quickie question before i glue on the rawhide....

[elk country rp]

how smooth does the back of a juniper bow need to be for rawhide to love it?

60 grit?

150?

220?

400?

thanks,
Rob

[Pat B]

If you use TB glue it doesn't have to be roughed up. Make it smooth enough to be safe and glue the skins down. I think 220 is about as fine as I go.

[elk country rp]

do you reckon hide glue will like it the same way?

[Pat B]

Probably any glue will. I'm not saying you have to go with the 220. 60 will probably be fine if that's what you have.  De-greasing is more important I think. 

[elk country rp]

thanks, Pat!

the rawhide is almost soft enough to pull out of the water, so i'll wipe the bow down with some dawn & let it dry. i don't suspect it'll cause any trouble to size the back & let it sit for awhile, either. hopefully i'll have some pics soon....

Rob

[Pat B]

You can go ahead and glue it down if the bow is wet. It will hold the moisture a little longer but you should give it plenty of time to dry anyway.  I'd give a week or almost that long to cure and for the moisture to evaporate.

[El Destructo]

I would sand it well with 60 or 80 grit paper...I like Hide Glue better because it adheres better to the Hide...and draws it down tighter with little trouble...and once dry...You can use Spar Urethane on it to waterproof it ....JMO

[elk country rp]

thanks, gents!

my knox is taking its own sweet time thickening (not a light syrup yet), so i'll post a few pics while i wait



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[woodstick]

i use 80 grit seems to do me good.

[sonny]

...you ought to have two or three sizing coats of glue applied before gluing your rawhide.
otherwise the wood might soak it all up.
simply a suggestion.
 

[elk country rp]

i suspect that i may be redoing it anyways- the rawhide got a little weak. i think i soaked it too long. i'll take the string wrap off tomorrow night & let it sit for a week to dry. then i'll see how it looks & feels....

thanks for the advice, guys,
Rob

[El Destructo]

what did you glue it with?? You should take the wrap off as soon as possible and let it dry...leaving the wrap on can cause problems too....it holds in too much moisture....JMO

[elk country rp]

i took the wrap (cheap jute cord) off today (16 hours wrapped) & it looks much better than i expected! it picked up a little deflex overnight, but after sitting unwrapped for 10 hours, one limb already has most of its natural reflex back & the other is straight.

i'm looking forward to bending it---- in a week or 2

for the record, i can't say that i expect it to survive tillering- most of my first attempts don't, but i was wearing my tillering pj's when i backed it, so....

[El Destructo]

                                                       Tillering PJ's..................

[elk country rp]

  i don't have any sweats.....