Older bow lamination question

[TxSportsman]

Hey all, I just purchased an older bow (not old by any stretch but the oldest I have owned) which is 13 years old. It seems to be in good condition but I am a little curious about the lamination on the limbs. There were are few spots on the limbs so I figured I'd just run over them with a micro fiber cloth to clean it up a little. In doing saw I saw the spots starting streaking. So, I decided to take a closer look what I found makes me think the lamination may be slowly coming off.

When I press down with my thumb (not very hard at all) I can see my thumbprint is left on the limb. I don't have any experience with older bows or this type of issue so I came here looking for a little help. Who knows, maybe this is normal and not an issue at all. I'd be happy to post pictures of that would help anyone. Thank you for your advice!

[Orion]

Would like to see pix.  Streaking in clear glass is fairly common.

However, that doesn't appear to be what you're describing.  If the "thump print" is between the glass and the lamination, not on top of the glass, then the limb has delaminated in that area, probably due to a starved glue joint during the build or a nick or mar in the finish on the side of the limb that allowed moisture to enter.

Depending on the location and extent, it may not be safe to shoot and it may or may not be repairable.

[mahantango]

Yes, pics would really help. What kind of bow? Clear glass, colored glass?

[TxSportsman]

Thanks for the help. I think the bow just had some kind of residue on it from storage or maybe a lot of string wax on it. I put some elbow grease into it with some warm water and it seems to have cleared up.

I have a Kodiak Special left with a 66" string.  It is one of two that I had with the four wood lams. It is ugly has a fiberglass sliver from a bump that is wrapped and epoxied. It is still a fine shooting bow and has been shot some every year for the past 45 years.  I have been trying to give it away to someone as a test.  If they get hooked on shooting good and trad hunting they can trade it back to me for a really nice longbow or a really nice recurve.  Right now, no takers.  I gave it away earlier and the guy went and bought his own new bow and gave it back.  On the other side, a fellow bought a much newer recurve made in the 90s.  It blew up the first day of shooting it. I think the odds are that 99% of old bows will shoot forever, but then that remaining one percent can be a major episode, if it happened in your hands.