Wade's "Challenging Restores"

[warpedarrow]

Most of you regulars on here probably saw the thread where Wade decided that it was time to do some house cleaning.  He posted pictures of twenty bows that needed to leave the Arsenal and then a picture of three more bows that he wished to keep but wanted to have restored.  I accepted eight of the bows out of the twenty and decided that some of what I had also needed to leave my display.  I offered a few to Wade and we sort of came up with a plan.  He shipped me eleven bows and I shipped him three bows.  That was the easy part.  I really haven't looked at the bows much except for the basket cases that Wade said would be "a bit of a challenge" or something along that line.  This thread will be a photo story of what Wade sent for restore and eventually, what I will send back to Omaha.

Bow #1 1959 Kodiak Special- someone was nice enough to sand the riser and put a couple of coats of finish on.  The tips are missing, the coin is missing, and the numbers are missing.  The bow is solid and has potential to be a real looker with the odd colored wood.  There is minimal stress cracking in the glass.   [/url] [/IMG]

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[warpedarrow]

Next up, the black bow, a 1960 Kodiak Deluxe

It has been painted black, has a couple of holes in the riser, and has a big chunk broken out of the arrow shelf.  Other than that, who knows, everything is painted over.

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And last up is the 61 Kodiak Special.  This bow was a range bow at Floyd Eclesston's Chippewa bow shop.  I have to admit that it is a bit of an honor to work on a bow that some of the legends may have handled and shot.  I did a quick once over on this bow and didn't notice too much wrong with it. It has the typical stress cracking in the glass that is impossible to touch up so I will have to put some color on.  This adds a few hours to a restore but I have done a few now and it doesn't scare me as much as it once did.  When I laid the bow down on a hard table, it didn't sound right.  It sort of rattled.  I picked it up and upon further examination found that the lower limb had broken.  Ouch!  But, since this bow had been one of Floyd's bows it still deserved a restoration, even if it was now destined to just be a display bow.

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That is enough for now.  In my next post we will repair the 61, put tips on the 59, and unwrap the 1960.

[Larry m]

This will be interesting to follow!!
Thanks Brad    

You certainly have your work cut out for you. It will be interesting to see what comes to light under the black paint.

[warpedarrow]

Time to get started on repairs and sanding.  I started with pulling the coin and stickers off of the '61  [/url] [/IMG]

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While the glue was setting up on the broken limb I started cutting out and preshaping some scales for the tip overlays on the '59.  I had already sanded off all of the old finish and the new finish on the sight window.  [/url] [/IMG]

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I decided to do things a bit differently and preshape the bottom scale.  I don't like the idea of sanding and shaping a scale that is right next to the glass.  I suppose that it was done with a drum or belt sander in Grayling, but I don't have the equipment or the skills that those fellows had.  I was pleased with the time saved by shaping the scale while off of the bow.  Once it was glued on then I glued two more scales on top of it and sanded them the next day.  [/url] [/IMG]  It was a whole lot faster not having to worry about cutting the limb glass.  I used a Dremel tool with a small drum sander to cut off the excess material, then finish shaping with sandpaper and very fine files.  After I had them shaped I took a chainsaw file and cut the string groove.

[eidsvolling]

Originally posted by warpedarrow:
Next up, the black bow, a 1960 Kodiak Deluxe

It has been painted black, has a couple of holes in the riser, and has a big chunk broken out of the arrow shelf.  Other than that, who knows, everything is painted over.

Pardon me while I go lose my supper.

OK, back and ready to cheer on this worthy endeavor!

[warpedarrow]

Then it was time to tackle the really ugly bow.  I was dreading starting on that one.  Not only was there a lot of paint to take off, paint that clogs sandpaper quickly, there was a whole lot of finish under that paint.  I think that Fred spent an extra fifty cents for finish on the Deluxes.  They really put it on thick.  A full afternoon of sanding got most of the paint and finish off of the riser.  [/url] [/IMG]  

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The second day of sanding got most of the finish and paint off of the limbs, with exception of the string grooves.  I found out why the bow was painted.  The back of the bow has some of the worst glazing that I have seen on a Deluxe.  [/url] [/IMG]

I sent Wade some pictures of the ugliness and suggested maybe putting some color on that limb.  The glazing of the clear glass is something that really cannot be fixed during a restore.  I tried sticking a syringe needle into the area and injecting some Loctite as it appears to me that it is not so much a matter of glazing as it is the glass unbonding from the wood underneath it.  That didn't work very well.  At one time, the Kodiak Deluxe was my favorite Bear bow, but I have come to realize that the bows that had colored glass can be restored to a higher level than the Deluxes because of the glazing problem.  I still like to see a clean Deluxe, I just don't care to work on them as much.

Wade said that he wanted to try and repair the broken spot on the shelf.  I don't have any zebrawood to try and find a piece where the grain is close so Wade said to leave it and he will see about getting some wood from a bowyer friend.  I went ahead and knocked the ragged edges off of the damaged area with a 1 1/4" drum sander.  [/url] [/IMG]

My reward just prior to calling it a day was to wet the site window with some alcohol and take a quick picture.  This gives me a quick preview of what the bow will look like once the finish starts going on.  Yep, that is a butcher block sight window.  This bow has some potential to be a pretty one.  [/url] [/IMG]

[Larry m]

Your tip overlay is coming out sweet!!
 
Very unfortunate the piece out of the shelf is so large or you could sand it off and blend it in. A big challenge there to blend in a replacement piece. The right selection of wood and a bit of trimming and sanding to slip into place could be carefully done but won't be easy (at least for me)!!
Be interesting to see what the two of you come up with.......

Nice Post!!!!!!

[eidsvolling]

As John Astin's character used to say on "Night Court":

"I'm feeling MUCH better now."    

[warpedarrow]

The next few weeks were spent finishing cleaning the string grooves then getting the open wood pores filled up on the risers to the point that the finish would level off and begin to get the glassy appearance that really makes a bow "pop" appearance wise.  [/url] [/IMG]
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  [/url] [/IMG]The bows are starting to look pretty good but we are a long way from the finish line.    

The limbs on the '61 need paint as does the back of the Deluxe.  I taped up the bows and went ahead and sprayed the '61 as I had kept a jar of the mix that I used on my bow a couple of years ago.   [/url] [/IMG]
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[Archery_Collector]

Gorgeous! You inspire me Brad! I have dozens of bows that need refinishing. Looking forward to spending my retirement on fixing them up but based on how beautiful your work is, I will have a very steep learning curve to try and come close to your work!

[warpedarrow]

I played with some colors and thought that I had one that work on the back of the Deluxe.  After spraying it I had the feeling that it didn't look bad, but it didn't look good either.  I sent a photo to Wade and we discussed glass colors in the overlays and how to get a large enough sample for the paint matching machines to get a reading.  He suggested that the glass on my '59 Kodiak would work.  I took some photos next to the tips on the Deluxe and kind of decided that I liked the caramel color best.  But something about it just bugged me and I went and had some paint mixed to match the brown glass on the '59.
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I sprayed the bow mid afternoon yesterday and pulled off the tape about 5:30PM.  I took a few pictures with my cell phone camera and came into the house.  Picking up the Ipad I see that there is an email from Wade saying that he kind of likes the caramel color.  Oh well.  It's brown now.  [/url] [/IMG]
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I pulled the tape off of the '61 also and used a sanding block with 1000 grit sandpaper to clean the edges of the paint lines. You may notice that the paint is slightly lighter in color than the underlying glass.  That is intentional.  Every clear finish that I have used to date is not really clear, but has an amber tint to it.  My thought is that the amber will darken the paint just enough to blend well.  At least it did on my '61 KS.  [/url] [/IMG]
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Now it is a matter of spraying the limbs and waiting for the finish to dry.  After several coats I will wet sand them then apply new dry transfers and start spraying again.  I have a spot on the riser of the Deluxe that the finish pulled off with the tape so that needs touch up or maybe a sanding of that side of the bow and starting over.  The rosewood is a rather oily wood and it is hard to get the finish to stick. Perhaps I will sand the entire side and seal it with a different sealer this time.  That will set me back a week but there is no sense in coming this far only to get in a hurry and end up with less than a good job.

[Wade Phillips]

Brad -

You are a miracle worker. Considering how sick each bow was when you received them, you have done a first class job of restoring them. Those three bows all look incredible now and each will be a real eye catcher in the collection.

The dark brown paint on the back of the 1960 Kodiak Deluxe is perfect to cover that ugly horizontal tiger pattern of voids between the clear glass and the zebra wood. The dark brown back really complements the colors in the rest of the bow.

Seeing what incredible work you are doing, makes me want to send you another pile of bows before you get swamped with refinishes for everyone else and have a two year backlog to get a bow refinished.

[warpedarrow]

Thank you Wade.  It will still be awhile before the bows come home to you.  They are still a bit rough and I want them to be smooth.

I do think that a Deluxe with ugly glass would look really good dressed up like a '59 Kodiak.  None of my five are ugly enough to tempt me.

[Wade Phillips]

Brad,

I'm sure a 1960 Deluxe would look great dressed up like a 59 Kodiak.

I know the reverse is true, a 59 Kodiak looks great dressed up like a 1960 Kodiak Deluxe.

[4runr]

Brad and Wade, would it be easier, and maybe more unique, to do a "Fred Bear" type riser/handle reshaping in the Deluxe. I'm thinking the chip out of the shelf would disappear when making the angle cut. Just a thought.
If you're not sure what I'm referring to, check out Bowdoc's restoration 101.

[warpedarrow]

I will get some photos of it with finish applied.  The missing wood has ceased to bother me.  Maybe just because my focus is on all the other little things that I am trying to fix.  

We had a brief discussion about cutting it down to a Fred style.  The bow is a bit far along in the finishing process to cut it now.

[Wade Phillips]

Kenny,

I suggested cutting the shelf down to Fred's style shortly after sending the bow to Brad. We talked it over and decided to just repair the shelf.

Might have been interesting to cut the shelf down which would have gone further down into that butcher block. Not sure what we could have found.

[PICKNGRIN]

Could you explain what products and the steps you take for putting on the finish?  I have a 1965 Kodiak completely sanded and ready for finish, re-lettering and decals.

[Bjorn]

Amazing work!! Thanks for sharing. Best I have seen.

[warpedarrow]

Pickngrin,

I think that I do it the slowest way possible.  I can get a bow ready in a day or two, completely sanded with absolutely no old finish anywhere on the bow.  I hand sand about a square inch or two at a time and don't move on until all the dead finish is removed.  I then take an air hose with about a 100 psi at the nozzle and blow all of the dust out of the tiny crevices.  It is amazing how large the pores in the wood can look once all of the dust is blown out of them.  If it is an oily wood like the rosewoods, I will seal the riser with a water based polyurethane for at least two thin coats.  Sand that flat, blow it off, then start with many thin coats of oil based urethane/polyurethane.  I will put a coat or two a day on for about a week then do a light wet sanding with 400 grit.  Repeat the thin coats, finish and wet sanding until all of the pores are full and the finish starts to lay flat.  Once you are there move to 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper and keep repeating the process until it is piano finish smooth.  This will give a classic look finish very similar (only better quality) to the varnish that the bow manufacturers used in the late fifties and early sixties.  Don't skip sealing the wood if it is an oily wood or you will get darker and lighter splotches, and the finish may stay tacky and not harden.  For the limbs I have always used a rattle can polyurethane in gloss finish.  I am experimenting with the Krylon clear enamel on the limbs as poly yellows quite badly over time.  If you have a bow with white glass you don't want to put an amber finish on the glass.  

I just use the Minwax gloss polyurethane in the quart cans and pour an ounce or two into a medicine bottle with a tight sealing cap.  That way I don't have to open the quart can twice a day.  I get a bright light above and behind me then I wipe on the finish watching the glaze.  It may take me a minute to do both sides of the riser then I put the bow back in the rack and move on to something else for most of the day, coming back and putting another coat on prior to calling it quits in the evening.  

This is a very long drawn out process and it is easy to get distracted and not make any progress for a long time.  I have a '60 Kodiak Special that I started last fall that I finally have ready for final wet sanding.  I brought it back into the house until I get to the final sanding stages on these three bows.  The sandings don't have to be any long meticulous affairs while you are building finish.  Just knock down the roughness a bit, blow it off, and get back to laying on more finish.  Use your fingers rather than your eyes when sanding, or as I have heard it said in furniture finishing; "look with your fingers".  You can feel a defect or rough spot much easier with your finger tips than you can see it with your eyes.  That being said, keep your hands clean and oil free or you will be leaving fingerprints on the bows.  My skin is really dry on my hands so I don't have much of a problem with printing.  I don't use lotion during the day and if I eat fried chicken for lunch and thoroughly degrease my hands prior to handling a bow in the finishing stages.

Once the bow has a nice thick finish on it you can wet sand with 1000 or even 1500 grit.  I have left bows with a coat of finish on them if I want a really glossy end result and I have buffed them out with rubbing compound and a buffing wheel, then put on a coat of Meguiars wax if I want a more muted glow.  

If you are after the really thick, deep looking clear coat look then this method is not for you.  I like both looks but think that this method results in a more authentic appearing restoration.  I do intend to set up to shoot a two part epoxy clear coat in the near future as I have started work on the Super Kodiak that Wade sent me and I think that the deep clear look fits that particular bow.  Good luck, and if you screw up there's always sandpaper to fix your mistakes.