Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Tombow on July 07, 2009, 09:35:51 pm
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Almost done, I think. A screw up as I realized too late that the stave had split deep and I had to remove more wood than expected after thinning the handle. South Texas Cedar Elm, 72" total with Huisache nock overlays...pulling >60# at 28". Several small knots, so I left it thick in those areas and it has a "lumpy" look. Shoots fast, though. Anyone ever stain a bow with old coffee? Tom
IMG]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/FullDraw.jpg[/IMG]
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/HuisacheNock.jpg)
I just had to add some Huisache.....
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/elmBow003.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/elmBow009.jpg)
Thanks for looking.!
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Some of the pics didn't come through.......I'll try again.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/FullDraw.jpg)
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Good job.. Tried the coffee not a lot of success though, couldnt get a dark enough stain.
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(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/HuisNock.jpg)
Couple more shots.....
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/Braced.jpg)
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Looks good. I've tried coffee too on a scrap piece of wood, didn't come out too well. But I had a thought that I'm gonna try by the weekend. Ya know how coffee left in a hot pot too long turns to sludge? I was thinking if you made a strong pot of coffee, then put in a sauce pan on the stove to reduce, you could try making a sort of gel stain. I'm gonna be trying it on some knife scales.
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Tombow, nice looking bow there. love the lumpy look. kinda funny, i tried cofee last week, one cup of water w/ 1 cup cofee on the stove to a boil, then i simmered till it was black as oil, strained it let it cool and tried on the bow..... nothin. this was on hickory so a little caramel colored already, i couldnt tell if it darkened it a bit. the sludge idea sounds promising to me tho, didnt take the time to get it that thick.
Dustin D.
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Well done,how dose it shoot ? :)
Pappy
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Nice job! Looks like it's braced a little low, though it could be just deceiving because the bow is so long. ;)
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Thanks for the replys guys. Pappy, it shoots pretty good, a hard pull for me but I like the feel of that resistance and something to get used to. GregB, I may need a few more turns on the string, it is a bit uneven in the brace, so hard to tell. My next project will probably be Hackberry since I've been curing some and need a break from the Elm. I appreciate all the advice from you experts! Tom
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Try plug chewing tobacco, chopped into a container of household ammonia.....thin as desired with water.
piper
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Nice, that's a primitive looking bow, great job! How about adding some white vinegar to the coffee? I know rit dye recommends it when setting. A friend of mine used folgers instant on a hickory board bow, looked nice. Good shootin, Steve
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I boiled down some strong coffee this morning and applied; kinda' yellowish brown. It soaked in well on the belly but the back doesn't want to take it much. I'll take a picture once I put some finish on it. Thanks guys.
Tom
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Coffee stain.......
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/coffeestain002.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/coffeestain006.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/atkinsont/coffeestain001.jpg)
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:D Now it has a nice sun tan. I tried getting sludge, but after more than an hour all I did was reduce 8 cups of coffee down to one. More of a motor oil. I tried it on Maple, Hickory, Red Oak, and Cherry. Two coats each. I'll post pics for ya if ya want, so you can see the difference.
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Aosda, I'll probably never use coffee again but just wanted to see how it worked. I boiled it down with the grains very to very little liquid, almost burned...well, burned. I was rubbing the grains and all into the wood. Sure I'd like to see your attempt!
Tom
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Here ya go Tombow.
Each pic is a coat. Brushed on and let to stand for a few minutes before blotting off. In the last pic the Red Oak is missing because I decided to soak it in the coffee. The order is Maple, Hickory, Red Oak, and Cherry.
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Yes, that same yellowish tint. I think I'm not fond of that. The tobbacco staining sounds interesting. I'll start saving up my cigar butts and soak a bunch in water. Thanks,
Tom
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That's a nice lookin' bow Tombow.I use Elm myself. God Bless
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Good looking bow!
I'll tell you what I use more than anything to stain, and it's free. Every fall I gather a few 5 gallon buckets of walnuts only half full. I place another bucket inside to kind of seal it all in. after a few weeks, they start to rot and break down and the hulls get really dark and turn into a nasty goop. Use rubber gloves to smear it on and then wipe most of it off. It doesn't soak in like I would like it to, but I think if I added some alcohol it might help it too. the color is great, if you like dark wood, and the little granules in the stuff make almost like a sanding sealer and you can get a real slick smooth finish. after I get it where I want I use either spray lacquer or tru-oil to finish it.
Mark
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Great idea. I'm trying to make a stain from the acacia "Huisache" bark. Supposedly the indians used the bark as a dye...reddish brown. I just haven't gotten it concentrated enough yet.
Tom
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love how the bow turned out tombow. cant say i can see the yellow tint from the comp, but electronics are funny about showing "true" hues. great looking bow, enjoy the addiction.
Dustin D
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Great tiller on this one. I'll bet its fun to shoot. We'll look at it in a couple of weeks for July Self BOM fun.
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cedar elm?? is that the tree with the blown up bark all over the braches????
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Came out good. My only concern is she seems to be bending quite a bit in the handle area which is fine unless you are getting excessive hand shock. Jawge
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Yes Jawge, she has some bend in the handle since I mis cut the riser before I found that there was a chunk torn in that area when I split the stave. This cedar Elm tends to tear chunks out of itself when you split it if you're not too careful.
sulfur, I guess you could say the bark is blown up sometimes in the branches. I think that's where it gets the name "cedar" elm. The bark is a bit loose amnd flaky on the outside but horrible to strip down to the sap wood. You just gotta scrape it ar some point. Cedar Elm is also known as Texas Elm down here, I guess the most common Elm. American Elm doesn't grow this far south. Tom