Pine Tar

[Traxx]

Pine tar and linseed oil,,has a long historical use as a wood preserver...

Can anyone think of a good reason,that it would be bad idea with a self bow?
In my part of the country,,we have the opposite problem of many in other parts of the country,,in that bows become too dry....

[half eye]

Traxx,
     My bow finish is made from pitch, rendered fat and beeswax. After it has been heated and applied several time the bow is just about water proof.
     I have never used pine tar for the purpose but think it should work very well. But I would say to make sure to "play" with the proportions of the ingredients so that the finished product is not too hard  (or oily). If you fellas climate is real hot the only problem I could see is getting the treatment "stiff" enough to stay put in the wood.
     I also re-do my bows whenever they look the least bit dry, apply some finish, warm it into the bow and rub it briskly......after a few times the bow will be about as "weather" proof as you can get.
rich   

[Marc St Louis]

I've used a product called Varnish Oil by Tried and True many times on bows, I got it from Lee Valley.  It's Pine sap and Linseed Oil.  Takes awhile to dry especially when it's cool out, which is quite often up here, but it works well.

[Traxx]

thanxx guys,,,,

You do mix it 50/50 and some add a tad of thinner to it as well.You do heat it in and use 2 or 3 coats..Mostly ive used and seen it used as a method on tool handles and the like...I have had several self bows break on me,that were from no other reason i could find other than they just dried out too much..I have talked with others who are dang good bowyers,,who have had bows that shot well in other climates for years,bring them to Nevada and Eastern Oregon,,to have them fail after being here for a short time..A friend of mine,,who is an exceptional bowyer,from Ca,, has had a few of his bows fail,that he has made for folks in Nv,,with Osage and Yew,,failing the most...He says he wont make a bow for Nv that isnt Hickory or elm anymore,,and prefers to sinew back them...All the old native bows in this area were sinew backed, even with a thin layer..I think it was more for holding the bow together,,than for performance..
My thought was that maybe a finish like this,may keep some moisture in the bow...Or maybe i should just listen to the old timers and just sinew back all of them...Im one of those  guys,,that doesnt make a bow ,very often and i like to shoot the ones i make,for a long while...Id like to make a self bow,that fits that bill,if i could...

[willie]

Traxx

I have used Pinetar and linseed before, but it was on boats. Cutting with turpentine until it starts to build was standard practice. As long as it soaks in, keep applying. 
Never used it on a bow, even though I live in a desert in winter and have had some explosions from overdry wood.
Maybe a guy that lives in the desert should look at building a "humidor". The humidity gage I have came from a cigar supply house. Sems to work well for the 20 bucks spent.

[PatM]

It seems nothing really prevents wood from either taking on moisture or losing it at either extreme.
 
 Maybe a finish like this would soak in and at least act the same as a slightly higher moisture content? Kind of like oiled leather not being wet but at least it is still supple.

[Traxx]

Thats what i was thinking as well....

[DC]

It seems nothing really prevents wood from either taking on moisture or losing it at either extreme.
 
 Maybe a finish like this would soak in and at least act the same as a slightly higher moisture content? Kind of like oiled leather not being wet but at least it is still supple.

I don't think the finish gets a chance to soak in to any depth before it starts to set up. It would still breathe. The best you can do is slow it down some and if you move to Arizona you're going to have to moisturise.

[PatM]

But I think pine tar and oil mixed with  turpentine is never going to completely set up. That's the principle behind an oilskin garment.

   The tar added to an old oilskin mixture stops the mixture from drying hard and stiff. Not much use in a garment if it does that.

   Even polymerized oil is going to be kept flexible but this might be a time when an oil like mineral oil would be handy.
 
  Not sure how mineral oil would blend with tar and solvent though...

 Probably worth experimenting though.
 

[Hawkdancer]

Pine tar, boiled linseed oil, and real turpentine equal parts, will set up like a varnish.  I have used it o n tipi poles and a couple of other outdoor projects.  I got the idea from wooden canoe makers/owners who claim it is a Native American derivative or modified from an original recipe.  It does have some flexibility, and lasted several years on my lodge poles between applications.  It would probably be good on bows if hand rubbed in light layers.
Hawkdancer

[---GUTSHOT--->]

I'm not for sure about the pine tar. That's what base (ball players use on there wooden bats to make them sticky so they can grip them. Now mixing stuff with it might take the stickiness away but I sure wouldn't put it on a bow till I had the mixture perfect and put it through the elements. (heat, cold and rain) Good luck I'm a watching hope it works for ya.