Refinish/glass repair on a '68 hc-300?

[jskeen]

I received a 68 hc-300 I purchased last week, pretty much blind from one of those "other forums", cause the price was too good to pass up. I was told up front that it had a little bit of a warp to the lower limb, but I "assumed" that it was probably just from being stood in a corner or strung wrong, and I would be able to work it out with some clamps and a steamer. On closer inspection however, it is pretty evident that the glass on the lower limb, right in the curve about 4 to 6 inches up from the nock had either been sanded (very poorly) or somehow worn, noticeably thinner in several spots. I don't know if somebody was trying to sand out a nick in the edge of the glass, or if the bow was stored somehow that it rubbed there, but both the belly and back are worn on the edges and faces through the finish and a little into the glass. Pics attached (hopefully).

Anyway, I went ahead and strung it up, took it outside and ran around a hundred arrows through it, and it shoots wonderfully, doesn't throw the string, and just needs a little tuning to be a real tack driver, but that lower limb bugs me. So, here's the question. Is it possible (or advisable) to hand sand the glass in that area to remove the old yellowed finish, and try to even the edges out to get rid of the warp? If so, will I need to thin the top curve a little as well to keep the tiller balanced? Other than that problem, everything else should be a fairly straightforward refinish job, which I've got plenty of experience in on other wood projects, although this will be my first bow refurb.

The only possible kink might be the joint between the phenolic and the wood in the riser. I don't know how much difference in expansion there is between the two materials, but is it enough to make it advisable to use a surface sealing finish such as spar urethane rather than Tru-oil, which remains more permeable even after it cures? Has anybody tried using Cyanoacrylate (superglue) as a finish on recurve bows? I've used a bunch of it on wood pens and other small turned projects, as well as laminated wood slingshot frames, but neither of those applications needs to move the way a bow does, and I'm not sure how the CA would handle that.

Anyway, even if the glass issue is best left strictly alone and I don't end up refinishing it at all, I didn't get hurt considering how it shoots and what I have in it so far. But I really would like to bring it back to it's full cosmetic glory.

Sorry about the poor pics from my 'berry, but hopefully they get the point across.

Thanks
James                

[Trux Turning]

Cool looking bow. You can hand sand all the old finish off both the glass and the riser-use 220 to start and don't get carried away on the back and belly of the limbs. If you have a twisted limb you can hand straighten it by twisting it the opposite direction -you might need some heat (hot water) if the twist is bad. CA works well on a riser as a sealer but I wouldn't use it on the glass- the spar urethane is a good choice for the entire bow.