Fixing a hole where the rain gets in.....

[portugeejn]

I recently got a Bear Super Grizzly that was just a few hundred numbers from another that I own (both black with the red stripe and tips).  The bow and the finish are in pretty good shape.  The biggest drawback is that it has 2 sight holes drilled in the belly fiberglass.  

I have found some good advice on filling the holes, but they were all in conjunction with a complete refinish.  I don't want to or need to refinish this bow, but leaving the holes open to the Pacific Northwest weather doesn't seem like a good idea.

Any advice or ideas on how to plug these holes without going the total refinish route?  I don't need them to look perfect, but better and waterproof would be good.  Thanks.

RonP

   

[Terry Lightle]

I have seen them plugged with candle wax.A real knowledgable old bowhunter I know has done it for years.

[Jack Shanks]

I have plugged holes like that using a piece of dowel or round tooth pick and epoxy. Leave it a little short and fill the void flush to the limb with colored wax. Add a dab of clear finger nail polish or polyurethane to seal it.

[Bjorn]

What Jack said.

[reddogge]

Why not fix them right?  Chamfer the edges of the holes with a round grinding ball, fill the holes almost to the top with toothpicks or wood slivers, mix your epoxy with some acrylic color of glass, dab in the hole so it's a little above surface.  Leave as is or dress it down with various grits of wet/dry paper and use Tru-Oil to finish off the area.

[Stumpkiller]

Here's another thought:  I have a Kodiak Hunter that had almost identical holes.  I smoothed the openings (slight countersink) and epoxyied dowels in place.  I left the epoxy uncolored except for some wood flour (fine sawdust) filler.  I covered the epoxy with plastic and taped it down, so that the result is as smooth and shiney (and flush) as the rest of the riser.  

If anyone says anything I tell them I did not want to mask a repair as that is the ethical thing to do - fixed but noticable.  

Makes it sound like I was morally upright instead of just lazy.

[portugeejn]

OK, thank you all for your good advice, especially reddogge, jack shanks, and stumpkiller.  Here is an after picture.  

I filled the holes with some epoxy putty, and mixed some clear epoxy with graphite to somewhat match the black fiberglass.  Used a Dremel round ball to slightly countersink the holes.  Just turned it with my fingers instead of using the tool, so there was a slight depression and a nice chamfer on the edges.

Added the epoxy/graphite mix so it was slightly above the level of the limb surface, then after it was mostly hardened I used a razor blade to trim it down so there wasn't as much sanding involved.

I had 400 grit and 1200 wet\\dry on hand, so that is what I used.  Started with the 400 to dress the epoxy and roughen the existing finish a bit.  I then used the 1200 wet (water and a little bit of soap)to finish the area.  After I was done with that, the plugs were a bit lighter than I would have liked, so I used a dab of black lacquer paint on them, then dressed the paint down with the 1200 grit wet.  

3 thin coats of Tru Oil, and there you go.

       

Ron

[ksbowman]

Nice job! They don't even show in the picture.

[Stumpkiller]

Good work!    

[seboomook]

Nice job Ron, blended really well.
Keep that up and BD wil be recruiting you,
I hear he pays huge money!

[yellow bow]

Looks great Ron,great job.  

[d. ward]

its really best if you do one other thing first ? and that would be you should put just a drop or two of some kind of super glue in and around the hole.Let that dry until the glue in the hole is dry.Remember just a drop or two and that will really help stop any cracking in or around the hole and or splintering while you probing the hole with the dremmel.But the most imported thing is the super glue once cured will also help stop the epoxy from shrinking.Which brings me to if you seal over the epoxy with super it will normally not shrink but the super glue will also serve as the best finish you could use to cover a small hole bd

[4runr]

Looks great Ron!

[reddogge]

Super job.

[Larry m]

It never ceases to amaze me the talent and knowledge that comes from this site. Great Job!!

[Jack Shanks]

Outstanding job Ron!