most of the grit and stains are gone, them wipes DID do  good job! Limbs are quite straight again. Thanks to you!
But now one can see this poor lady must have been kicked around rather badly – lot of scratches and dents ind the glass. Nothing that couldn't be  fixed though, as soon as I find the time. And then find out what's in that Tru Oil or other varnish used by you guys, because it's sold under a different name and brand here in Germany for sure!
In the meantime some more "before" pix:

 
Silver-coloured coin.

 
Decal on lower limb.

 
"KR91967 – AMO 58" 45#"

 
Side by side with my 1974(?) Super Grizzly.

 
Please note the white tip overlays. What's that material – it won't be ivory, would it?

I guess this lady was born around 1971, what do you think?

Many thanks and best wishes to all you great people here. I just love hanging out in this forum. Please keep up the good spirit!
-j-

[jester]

SO, after reading bowdoc's excellent 101 and also 4runr's "refinish along" I decided to go the whole way of refinishing. Good bow to get some practice I guess.

But I'm still hunting for Tru Oil which seems to be hard to get over here in Germany. There's a simliar product called Shaftol, based on linseed oil with some other ingredients, but that also contains a little bit of silicone. Could that be a problem?