Applying rawhide backing with TitebondII

[Sidewinder]

Never done a rawhide backing before but thought I knew how from what I've read on here. I soaked the rawhide until pliable ( couple hrs) then sqeegeed it out and cleaned back of bow with acetone and then applied the rawhide it to the back with Titebond II, squeezed out all the air as best I could tell and then let cure overnight. Then I trimmed the excess off. waited another day and strung it up and pulled on it. The top limb of rawhide came loose and popped off. ?? did I miss something in the equation?  help

[George Tsoukalas]

I think I used to size the bow first so just reapply. Jawge

[PEARL DRUMS]

I hit the back with 50 grit, size the back 24 hours before with the same glue Im using to hold the rawhide down. I don't and never will put any harsh soaps or acetone on any bow I make. Never needed to and see no reason to start. Never had rawhide or sinew come up, not even a little.

[bubby]

Size the back of the bow first, the rawhide shouldn't have to soak a couple hrs, mine only takes about ten minutes, then I wrap with a ace bandage for about an hour,  unwrap and push it with my fingers to make sure all the air is out

[wizardgoat]

Did you score the back with a hacksaw blade?
Did you size the back with glue and let it completely dry
before applying the rawhide?
Sounds like maybe the bow sucked up your glue.
letting your sizing dry creates a barrier and prevents this

[simson]

Dany, here is what I do.
1. clean up the back with oven cleaner spray, let it on for a couple of 10 min, rinse with warm water, dry with tissue
2. soak the rawhide strips for at least 2 h in water, then dry it with tissue
3. apply TB III thick on the back of the bow and on the flesh side of the strips
4. let the glue soak in for about 15 min, til it becames sticky
5. fix the strip with rkepp tape at the handle and give a good tension to the tips, secure it here with another tape.
6. now work from handle to tips all air bubbles out, be sure not to squeeze out all the glue
This works for me ...
good luck on your project!

[bradsmith2010]

I think washing the rawhide(with soap)to get as much grease off is good too,, cleaning the back is very important step (I like to rinse with boiling water),,, and sizing,,, I even size the rawhide,,

[Sidewinder]

So the common theme I am picking up on is to size the bow back first. So if the backing has popped off and there is no glue on the back of the bow, only on the rawhide, how should I go about reusing the rawhide?. Can I re soak it and size the back of the bow this time? With Titebond II I know it is a little different that III. Do I need to size it and let it dry first and then reapply the rawhide? Sorry I'm a little dense sometimes, but when the light comes on it usually stays on, lol.

[Sidewinder]

Also my bows back is smooth as a babys butt, do I need to rough it up. Was concerned with lifting a splinter that way. My main purpose is I am trying to repair a knot that is showing signs of not having enough meat left on it. I have been shooting this bow for 6yrs and it previously had a copperhead skin on it. Got left out in the rain and it started to come loose so I stripped it off and had to scrap the excess dried glue off and thats when I violated the knot a little. Thats also what has led me to try and back this bow. Its my favorite and go to hunting bow. I am one with it and need to save it. It hasn't failed and I don' t want it to.

[bradsmith2010]

rough the back up with sand paper and clean with soap( if osage rinse with boiling water) , acetone or something,,if the rawhide is greasy you will need to wash with soap
size the back with glue
let dry a bit
apply glue to rawhide and back of bow  and put her on,,work out bubbles but dont work out too much glue as suggested above

i like to tie my rawhide down to dry with ace bandage or string,,