Time to letter the bow. I have used all kinds of markers in the past, sharpies and paint pens but found a better way several years ago.
I use acrylic calligraphy ink and a very fine tip pen now. This type of inks advantage is you can wipe off your lettering with a wet paper towel if you goof up and I goof up a lot. Lettering is one of my weakest skills. Here is what I use.
The smoother you get your surface the better this ink goes on. It is still a problem to put on because the pen will tend to bounce over any unfilled grains and leave a blob. I dip the pen about halfway in the ink and get the ink flowing on a piece of cardboard. I like fine lines so I expend most of the ink in the pen on the cardboard then start my lettering.
I have a really cheap pen, sometimes the ink won't flow so I press the tip on the limb until I get a tiny dot of ink on the limb then start writing.
The surface of this bow limb was very rough and difficult to letter, should have sanded it more before I put the finish on. I wiped off my lettering at least a dozen times, at first the whole inscription and later the last line applied that I didn't like. I guess I worked out too hard at the gym this morning and my hands were too shaky. Here is the final result.
I like white ink on osage because it really stands out as the osage darkens. I will put three coats of Tru-Oil over the lettering after it dries to "lock" it in place, it will never come off or smear.
My ink was a little watery. I shook it up but in hindsight I should have stired it a bit to get the pigment mixed better.
Handle leather is next.
Topic: Repair Along BBO (Read 3445 times)
