HELP !!!! - Tru Oil on My New Ipe WON'T DRY !!!???

[barebo]

Not sure what the greater evil was here.... using the last of the bottle of Tru Oil after I broke the film, or not preparing the Ipe better I just finished my Ash backed Ipe, and couldn't wait to get some pics up, but wanted to get a finish on it before doing the handle wrap, etc. The Ash seems to have dried pretty well, but the Ipe is still very tacky. My question is this: if I just leave it alone, will it eventually harden / cure ??  The bow came out really nice for my first attempt with Ipe, especially since I made the Ash backing from the back of a stave, and it is really irregular, having 2 to 3 rings making it less than uniform along it's length. It made for some challenging tiller!! SO...........what should I do about the "sticky" Tru Oil

[knightd]

Ive had them stay sticky for a week or better.. Try and put it in a warm place with air movement.. not hot!! just warm..

[sulphur]

you can wait for it to dry, which may be a while(ipe is very oily), or wipe off the tru oil with acetone and start over.  on oily woods i use superglue first.  two tubes of the cheap dollar for a pack of 4 kind will do one coat on a whole bow.  once dry rub it wilth steel wool and then use your tru oil.  to apply the super glue i put a plastic baggie over my finger and just rub it on.  And don't blow on it to help it dry, moisture from your breath will turn it cloudy.

[youngbowyer33]

on some cherry it was tacky for a while for me too. I let it dry for 12 hours stood up against a table inside and it was fine after that. Im guessing and i would put money on the fact that cold has something to do with this. so yes, i think it will eventually harden and cure, but keep it some where warm.

[sulphur]

also Deft laquer will dry on just about anything although its not as tough.  you can put tru oil or spar urethane over that to.

[Hillbilly]

There are very few things that will stick to ipe. It's like trying to put a finish on a teflon frying pan.

[barebo]

Doesn't the super glue have a tendency to stiffen thins up a bit, or is it basically a primer ?? If the Tru Oil will harden, I can be patient and let it sit for a week or so. Killer is, that there's no runs or sags - and the Ash back is fine. Being my first time with Ipe, I guess it's a learning curve. I've got Ipe for 5 more bows, and hopefully will make each one a bit better ??!! Strange but beautiful wood.
I just roughed out a White Ash Flatbow, and have some Hard Maple split, so I can feed the addiction waiting for the finish to cure.
I'll put it in front of my pellet stove for a few days - that's where I kind of "speed up" drying staves. Works well.
Thanks for the input - much appreciated as always !!

[sulphur]

its  true its not the most flexible  thats why i cover it with Spar Urethane.  No problems with cracking yet.  Although the 2 bows i have used it on are long and not shot in a bunch.  This is a technique i use on oily wood risers on bows made from "modern materials"  (shhh, don't tell anyone)

[barebo]

This one is long too - 70" NTN, and draws high 60#'s at about 27". I NEED it to DRY so I can get some pics up !!!

[Gordon]

Remove the existing finish with acetone and then apply a base coat of either superglue or shellac. After that, you can apply any finish you want.

[Far East Archer]

Agree ^

Shellac dries in 30 seconds or faster when I use on ipe.
After I can sand and put on other finish no problem.

[Justin Snyder]

This thread is proof that I would rather be lucky than good. I don't give my ipe any special treatment, and have never had a problem with a finish. I wonder if the super dry climate helps. Try putting your Ipe in a hot box and getting it warm then applying the finish. Warm wood helps when applying most any finish or stain.

[Josh]

on  mine I used true oil for the finish but i also wiped it down with acetone 3 times beforehand.  I did a knife handle with ipe one time and used tru oil to finish it and around 4 months ago without using the acetone to degrease it first and i think that thing is STILL sticky.     So yeah, now I just degrease with acetone before finishing now.  It also helps to pull the dust out of the grain for me when I use it too so win-win.     -josh

[barebo]

Here's my "drying solution" - I'll let it stay here for a few days - if it seems to work, I'll wait befor I do any more with it. I'd hate to have to attempt stripping it .

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[Gordon]

I now routinely put a primer coat of shellac on all my bows that are not dyed (shellac will cause alcohol based dyes to run). I started doing that after my shop was contaminated with silicone and I could not keep a finish on my bows no matter what I did. Shellac solved the problem as it will seal just about any contanimate including silicone, oily wood and greasy finger smudges.