HELP WITH BOW DYING

[Josh]

you can use any hardwood for tip overlays, if it is an oily wood make sure to degrease it before glue up or it will come off on you.  I have used all kinds of glue for tip overlays, 5 minute epoxy is my glue of choice right now.  I have used all the titebonds, super glue gel, and Urac 185 too.  They all worked fine no tip failure yet (knock on wood)   

[Josh]

Oh yeah i made my first bow from a red oak board using a pencil, a yardstick, and a hand planer.  I used a chainsaw file to carve the string grooves.  It took a week of working on it a few hours every night.   I have also reduced 4 inch thick staves to bow demensions with nothing but a drawknife... Trust me, I know all about the "zen of bowmaking"       Sometimes that's what you want though, its about the journey not the destination. 

[Pdwight]

Thanks Josh, I used 5 minute epoxy on my tips last night. I sanded the bamboo at a sharp angle so the very tip went down to the Ipe and then sanded the Ebony blocks on the bottom all with 120 grit and glued and clamped. I let it sit for 12 hours before I removed the clamps...then sanded and shaped the blocks.....now to cut the string notches.....hhmmm a file/rasp or a carbide cutter .....decisions....decisions

[okiecountryboy]

Josh
You are dead on. The less you have to make it work, the more it means to you when finished. Even if this blows up in my face, the journey WILL be worth it....And a learning experience. I just keep saying..OOOMMMMMM, OOOMMMMM, well you know what I mean...

God Bless, and keep the wood comming.

Ron

[ricktrojanowski]

If you want another option.  You could try some aniline dye.  I use the water based kind.  It's powdered and can me easily made lighter or darker by adding more water or powder.  Also if you find it too dark, you can lighten it with a damp cloth.  It doesn't work well on boo, just wood.  For boo I like the Feibings best.