When to say when

[mangonboat]

Is there a practical set of criteria for when to refinish a vintage bow, when to touch up the finish with a bit of light sanding and a top coat and when to leave it original finish, "as is"?
I recently acquired two 1962 Kodiak Specials in separate transactions and one was a real mess cosmetically due to a very crude job of filling and coating with colored and clear urethane, and I'm taking that one down to raw wood and glass. The other is 60# and its got decades of small scratches and dings from being carried in the woods and even an area in the fades where all finish has rubbed off, but mostly the original finish is intact and in good shape but that exposed wood needs to be taken care of because I will be hunting it. Will a modern clear coat adhere to the original lacquer finish if I sand it a bit?

[mahantango]

Yes,a modern clear coat like poly will adhere to the old finish if you scuff it up well and wipe down with denatured alcohol or acetone. All depends what you are going for, but it is hard to get an even looking finish, color wise, unless you take it all down to bare wood as the old finish, where remaining, will be very yellowed.

[ksbowman]

For me anytime the ding or scratch will let or could let moisture in it is time to touch up or refinish.

[damascusdave]

Shoot the darn bow and enjoy it Mark...not many Kodiak Specials would have done a lot of hunting...that bow has earned those battle scars..do not dishonor it by taking them away

DDave

[damascusdave]

Just put a coat of wax on the rubbed off area before you take it hunting...after a while the wax will create an impervious coating and you will not need to wax it any more

DDave

[warpedarrow]

I am one that says give the old girl a makeover and enjoy the beauty.  Anything worth keeping is worth keeping up.  Taking dead finish off and replacing it with new is really no different than painting your house, The only reason that so many fifty year old bows are in the reasonably good shape they are now in, is because of a good protective coating applied at the factory.  These are not highly sought after bows so it makes little difference in value.  Super rare bows are a different deal.

[59Alaskan]

I like mine to have a few dings.  It allows me to enjoy the hunt without worrying about a scuff here or there.  A friend of mine obtains the same feeling by refinishing.  His bows look superb and he uses them.  His theory is if they get banged up he will just refinish them again.

[stagetek]

People re-paint vintage cars all the time. Why not re-finish that vintage bow ? I'm all for making them look good again, and wouldn't hesitate.

[Phil Magistro]

The guideline I use is if the bow is definitely a collectable I wouldn't touch the finish at all. By that I mean something unique, not a run of the mill 62 Kodiak Special. Even just a light sanding and a new topcoat ruins it for a serious collector.  But there aren't that many serious collectors out there and most folks just like a good looking bow to use.

There is a point where fixing a couple of scratches isn't worth the time and cost of refinishing unless the bow means something to you. But more than a couple of scratches and I'd refinish a bow in a heartbeat.

The bow you described is one I'd definitely refinish.