Ideas for covering drilled holes on vintage bow ??

[Tyler C. Moore]

I have found a new fondness for a Herters Perfection Sitka 58'' 50lb. Really one of the most fun and unique bows I have owned and shot.
I gave it a new clear coat and put some snake skin over a long deep scratch I assume a broadhead once left. Added a very comfortable leather grip.  There are 4 holes drilled where a sight once was mounted. I haven't come up with an idea to cover them. Anyone got any tips...

 

 

[reddogge]

What I do is chamfer the edges of the holes slightly with either a large drill bit or counter sink. I then fill in the hole with a piece of glued in toothpick so it's filled up near the surface. I then mix 2 part epoxy with a little acrylic paint to match your fiberglass color and dab that into the hole so it's raised up past the surface. Let dry and sand with a sanding block to dress them down to the surface eventually finishing up with around 1200-1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Then put on a few coats of Tru-oil wet sanding between coats until you can hardly see the patched area.

I had to catch the light so you can see where the holes were in this '69 Super Kodiak because under normal light conditions they are invisible.

 

[ron w]

You could drill them to a standard size small wood dowel and plug them with the dowel and stain to match as best you can. The dowel glued in with Tite-bond would be a good permanent fix...I would think! Oh ,I might add....that's a neat looking bow!

[straitera]

Really like the great looks of settled wood on vintage bows!

Thinking out loud; maybe a design etched over the area to cover hte holes? You can always drill a hole & fill with a dowel. Then you;d need to match & stain the finish & hope to polish it out to perfect.

Suggest Spar Urethane over whatever you decide. Along w/000 steel wool you can work magic. Good luck.

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

If at all possible I will collect sanding dust from the substrate and mix it with the epoxy.. Perfect color match every time.

[Tyler C. Moore]

I know myself well enough to know I am not handy enough for the drilling ideas. I really like the option of covering the whole area with something, but cant decide what. I will be sure to try the dowels and sanding epoxy match on some 4x4s though.

[Bjorn]

I like reddogge's method very much. Epoxy putty colored to match or painted works well too. It also depends on where the holes are...in the wood or glass-each calls for a different approach.

[Grey Taylor]

You could always find the right one to match the holes and re-mount the sight   :D  

Guy

[snufer]

How about some little deer hoofprints or bear foot print decals.

[KentuckyTJ]

carve some deer tracks out of antler and place them in there and then refinish the whole bow.

[lpcjon2]

If you take saw dust and add a little wood glue you can make your own wood filler.and paint or stain it with a qtip after it dries.

[Todweelz]

Mosaic pins for knife making would look nice as well.