Sealing Stave Ends

[Bob S.]

I apologise in advance for all the stupid questions, I'm new at this. Bow making that is, not stupid questions.    Anyway, I know that you have to seal the ends of a fresh stave to prevent checking and that most people use paint. I've also read that duct tape works. Any opinions?

[DanaM]

Glue, shellac, varnish I don't think paint is the best choice

DanaM

[Hillbilly]

I like a thick coat of cheap glue, spray-on shellac works well, too. Anything that keeps moisture from leaving the wood at a high rate of speed will work.

[Pat B]

Welcome again, Bob. Glad to see you are not shy. I prefer shellac in a spray can because it is quick and easy. A little bit more costly than brush on shellac but longer shelf life. Theoretically duct tape would work but as it dries it curls and would allow air infiltration and possibly cause checking. What you are trying to do is to totally seal the ends(and back if bark is removed) so any moisture loss would occur along the split side(s) where it is less apt to check and most of that wood will be removed anyway.   Pat

[Justin Snyder]

Nothing but white glue for me.  Good wood is to hard to find here. We have a relative humidity of 14%  and temps of 100* often.  I have used left over paint, spray urethane and white glue.  The two logs I used white glue on didn't check.  Everything else was completely ruined.  At $11 a gallon it's just not worth the risk.  Justin

[woody]

A big wood glue squeeze bottle and something to spread the glue over the ends (like an old paint brush) should do the trick.  Plus it's cheap!!!!!

[Bob S.]

Lots of good ideas. I didn't realise that the back of the bow needed to be done too. You guys are a huge help. Thank's.

[Pat B]

Bob, What you are trying to do is reduce the moisture content(M/C) in the stave to about 9% to 11% for most woods(hickory 6%). As the moisture leaves the wood, it dries out from the outside inward. The cells shrink and the wood fibers separate...check. By sealing the ends, and the back if you remove the bark, the moisture can only escape through the belly of the stave, usually waste wood anyway.
   A full stave is more stable than one that has been reduced to almost bow dimensions but will dry slower. If you do reduce to almost bow dimensions for faster drying, clamp the stave to a form to control twists and turns while drying. Amazing how complicated this primitive stuff can get.
 Marc St Louis used to say,"just because its simple doesn't mean it's easy"
So, Just have fun!   Pat

[Bob S.]

Gotcha. This brings up another question. (funny how that works) I'll be drying a couple full stave's, cut when the sap is up. How do you know when they are dry enough? Obviously the wetter they are the longer they need to dry.

[Pat B]

Bob, You can either get a moisture meter(I bought one years ago but rarely use it) or weigh the stave every day and when you can go 3 days without any drop in weight it has hit it's equilibrium with the R/H.  After many years of building wood bows, I have gotten to a point that I can usually tell if a stave is dry enough by feel and the sound my tools make on it. More of a ringing sound than a dull sound.
 As long as you don't stress the green stave you can work it down to floor tiller stage. From there it will dry relatively quickly.   Pat

[Bob S.]

Weighing the stave makes perfect sense. I should have thought of that myself. You guys are a wealth of information and It's great that you are willing to share it with someone just starting out. I'm ordering TBB 1 by the way, so I won't have to drive you guys crazy with so many questions.

                                                                                     Once Again,
                                                                                      Thank You

[Pat B]

Bob, Ask away. The only dumb questions are the ones not asked! You will enjoy TBBI. Lots of great info there but once you get it, don't forget your buddies.    Pat

[Bob S.]

I'll do that Pat, and you won't get rid of me that easy. I'm hooked already