Reshaping Grip

[richbat]

I have a Mahaska recurve that i was going to sell but i think i'm going to keep it now,but the grip[locator]seems abit to wide for my liking and with money being tight thought i might try and rework the grip myself.Now i have never done this before and have some concerns about on the proper way to tackle this,it has an accent stripe running down the riser so not really sure if that matters or not but my goal is to take some of the width from both sides off so the grip fits alittle better.Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

[ron w]

It's not that hard....remember you can't put it back on....lol! Go slow, try it, remove some more, try it again. When you think you may have it close....go out and shoot it a few times. When it's right , sand it smooth and put a good water proof finish on it and you will be good to go! GO SLOW!!!! Have fun....I like them Mahaskas.....      

[richbat]

Yes i am kind of hesitant to do it and sure as heck do not want to mess it up.Problem is it just feels way to dang wide and i'm finding i have to constantly readjust my hand before shooting,heck can barely touch my fingers while gripping it,that's what has lead me to believe it's just to dang wide.

[ron w]

Like I said, remove some a bit at a time and keep trying the fit....if you have a grip on another bow that you like, take some measurements and make the Mahaska the same or at least work towards that goal. You can do this......

[Red Tailed Hawk]

I recently reshaped the grip on one of my bows. I used a rather course file, medium course file, and various grit counts of sandpaper to as fine as 600 grit to remove any tooling marks left from file work.
It is not that hard to do and like Ron w said go slow and feel grip often to get it to your liking.

Remember if you will be adding a leather grip to the handle after shaping it will add thickness and will feel a little different than when bare wood. I removed a little extra wood from handle to compensate for this.
I finished my newly worked handle after sanding with Tru oil. Tru oil will leave a gloss finish that can be dulled by lightly sanding after tru oil drys or leave it gloss if you prefer. I would reccommend at least 4 coats of tru oil.

Best of luck Cliff

[Bjorn]

First coupla' passes with the rasp are kinda' scary but I have done several risers since.

[huntsman247]

Yea, what they said!

[lad]

take you time.   that is the secret.

[ron w]

Originally posted by Bjorn:
First coupla' passes with the rasp are kinda' scary but I have done several risers since.

Exactly......once you get going you'll be fine!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

You may be wise to contact the bowyer prior to slimming that handle down.... There are dynamics involved in grip shaping that a lot of folks don't realize.

most bowyer's would do it for you pretty cost effectively....  02 cents for you... Kirk

[richbat]

Well really didn't need to do as much as i thought,just alittle bit of hand sanding and some tru-oil and replacing the grip with some inner tube changed the feel big time for me.I also redid my shelf setup left a gap between the rest and strike plate for better fletching clearance and wow so much better flight also even though the bow has a radiused shelf i put alittle piece of velcro to give it a little more.Just got back in from shooting and it was like a whole new bow.Thanks for all the responses.

[richbat]

Oh and it's no longer for sale in the classifieds,I'm keeping it.

[ron w]

Good for you....I knew you get that old girl fixed up to fit your needs.......      

[Red Tailed Hawk]

Glad it worked out for you. Enjoy that newly customized bow!!!

[Meathook 1]

Lets see some pics please.

                        Thanks

[Red Beastmaster]

Putting a file to my custom Brackenbury was tough. I thought about it for two years, even had the file in my hand several times and chickened out.

Finally, I figured it's got my name on it for Pete's sake, I might as well have it fit my hand! After that first bit of sawdust hit the floor there was no going back and I really got into it. I knocked down a corner in the palm swell that bothered me from day one. I sealed it with a little polyurethane and wiped the sweat from my brow. Whew! I'm no expert but it turned out just fine.

After that I tackled a longbow grip that was not right. Lots of filing, several wraps with electrical tape to build up a narrow part, and then covered the whole thing up with a rubber sleeve. It fits me perfectly and I shoot it much better. Rubber grips hide almost anything!

It's your bow, have at it!

[Bjorn]

I may not have the energy to look for the pic of the original on the
new, exciting, improved, photobucket tonight            

i reworked my kodiak mag. and its sooo much better. the one on the left is the one i hunt with.
 
 
 

 i wont hesitate to put the rasp to a piece of wood.

[Hit-or-Miss]

I trimmed quite a bit off the grip of my 20 year old PSE Blackhawk, which was about as thick as a 2x4. I used a Dremel tool and Tru-oil. Now it is profiled like a super kodiak.

[Hit-or-Miss]

PS, I also hand sanded with fine grit sandpaper to smooth out grooves prior to sealing. A slimmer grip, for me, makes shooting easier as the bow cradles in my hand better.