Refinishing An Older Bow...

[NDTerminator]

I just picked up an older custom bow that has a shiny slightly dinged up finish.  It has great wood and would look fantastic with a new satin all over finish.  Is it possible to re-finish a bow to include the limbs?

Is this something a person like me with absolutely no woodworking talent could undertake, or would it be better to see if the bowyer who built it would do it?

[Jeff Strubberg]

It's absolutely possible.  The real question is what was used for the original finish?

Can you give us the bowyer?

[NDTerminator]

Tim Finley, Kota Bowhunting Co. Your guess is as good as mine as to what the finish is...

[Jeff Strubberg]

Odds are it's some variation of Fullerplast.  You should probably call Tim and confirm that, though.


The key is removing the old finish without changing the bow.  That means lots of time with medium grit sandpaper and a close eye to be sure you aren't sanding into the fiberglass.

If you are comfortable with detail work, you can absolutely sand down the old finish, clean the bow well and apply a satin poly.  I would ask Tim what he would charge for a refinihs, myself.

[NDTerminator]

Thanks for the info & advice Jeff.  I was a mercy pass in HS shop, so obviously the smart play is to get ahold of Tim. He only lives 30 miles south of my farmstead, so he's easy to find.

This is a very pretty bow with an extremely comfortable slim grip.  The riser is a dark wood with beautiful grain (maybe Coco) and what looks to be light walnut accents, and Elm limbs with beautiful wavy grain...

[Frenchymanny]

Sounds like a great bow!

F-Manny

[NDTerminator]

Emailed a pic to Tim, he says it looks like a lousy re-finish job, not his work (I really didn't think so, judging by the Kota Bows I've seen).  Waiting to hear back if he will re-finish the re-finish...