Gloss or Flat Finish

[Whip]

I've redone a couple of Bear Super K's and used a gloss finish to keep them more like the original finish.  I've been using a '68 SK for hunting this fall and have a set of camo limb skins on it.  But after a few times getting caught in rain showers I'm finding I really don't like the limb skins much.  Don't care for having all that water trapped and not being able to wipe the bow down without taking them off.  Plus I just don't like hiding all that beauty under a set of silk underwear.  I like naked bows.

For your old bows that you use for hunting do you like a flat finish?  I love the look of the gloss, but I'm thinking I might just respray a coat of flat on them.  I love the bows and don't see myself selling them anyway, so shouldn't really matter that way.

[jcar315]

Whip, I am the wrong guy to ask as I am a shiny bow guy so to speak. In looking at the rack hanging on the wall here though it does appear that all of the bows I use for hunting do have a flat finish.

The green tip limbs for my Bear TD look as though someone "refinished" them at some point and applied something (paint or ink I guess) over the original finish so they are very matte looking black now.

My shiny ones are really shiny it seems and I have always been a little gun shy about sunlight reflecting off while hunting.

[Jeremy]

Matte finish for me.  Gloss looks nice on the rack and on the course, but in the woods...

[cacciatore]

Joe,the original gloss finish for sure adds a lot of beauty to the woods,but for hunting is terrible,I use socks or you can take off the shine passing steel wool;then at the end of the season you can always take back the gloss finish,for sure you know how.

[NancyVTAS]

I have used camo face paint, it is hard to get off your face but fairly easy to remove from our shiny bows. Dick

[d. ward]

one of the better things to do is coat your high gloss limbs with Johnsons paste wax and just let it dry to a haze as hazey(real dull)as you want it.Just leave the wax on your bow and you can even add more wax here and there if needed during the season.Once dried it does not have much if any small.When the season is over use more Johnsons paste wax to reshine your bow.Another thing is the wax will provide a great water resistent surface to help protect your bow as well.
Now with that said and I am not trying to be funny but I've hunted with high gloss on my bows for many years no limb skins no paste wax no nothing to cut the shine down.However I do pratice and pratice hard to not shoot at a critter when he or she may be able to see me or my shiney bow limbs.If they do not see you the shine on your bow is not a factor at all.
Now with that said the higher the gloss the harder the finish.High gloss is over twice as hard a flat finish unless you use the steel wool on high gloss to dull it down a bit.But be careful with the steel wool because it really likes to snag any small splinters or chips along the edges of the limb.Steel wool really likes to pull those splinter up and can do more harm then good to your limb.Just food for thought bd

[Charlie Lamb]

Joe... Paraffin makes a good flat camo finish, is fairly durable and certainly is waterproof as any.

There are also flat finishes available in rattle cans at WalMart that come off easily when applied over a well paste waxed bow.

[Bjorn]

Whenever it is available I get a matte finish. To my eyes beautiful wood under matte looks great.
Compound rubbing a shiny finish will get rid or the reflective surface.

[doug77]

I did as bowdoc said but also got some kids face paint and put some on the limbs.

doug77

[jacobsladder]

bowdoc has it right..you can have both..

[Grant Young]

I still use a glossy finish to hunt with but under certain conditions I may dull the limbs with a little wax or even bowstring wax if my stand/blind location dictates I do. All things being equal, I worry a lot less about being seen than I do about being smelled.  GY

[Hud]

Prefer a matt finish, but will use a paste wax to hide, or protect a finish like Bowdoc suggests.

[ron w]

If it was a collector piece I would go with the original gloss, on a working bow Dull, flat works for me. Heck I have even painted bows camo, but they were real beaters....shooters but beaters!

[Whip]

These are fine looking bows.  Not too worried about the collector value because I intend to hunt with these and have no plans to sell them.  I got them to hunt with, and I think I'm probably going to just spray a final coat of flat on them and let them hunt!  

Besides, I know a guy that will give me a good deal on another refinish job if I ever change my mind  

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Joe

Right now I'm trying "Movie Paint" on my Jack Howard.  This is spray paint that is used in the film industry to "age" props.  It goes on like normal spray paint and is removable with soap/water.  I tried it out first on an old Howatt Cavalier with white glass to make sure it came off. No problem.  Do a search on the Net for "Movie Paint".  The best thing is it comes in neat colors like "dirt", "rust", and black.  Real dull stuff.  The only thing I dont know yet is how it will hold up to rain.  About $10 for a full sized spray can.

Ryan

[Yellow Dog]

I'm currently packing up a 64" 1969 Super K for a trip to Seattle to visit Bowdoc. Plan is for a refinish, some hacking on the grip and shelf for a "Bowdoc Special", frost finish and stuff in a couple of quiver bushings to top it off. Setting this bow up to be a hunter and a shooter, it might not be original when it's done but I'll get the job done