Grain filler??

[Badlands]

Just wondering if any of you are using a grain filler on any of your bows made out of wood that has more open grain to it?  
The finished product always looks so much better if the finished surface is smooth.  This isn't much of a problem with some tight grained hardwoods but woods like Oak, Ash, Bacote and others can have grian that is pretty open and tough to get a good surface on.

I generaly use Fuller Plast and am wondering what I can put under it to fill in the grain with out changing the collor of the wood.  If it had some UV protection in it, all the better.

Brad

[kurtbel5]

I know some use crazy glue, I am trying it out right now

[Blackhawk7204]

Crazy glue works very well and is crystal clear. Just be sure and have plenty of ventilation when applying it.

[Rick McGowan]

You can buy a paste type filler at better woodworker supply stores in several colors. I have used fine sawdust on wood work with a hand rubbed finish.

[R H Clark]

Try the cheap no name crazy glue sold at Walmart 4 packs for a dollar.Like Blackhawk said plenty of ventilation ,maby even a fan blowing it and rubber gloves.

[OconeeDan]

You can actually fill in with fullerplast, spray the first coat thinned down, let dry, as a sealer.  Then spray as normal, using a thicker mix.  Wet sand between coats.  Fills in nicely.
If you are trying to use fewer coats, you can use Devcon 30 min epoxy as a filler as well.  Smooth on with a gloved finger, then sand it down leaving it in the grain after it is sandable.  Don't wait too long, or it gets so hard it is a cusser to sand.  But it works well and is perfectly clear.
Always wet sand after the bow is sealed, it works better.
Most important, make sure the grain of the wood is clean before sealing/filling.  I usually blow it down first.
Example, if you are  wet sanding between coats, the steel wool or sandpaper will leave grit or steel fuzz in the grain.
Dan

[d. ward]

Another good one is saw-dust or sanding dust from the bow your working on.Mix it with smooth-on or any epoxy.Mix the saw-dust and epoxy until you reach the disired thickness or thinness you want.If you need the epoxy a little thinner you can warm it up just a bit.Then smear it into the pours of the wood.It will also provide a pretty good color match..Make sure to wipe off all the excess filler asap before it dries.bowdoc

[Lin Rhea]

I dont make bows, but have resisted the strong urge to jump into it. Probably dont have time to do it justice and make the knives I need to make.
      For what it's worth, I use a product by Minwax, called wood hardener. I use it on porous woods like Walnut. It's acetone based and soaks in quick and buffs to a nice finish. I use it on knife handles, but I would think it would work on bows too.
                         Lin

[p1choco]

When using super glue and oily woods, I suggest using acetone (not your wifes stuff) to wipe off all the oil residue then apply the glue.  I didn't do that once on a knife scale and the glue didn't dry right.  It clumped up and got to the consistency of tacky rubber cement.

[Blackhawk7204]

Just don't try to clean the wood with acetone AFTER you fill the pores with superglue!     It will take it off. Did that only once. Clean with alchohol-no problem.

[Badlands]

Thanks guys
You gave me some good ideas to try.

Anyone know of a good UV protector?

I made a bow out of bacote recently. I compared it to a bow I made out of the same piece of wood a year ago and was supprised to see how much the older bow had darkened.  I sort of like the aged look but I also like the vibrant collors of the "fresher" wood.  Red paduack seems to be especialy bad.

Brad

[TimZeigler]

If using Tru Oil, you can cut it with a thinner, and while its still wet on the wood, light sand it with wet/dry sandpaper, then use a clean cloth and light wipe the excess off.  The sanding dust will be forced into the open wood grain with the tru oil, essentially filling the grain. I know its used on gun stocks, so I would think it would work fine on a riser.  Also "raising the grain" and then sanding if off repeatedly helps eleviate the open grain problems with some woods.  Tim

[rainman]

3lb  shellac makes an excellent filler and all finishes will stick to it.  It also dries quickly so 2 or 3 coats can be put on quickly and it will work on oily woods without an acetone prep.

Semper Fi
Dan Raney

[Crimson mist]

You might try wet sanding with wet dry paper 220 or 320 let dry then sand again with 400 and if you finish with an oil based varnish then using the same procedure sane with a little oil on the paper and let dry then sand again and apply more coats, should be glass smooth and you don't have to buy anything else

[Dave Bulla]

Here's a link to a (gasp! forgive me...   :D   ) gun site that has some great info on stock refinishing that would apply directly to a bow riser but, it is a LOT of work and a slow process.  The results however, are worth it.

  http://www.winrest.com/oilinstructions.html  

The same process could be used with other similar finishes.

Another great finish is the Watco Danish Oil in a three way equal cut with mineral spirits and polymerized Spar varnish.  Apply it the same way as instructed in the link.

The Danish oil by itself is a very good finish that penetrates very well but the added Spar varnish boosts the UV protection and the mineral spirits thins the whole works to maintain the deep penetration.  I've seen this on gunstocks and it is amazing.