drying checks on back

[The Gopher]

Well i roughed out an Osage now last night and chased a ring only to see this evening that there are very small longitudinal checks starting, so i guess this stave want add dry as i thought it was. My question is what i should do know. When i saw this i sprayed the back with a spray polyurethane. Should i do more than that like tb2 out something? Saturate the checks that have formed with Superglue? I can still go down another ring or two once it is more dry, but what I'd the best approach to stopping any further checking? Thanks.

[paulsemp]

I would get rid of the check by going down to the next ring or further. Once it starts they don't stop until they feel like it. Get rid of it and seal it up and grab a can of patience.

[Newindian]

grab a can of patience.

second that

If you don't have the wood to go deeper you can fill the cracks with super glue
Vertical cracks arnt that bad mainly cosmetic

[The Gopher]

I've got lots of patience, the stave just wasnt as dry as i thought it was. I think my best route now is to seal the back as it is, monitor the moisture, then once dry go down another ring.

[soy]

I agree I would go underneath of them If you can And then seal it... that should prevent it from checking again and after that there will be no reason to go down another  ring.

[The Gopher]

Just read my last post and hope it didn't come of a little snotty, didn't mean it too. I guess another question is what are you guys doing to monitor or check moisture. Just waiting long enough so it's not an issue, weighing staves until stable, or using a moisture meter? I have a moisture meter with the metal pins but no matter what i measure it always reads the same.

[soy]

I go by weight

[Pappy]

I seal the back of any bow,especially Osage if their is any question. Easy to seal not so easy to follow another ring.
   Pappy

[PEARL DRUMS]

I had to go down 3 rings on my trade bow to get rid of all the cracks. The third ring was pristine and solid. I dont check moisture. A year or so after cutting it, I use it. I keep a humidity gauge in my shop and in the house. I try to keep bows Im working in the driest place between sessions. Dont think too hard about this stuff and its much more fun!

[SLIMBOB]

Amen to that.  Never owned a moisture meter.

[mikekeswick]

To be honest unless you spend a fortune moisture meter readings just can't be trusted - fact!
The best way is to measure the weight periodically, write on the stave the date/weight and you will easily be able to see once it's lost enough to move onto the next stage. If you still aren't sure about a roughed out bow then repeat the process.

[gutpile]

the checks will not affect the bow but cosmetically ...put skins over it if it bothers you..or like they said chase another ring and seal the back.....gut

[Pat B]

Gopher, I keep a can of spray shellac(not varnish) and I seal the back of any bow I expose no matter how old or seasoned it is. I'v had too many well seasoned staves check when a new back was exposed and this is a simple remedy. Spray shellac has an alcohol carrier and to remove it you just wipe it with a bit of alcohol on a rag. A can of spray shellac will cost about $8 to $10 which seems expensive but a can will last me many bows and in the long run it is quite cheap.
  Generally checks like you described are cosmetic only. I usually just fill them with super glue and continue on. 

[The Gopher]

thanks guys!, i only had the moisture meter as part of a stud finder, you're right i don't trust it at all, but im glad i didn't buy it just for the purpose of measuring moisture.

The first thing i did after seeing the cracks was to weight it and write the date and mass on the side of the stave, just as mike suggested.

Pat, i'll pick up a can of spray shellac today at lunch!

thanks again guys!

[The Gopher]

All advice has been taken, went down another ring, sprayed the new back with shellac, and have started taking weights. Time to start on some other bows as I wait for this one to dry up a bit.