My first bow build - what finish should I use

[stinkbelly]

I have been working in my spare time on my first board bow.  I am getting very close to being finished (I think), but I don't have any clue what finish I should, or need, to put on it.  I want to make sure it protects and doesn't damage or discolor the bow.  I used tightbond II and III for all the gluing.  What would you recommend?

This bow is a red oak belly with a hickory backing.  I made the tips out of left over red oak.  The handle is a stack up of, from back to belly, zebra wood, hickory, red oak, popler, red oak, and then cedar.  The Zebra wood is only there for looks and not structural or mechanical.  

It is 62" and currently 43# at 28".  

Here are some pictures.

 

 

 

 

My first 5 arrows drawn at 24" shooting at 10 yards.

 

[SportHunter]

Great job on your first bow! Tru-oil is very easy to deal with. It will darken the wood slightly but not much.

You can use just tru-oil as a finish and apply as many coats as you like, and reapply whenever you get any dings. This product also is a good to bring out the grain in the wood.

Many people use Minwax Spar urethane with good results.

Krylon crystal clear spray is very easy and dries fast.

Thunderbird bow finish is also popular.

I just finished a hickory bow with 5 coats of tru oil and several thin topcoats of krylon crystal clear and it came out great. Good luck.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Shoot it full draw another 100-150 times before you finish it. Just a friendly tip from me.

[Nim-rod]

I agree with Pearl Drums on shooting it in more first. I also suggest sanding it until you have a perfect finsh then wipe down with a damp cloth and wait a bit then sand it down again with 600 grit. The water will raise the grain and help expose any imperfections. Tung oil is cheap and goes on really nice but I've recently switched over to Spar Urethane thinned with Mineral Spirits, too thick straight outta the can for me. If you preferr a spray on finish I personally prefer Deft clear coat. Great looking bow! Congrats!

[stinkbelly]

Should I go directly to the 28" draw or work my way up?  I shot some at 24" and now I am shooting at 26".  I have only shot 20 or so at 26".

[wood carver 2]

1st bow? Very nice! It's going to look great when it's finished.
Dave.

[coaster500]

Super first bow!!!

[Nim-rod]

Did you tiller out to the 28"? If so you should be able to pull it out to 28" already.

[stinkbelly]

Yes, I tillered it out to 28" then I rewatched the video I had and it said to start shooting at 23" and work your way out to 28".  I missed that step so I was trying to back track.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Your way past that point now. Pull it to your 28" and shoot it 100-150 times. If it holds up , put a finish on it. If it doesnt hold up, start another one. Keep a VERY close eye on the belly for compression fractures. Sometimes they are hard to see, wipe it with a damp rag and they will show up clearly. Your asking allot from a short red oak board.

[stinkbelly]

If I see any fractures, is there anything I can do?

[mwosborn]

Looks great to me - hope she shoots great at 28"  -  want to see it all prettied up!

[Loren Holland]

great looking bow, not just for your first bow, its a great looking bow...DEFT is the way to go, its convenient in a can, dries quickly, and dries over anything, even ipe and cocobolo...i have used a golden oak stain on red oak board bows, it doesn't look unnatural, but brings out the grain, and the different woods will take the stain differently, so it makes for a nice contrast, try it on a test piece

[Dimondback]

x2 on the "Deft" clear coat. Worked nicely over "natural" colored stain and 4 light coats.

[George Tsoukalas]

I use spar urethane. 3 coats. Jawge

[Dimondback]

I really like the work on the tips!

[bowhuntingrn]

Very nice, hope it finishes out well, look forward to seeing more pics.