Razor Back Refinish

[shag08]

Hey guys. I don't know if I should post here or on the bowyers bench...feel free to move as necessary mods.

But anyways....I'm in the process of refinishing an old Ben Pearson Razor Back. I loaned it to a friend awhile back and he gave it back the other day. I haven't shot it in forever. When he gave  it back I decided to shoot it a little since it had been awhile. The old girl will REALLY fling an arrow. I've been shooting bows in the 45-50 pound range almost exclusively lately. This one is 45, and it really gets on with the program. So much so that it surprised me.

I was having a little tuning trouble out of the flat shelf....kept showing nock high or nock low...couldn't find the sweet spot. I was going to put a match stick under the shelf plate to make it easier. Well, somebody had used super glue or epoxy or quite possibly, the toughest glue on earth, to attatching the shelf plate.

By the time I got all the residue off, it was down to bare wood. So I thought, what the heck, I'm gonna do a complete refinish. It's a nice shooter but ugly as home made sin...scratches and scuffs in the finish, both limbs and riser....it had white paint overspray all over it, like it had been in a garage while someone was painting something else.

I got it all sanded down and cleaned up via info from:

  http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=073714  

  http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=006473;p=1  

I'm in the process of putting the clear coat on now. I used Min Wax clear gloss spray, as was recommended in the first link. It's going on really rough though.

I got the stuff in the blue can...but it's water based. Did I get the wrong stuff?

I'm planning on wet sanding between coats...as prescribed in restoration 101(second link). So I'm sure it will end up smooth and glossy. But if I got the wrong stuff I'd like to know now. I want this to last and hold up.

Thanks for reading. And any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Dan Jones]

The "blue can" sounds like you got Minwax Polycrylic. If so, that's absolutely the worst handling clear finish I ever tried to put on a bow - it sprayed in big drops and didn't level at all. Perhaps that's what you mean when you say it's going on "really rough." The Minwax spray that's usually recommended is either their spar urethane or their polyurethane. Unfortunately you'll have to sand down/off the polycrylic before you can start over.

[shag08]

Thanks Dan. Yeah that's what I meant. It's almost like it spits out of the can more than sprays. I guess I've got some sanding to do      

Thanks again.

[Dan Jones]

I think you'll find that the Minwax urethane or polyurethane sprays work much, much better than the polycrylic.  I've had good results with both types.  The chief difference seems to be that a polyurethane finish will over time "yellow"( Minwax calls it "ambering")more than the urethane. The "ambering" is most noticeable when polyurethane is applied over light colored wood and/or white fiberglass.   Good luck with your project.

[AR RidgeRunner]

Minwax fast drying polyurethane works great for that. It's really easy to spray and goes on smooth.

[4runr]

I just refinished four more bows this past week and used Minwax wipe-on poly. To me, it is the easiest clearcoat I have ever used. I can put 2-3 coats on in a day and wet sand between coats if needed. I can apply it in my little basement room and not worry about fumes. The final outcome is always perfect. I have one bow that I refinished 5-6 years ago, and it gets used alot. The finish is holding up very well.

[shag08]

Thanks guys. I got rained out of work tomorrow so I stayed up late and sanded the bow back down to wood and glass. I'm going to the hardware store in the morning to get a more suitable finish.

Thanks for the suggestions. If i do my part and make the old girl look pretty, I'll post some pics of it when I get done.