smooth on and bacote prep?

[razorsharptokill]

I want to use Bocote in a laminated TD longbow riser and also have some limbs coming in Bocote.

Any preparation suggestions?

[warden415]

Just make sure it is flat and rough sanded. Then I usually wipe it down with alcohol and let dry before glueing. Steve

[shantam]

i just blow the dust away after the sanding with a compressor.

shantam

[razorsharptokill]

Ok.. how about cocobolo? Same?

[O.L. Adcock]

36 grit, score in a 45 degree hatch patern with a razor blade or Xacto knife. Scrub with SS brush then blow dust out of the pores with compressed air..Then glue. Solvents do little more then bring fresh oil to the top....O.L.

[Dave2old]

I recently completed an osage longbow with bocote veneers on the back, under glass (back only; belly is glassless osage). I glued the bocote to the tillered osage with Tite-Bond, then put the glass lams on over that with SmoothOn. The dealer I bought the pre-sanded bocote veneers from recommended wiping it down Immediately Before glue-up with acetone to remove the surface oil. Seems to have worked flawlessly.

[shantam]

cocobolo goes the same way,sanding,blow away the dust,glue.
works perfect.

shantam

[razorsharptokill]

We'll see... riser is in the oven.

[Ric Anderson]

I've done alot of research on this subject by searching the internet as well as talking to various glue manufacturers.  The overall consensus is that gluing surfaces on oily woods such as bocate and cocobolo should be sanded with coarse paper and then wiped down with acetone to remove the sanding dust and residual oils.  The pieces should than be glued and clamped.

[razorsharptokill]

Well, here it is. Bocote, maple accents, kingwood in the center.

[shantam]

 
now thats what call a beautyfull riser.

shantam

[Buemaker]

I read a book about gluing various materials and how to treat the surfaces before glueup. When it came to wood surfaces the author ( a Swedish Professor) concluded that wiping a wood surface with a rag and solvent/acetone was the least suitable method. When you look at a wood surface through a microscope, even a machine planed one, it looks like a lot of small mountaintops and valleys. If there is any grease on that surface, all you will do is wipe the grease into the valleys and thin it out on the mountaintops.
Bue--.

[V-Archer]

I first cleaned the surfaces with acetone then sanded them with grit 40 as well as scoring them with a hacksaw blade, cleaned the surfaces with acetone again and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before glueing them with Smooth-On.
Never had a problem (so far).
Here is a picture of a riser that I made a few months ago. It's bacote and cocobolo with a mosaic stripe in between.

V-Archer    

[Buemaker]

Where do you get those mosaic stripes? Thanks.
Very nice bowhandle you made there.  Bue--.

[O.L. Adcock]

Bue, That doesn't surprise me. Any dust on the part turns into "mud" and gets packed into the pores and won't allow glue to get a grip. Many of these glue manufactures and salesman have no personal knowledge of the application we need/use and are parroting what they've been told and much of that comes out of the aviation world where contamination with gas and oil is common in repairs. Add to that the acetone we used in aviation was very pure (oil free) and run $60+ a gallon. The $10 stuff from Ace can and does have it's own oil. Take some on a clean rag/paper towel and wipe a window pane with it and see what's left behind. I'm still of the opinion rough and dust free (with compressed air) is the best way to go. I've been testing mine lately shooting 150 grain arrows out of a 70 pound bow, about 50 shots and no cracks so far!   ....O.L.

[razorsharptokill]

Thank you Shantam. That Bocote is some dense stuff! Riser has a good weight to it.

[razorsharptokill]

I can't get my cuts right for those curved accents. Not sure if it's my jig or my bandsaw or both. My cut seems to drift at the far end of the cut. I'd like to start doing risers with the curved accents but till I get that figured out....
I'd like to know where I can get those mosaic stripes too.

[V-Archer]

Hi Buemaker and Razorsharptokill,

I make the mosaic stripes myself by glueing pieces of bacote,cocobolo, maple and wenge together as the close-up of the first picture shows.
The second picture shows the build-along of the mosaic stripe. This again is a part of the build-along of the Morning Mist R/D bow that I made some months ago.

V-Archer    

[mmgrode]

That's pretty darn cool V-Archer! Nice riser also.

OL- 150 grain arrows out of a 70#er!!    Hope you're wearing a hard hat  

[razorsharptokill]

That is so cool! Thanks for the pics!