High Gloss Finish

[bjansen]

Can anyone offer some advice on how best to achieve a high gloss finish. I look at some of the old Bears and just love that deep, thick, high gloss finish they have on there.  

I typically seal the pores with high solids sealer, then spray a few thin coats of  TB epoxy, lighlty buffing in between and then on the last coat I leave it frosty. Overall, the finish I put on is rather thin and has a matte texture (although the finish is high gloss in sheen).  

I just seams like it would take forever to get that high gloss build I see on some of my older bows (and maybe the problem is I am not getting an adequate finish thickness currently).  What steps do you all take to achieve a high gloss, glasslike finish?

[AALLFAB]

Steel wool then buff it with compound and polish with something like car wax. Jim

[sulphur]

i 've been using spar urethane.  when it is cured i use paste wax applied with steel wool.  really goop it on and rub.  once the wax is dry i buff it really good with a cloth wheel.  give a smooth deep looking finish with just enough shine.  Now the bows lately i have seen done with the Crystal finish by ml campbell look great too.  just haven't wanted to invest in sprayers and gallons of base and catalyst.  looks good though!

[Dmaxshawn]

Brad I used about 15 coats of tru-oil one time on wenge wood to fill the pores and that bow was so shiny you couldnt hardly look at it.  Had the Bar top finish look  like it was poured on.  Steel wooled between coats and just keep applying.  

Shawn

[bjansen]

I have used tru oil on some selfbows...but I don't think I've tried it yet on a glass bow.  That might be the easiest way to go.

[fixer]

I use Helmsman spar urethane it's a minwax product and has sunlight protection.I start out with the clear gloss, you need to recoat within 90 minutes,(or wait 72 hours then lightly sand and recoat). I apply one coat then wait one hour and recoat then another hour and recoat and repeat for the number of coats you want. Then the last coat if I don't want high gloss I shoot a coat of satin this gives a nice even soft coat.To do something like bows I just buy the spray cans they normally have a good spray patern if you keep the head clean, and they have an adjustable spray  also ( horizontal or vertical). For bigger jobs I get out the spray gun. I start with gloss to get the best moisture seal.  

[BWD]

Fixer, are you saying you can continue to recoat without sanding in between coats? I have been applying one coat, waiting 72 hrs., sanding, then doing it all over again and again and gain. That would sure cut down on that taking a long time to complete the job.

[Whip]

Just be careful with building up too many coats of finish and getting it too thick.  Since the bow limbs are flexing significantly it is very easy to get too thick and the finish will start cracking.

[Tom Leemans]

It's all about elbow grease. The smoother the finish, the more light it reflects. You're filling in low spots and polishing down high spots. Once you have a few coats on, use some good wetsand paper (400 grit or higher, depending on desired results)in between coats. I have also finished up by buffing with a felt pad (on furniture). It made the surface like glass. You can also buff it with corn starch. Use an automotive polish like they use on show cars after that. Now it will be so shiny, you'll see every finger print!
     

[John Scifres]

The toughest, glossiest finish I have ever used was what is sometimes known as the Massey Epoxy finish.  

Get a syringe of 2 ton Devcon epoxy, the long cure kind, and mix up half the syringe in a baby food jar.  Add acetone to get a 5:1 (acetone:epoxy) ratio.  Don't get any of the mixture on the threads of the jar and you can reseal it for the duration of the finish job.

Dip a lint-free rag in the finish and quickly make a single pass down one side of one limb.  Don't rework it.  Repeat for the rest of the bow.  Let it cure for 8+ hours, sand lightly with 360 grit and then wipe down with a tack cloth.  Repeat the application at least 6 times.  10 is better.

[DCM]

You can cut it thinner, I've used up to 10:1.  It's really tricky to apply.  You have only one pass, one continuous motion, before it flashes off and gets tacky.  I much prefer MinWax poly high gloss.  Epoxy is hard true, but I'm not convinced is necessarily any better at filling wood pores (sealing out moisture) than other options.  And hardness w/out superior water proofing is of no consequence imho.

Catalyzed varnishes are the product of choice for most glass bowyers.

[bjansen]

Excellent data gentlemen. I very much appreciate it.  Does anyone know what the finish is on the 70's bears...I assume some form of catalyzed varnish, but I cannot tell?

[Steelhead]

I have used high gloss poly Minwax as well.i was very pleased with the results.Definatly has the high gloss look.easy to work with.I applied it with a t shirt cut up into smaller squares and folded over a few times

[machomanandysavage]

Have you considered an automotive urethane clear? Its very flexible, yet durable and hold up well too. Spray it on with a good gun, sand the bow smooth with 400-600 grit, then wet sand it in stages up to 1500 or 2000 grit, and finally  finish with a  hand glaze or machine polish it.

The coats will fill in any pores in the wood and this is what you will smooth out in the initial sanding stage.

It will be glass smooth and shinier than you want it to be. Plus, after it's fully cured you can preserve the finish with regular car wax and easily fix scratches that develop later.

Just a thought to try. Here's a picture of a bow I just finished using the clear:

   

Now, this is just spraying the paint on, right after it had dried. I didn't do any sanding or polishing yet, and it was pretty much a mirror gloss. If you wet sanded and polish them, it would be so shiny you could probably signal a plane down with it.

I will be hunting with this bow, so I dressed down the finish to a satin sheen after this pic to keep the deer looking elsewhere, which is another option.

[machomanandysavage]

i should also mention the application method. On the PPG Omni clear I used 6 coats. I wanted plenty of film thickness to be able to finish sand the bow as necessary and didn't want any thin spots.

You just spray it on, no sanding between coats, 5-10 minutes between coats depending on the activator you use.(Which depends on the temperature)  It would definitely speed up the process for a guy looking for a shiny finish.

[fixer]

Yes the way I do it, it takes about 4 hours to shoot five coats thats the way I do it
, about the same as they spray auto finish they shoot a coat let it tac and shoot the next coat. After I shoot the final cast I let it dry 72 hours. This may not be the way others do it but it has worked for me. I usually wait 1 hour between coats.  

[bjansen]

Outstanding..I have always wondered if an auto-clear finish would work...I have been asking some of my buddies in the auto business...but they were all a little iffy on if it was flexible enough for a bow.  I appreciate the responses and the good advice and I'm going to give it a try.

[machomanandysavage]

The auto clear has worked well with the bows I've finished with it. We used to be able to make bows in shop class at school, and that was the preferred finish there, mainly because it was available. I think they key is to get some good quality Dupont or PPG stuff and spray it with a good gun.

When you take the dried film piece from the bottom of your mixing cup and wind it around and around your finger without it breaking or cracking up it leaves little doubt about its flexibility.

It is expensive, but I used an HVLP detail gun to do my last bow, and only used 4.5 ounces (mixed) total to lay a tack coat and 6 full coats on my bow, so it will go a long way.

[AkDan]

Dcm, Didnt Jay Massy have a raft turn upside down on a osage I believed sinew backed osage bow using the massey finish and he was able to pick it up and shoot immediatly using the epoxy (hard and waterproof)?

[Tom Leemans]

I've seen arrows with a Massey finish and they were like glass. I'd bet they were plenty waterproof.