Sunburst / fade dye job question.

[Morgan]

A couple years ago I whittled out a D bow for my son. I believe this year will be his last to shoot that bow as he is outgrowing it and I am almost done with the replacement bow, a much more adult sized bow that will draw around 35# @26” when done (right now he draws 22-23”). Bow finishing is not my strong suit, nor what I enjoy, I like to get em smooth seal em and shoot them. That said, I would like to gift him this bow for Christmas, and would like him to be proud of it for years. His favorite color is most any shade of blue and I would like to do a sunburst or fade on the limbs from very dark almost black on the tips fading to lighter blue at the handle. Anyone have any idea how I can accomplish this? I have a beaver tail in the freezer that I hope to be able to use for the handle wrap, will be posting questions on that when I get to that point.

[Santanasaur]

Here’s a little tutorial from Boarrior bows. https://youtu.be/JvJ2pyOf1ZU
Leather dye blends really well. Fiebings is great but other brands  work too. Sometimes I’ll make leather dye out of analine or other thin dyes by adding wallpaper glue.

[Dances with squirrels]

I've done it. In fact, I've done it on most of my bows. I do it with alcohol or oil based aniline wood dyes. It takes a time or two to get the hang of the blending and fading together of colors, but you can just work on test pieces until you feel relatively comfortable. Eventually, you just have to go for it.

There's no real science to it. More like art. Like a painting. Work with it until it's good enough. But trust me, I'm certainly not artistic. Do you have any specific questions?

[Dances with squirrels]

I once made a hophornbeam selfbow and dyed it black at the handle, fading to turquoise blue limbs.

[Morgan]

Thanks. I’ll check out that video. What do y’all use to apply the dye? Cotton pads, rag, brush?

[Santanasaur]

I use a cotton ball inside a piece of gauze. Have also done it with those pom pom brushes that come with leather dye, not sure what they’re called. The bow i just posted was done with fiebings saddle tan and black leather dye.

[Dances with squirrels]

I use cotton patches, usually cut from old socks or t-shirts, doubled over, just wet the edge or a small portion of it to start. Re-wet as needed when it begins to dry out or get used up. I usually dye one color in an area, then dye the next area in another color with a clean patch of cloth, then sneak that patch gradually into the other color, rubbing/blending them into one another, dipping conservatively into the appropriate color needed to get the effect I'm after. I can't really tell you exactly what to do because it's a cause and effect 'in the moment' type thing.

0000 steel wool comes in handy too. It can be used to fade and lighten colors which compliments the blending. Sometimes I'll dye the bow considerably darker than intended, then use steel wool to vigorously work certain areas, removing a majority of the dye from the surface and summer wood, but it stays in the pores, grain, and spring wood. This is a nice effect. Steel wooling less and less back toward the handle or tips can cause a nice 'blending' effect of its own.... 'blending/fading' dyed areas into almost natural wood color with just steel wool.

[Will B]

I use Fiebings leather dye on the backs of my bows. Here is a sun burst I did on my grandsons bow. It is a rawhide backed osage. I just use a clean cotton rag to apply. Good luck.

[Morgan]

Thank you for the advice guys. I’ll Give it a go soon.