Re-staining a riser?

[Safari Scott]

I was looking at a bow the other day that I liked the shape of, but one of the colours was pretty ugly, do you think it would be a relatively simple matter to sand it back, stain it and then put another coat on it? Obviously it wouldn't work for the limbs but it seems like it might be okay for the riser?

What are your thoughts, and if there are any bowyers out there, how much would it cost?

[Whip]

Depends what you think is simple I guess.  It is a fairly easy process - just takes some time and elbow grease along with patience.  The more time you put into the the better your results will be.
 
Most riser woods are natural wood with just a clear coat on top.  Do you know what the riser wood is?  If it is a light colored wood it may take stain at least to some extent.  Be sure to sand all the way down to bare wood first using progressively finer grits of paper.  Also make sure that your final finish is compatible with the stain that you use.  Mixing the wrong things on top of each other can be like oil and water and you won't have good results.  You might need to fill wood pores before applying your final finish.  Super glue makes a good pore filling material.

Take your time, and it can be a very satisfying DIY project.  Good luck!

[Safari Scott]

The wood is a light red, not coco though I don't think. It's possible it was already faintly stained, I was planning to use a honey-ish one that would blend easily - or pay a bowyer to do it. I'm fairly handy but I'm not going to get anywhere the quality someone like big Jim puts out...

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Staining wood that has already been sealed is tough to do and get an even color. You have to be very careful what kind of stain you use. Mim-wax makes a stain that is mixed with polyurethane. So you stain and seal it at the same time... that stuff works ok, but you have to apply even coats, and then put several coats of clear over it before fine sanding and polishing.....

There is nothing relatively simple about the process.IMO... 8 out of ten guys will screw it up the first go round.

[Bjorn]

Most bowyers will tell you that 'finishing' the bow is more time consuming than 'building' the bow. You can't stain wood that is not absorbing the stain let alone absorbing it evenly. Learn to like it or buy another bow.

[Grey Taylor]

All these guys are right. Staining wood that has already been stained and finished may be easy, or it may not be.
Personally, if I was bowyer contacted about a job like this I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. It's the kind of job that can go five times more trouble and ten times the original cost estimate.
You could always paint it. A can of black spray paint will solve an awful lot of problems.

Guy

[reddogge]

Since it's yours it won't matter how much time you put into it. I'd try it but prefer aniline dyes over oil based stains. I can control the color better. I've made a ton of gunstocks over my lifetime and you have to kill the grain several times first by whiskering. Just google it to see how.

[Whip]

If the wood itself is light red I don't think you will be able to turn it into a honey color.  It's like the old color stuff we learned in school - mix red and yellow and you will get orange.  

It's going to be tough to get the exact color you want unless it is a very light colored wood to begin with - something like a light colored maple might have a  chance.  You really can't use stain to make a wood lighter colored than it already is.  Going to a much darker stain might cover up some of the color that is already there or more likely at least change it to a shade that you like better.

[Safari Scott]

This sounds quite a bit more difficult than I thought, I figured sand back a little, whack on a bit of stain and reseal guess that's why I'm not a bow maker... Err well maybe I'll just learn to like red.