Cajun,
Depends on how the condition of the original finish is. In this case I had to use 40 grit first to get it all off as the original finish was damaged and came off at various spots. This was not clear in the pictures. I took really good care sanding the limbs with 40 grit without "eating" the glass. (normally I start with 100 grit)
Then I used 100 grit to sand it evenly. Then I glued the snake skins, tips and overlays and sanded the tips and overlays with 100 grit after shaping them. Then I used a heavy duty scouring pad from Scotch 3M for polishing the surface of the bow grip and limbs. You can use steelwool as well for the job, but my experience is that the metal color rubbs off onto the light surfaces.
This gave already a nice "shine" on the entire bow.
Ensure to wear a goggle and a mouth/nose protective mask as the glass fibre dust is nasty stuff!
Guru,
I sprayed the bow 3 times with a clear lacquer from an automotive shop (can). This is a very durable and strong coating, at least that's my experience. I can spray 3 bows with one can.
Thanks guys for the positive replies.
Arnold
V-Archer