Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Lee Lobbestael on July 23, 2014, 07:21:23 am
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What are some of your guys' favorite staining and finishing methods? Might give some of us some new ideas. I would like to try something different. Pictures would help
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I can't give much experience myself, but I can point you at some bow with amazing finishes :D
Weylin puts out some bows with amazing finishes, so you can check those out here and find details.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;sa=topics;u=7657 (http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;sa=topics;u=7657)
Also, Gordons build along is a constant source of inspiration.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,3895.135.html (http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,3895.135.html)
Here's a list of relevant posts on PA:
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=primitive+archer+bow+finishes+site:www.primitivearcher.com&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=955 (https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=primitive+archer+bow+finishes+site:www.primitivearcher.com&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=955)
Hope those provide some inspiration since I have little first hand experience to share.
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My all time fave finish is simply Danish Oil. About 5 coats gives a really nice "sheen" without looking like shiny modern poly finishes, plus it provides a nice tough scratch-free finish.
Otherwise, for traditional finishes for my yew warbows I'll just use pure beeswax applied in about 4 coats, each one heated slightly with a hair dryer or heat gun so it melts into the wood fibres.
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I like trueoil, I have used spray on poly, wipe on poly, spray on shellac and I like them all but I like trueoil best.
Grady
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I don't stain osage. I like it's natural darkening which doesn't take long. I have used leather dye and Rit dye in alcohol for whitewoods. One I like for hickory and ash and other whitewoods is hand rubber oil finish with finely ground charcoal.
For finish I have used Tru-Oil for many years. For hunting bows I add a quick spray of satin poly over the high gloss Tru-Oil finish.
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I use Formby's tung oil finish. It comes in both high and low gloss options. Hardens reliably, a few coats gives a nice protective finish, and the oil base really soaks in and brings out the best in wood grain.
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There's a real good water based staining tints called trans tint. Very strong stuff. A little goes a long way.
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Rit dissolved in denatured alcohol or any water based stain is what I use on white woods. Final finish is 3 coats of spar urethane.
Osage gets 3 coats of Tru Oil folloed by 3 coats of spar urethane. I like the way Tru Oi seals up the pores.
Jawge
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I don't much like stain.
Many years ago when I was a kid I made a lovely crossbow pistol, the stock was of plywood (yeah I know that's awful :-[ ) which had a nice contour effect, I stained the stock with "Mahogany" stain...
It came out the colour of a Lady of ill Repute's Lipstick >:( :o
I had to sand it down and do it over with Dark Oak, ironically where the Mahogany had gone deep into the end grain it sort of gave it a cool highlight effect.
Del
Here's my guide to commercial stain colours available in the UK.
Mahogany= Tart's lipstick
Pine= Yellow
Dark Pine= Brown
Teak= Brown
Oak= Brown
Dark Oak=Black
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I don't much like stain.
Many years ago when I was a kid I made a lovely crossbow pistol, the stock was of plywood (yeah I know that's awful :-[ ) which had a nice contour effect, I stained the stock with "Mahogany" stain...
It came out the colour of a Lady of ill Repute's Lipstick >:( :o
I had to sand it down and do it over with Dark Oak, ironically where the Mahogany had gone deep into the end grain it sort of gave it a cool highlight effect.
Del
Here's my guide to commercial stain colours available in the UK.
Mahogany= Tart's lipstick
Pine= Yellow
Dark Pine= Brown
Teak= Brown
Oak= Brown
Dark Oak=Black
Haha Thats true about alot of the stains I use too
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If I stain I prefer alcohol based dyes, they dry fast and they aren't tacky at all. I like tru oil, tung oil, shellac (as a base coat) Deft, Helmsman and any other poly. Its all good if done as directed.
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I've come to like the Fiebing's Leather Dyes. They really take to and highlight the grain of the wood's natural character very well. Just a dab will do ya, but the effect is very nice IMHO... I generally go over the dye job with Tru-Oil or Wipe-On poly.
OneBow
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Mostly finish w tru oil, but I have had issues with it when finishing ipe, so on ipe I use laquer in a spray can (min wax).
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I have used minwax stains and wipe on and spray on poly for several years now and I would like to get a little more creative at least with my staining.
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I like my homemade mixture of hardening oil for finish (transparent).
I have a collection of several earth pigments which I use as paint (+hideglue)
In the last days I did some experiments with ammonia, I've got really interesting results. Will post soon.
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Here's my guide to commercial stain colours available in the UK.
Mahogany= Tart's lipstick
Pine= Yellow
Dark Pine= Brown
Teak= Brown
Oak= Brown
Dark Oak=Black
It's the same here Del :-*
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Like IdahoMatt, I use TransTint for staining. It's expensive but the colors don't fade and they can be mixed with just about anything (not just water).
As for finishes, I use to use a lot of shellac but now I just use whatever I can mix and clean up with mineral spirits. Easy.
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I havn't tried it yet but a friend told me to lightly toast the belly with a carbon rich flame from oxy/act torch.just a light flame with lottsa black smoke!then lightly sand and apply the finish.
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I have used a few, some of my faves are Shelac or mineral oil and the finish it with clear a coat. ;)
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I love playing with finishes/colors and will experiment with just about any medium on wood. Charcoal, earth pigments, stains, leather dyes, walnut hulls, paints and even wall glazes meant for faux finishes. Various woods will respond differently to the same colorants and some times it is a guess as to how one or more colors will react on a particular wood compared to another species but the process is fun for me. Sometimes I'll put on something that looks bad and then after removing as much of the messed up color as I can I'l start layering on another color or two and end up with something I really like. Of course I can never duplicate that finish again since it happened by accident. ;)
Here's some examples, maybe more pictures than you wanted Lee and if you see one finish you like I probably couldn't even explain or remember how I did it, best to just dive in on your own and see what you come up with.
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Badly Bent, That first bow has a really cool color! How did you stain that? I do the same thing. I am currently finishing an elm self bow and ended up sanding as much of the minwax mahagony stain off as I could because it looked terrible and re doing it.
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Lee, that first one was a refinish job. The bow had a light brown dye job and tru-oil finish on it that I gently sanded out as much as possible. Now since the dye and oil from the original finish kinda gets into the wood it won't all come out, good base for one of those experimental finishes I mentioned. ;) I then blended some black leather dye, or maybe it was umber earth pigments (can't remember), mixed with alcohol and applied lightly then partially rubbed out and blended into areas with a alcohol dampened rag leaving some black here and there. After that dried I went over all of it with some green leather dye that I had added a little black or brown dye to in order to tone down. It's hackberry and I find this wood takes colors differently than some other white woods.
One way to get this layered color effect when using dyes or pigments is to put a thin coat of tru-oil on between the different colors, allow it to dry and then gently rub it out in random areas with fine steel wool before overlaying the next color. You can also do the same with fresh bare wood by starting with a thin coat of tru-oil before any color is added, steel wool it out, then layer colors , oil again, steel wool again and layer colors, repeat. Hope this makes sense. :)
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If I add color, which I do more times than not, I use aniline dyes in either oil or alcohol mediums... blending and fading colors together, or fading them into the natural tone of the wood, to get the look I want, often creating highlights or enhancing the grain with 0000 steel wool used in specific places, then spray with Thunderbird satin epoxy. This part of bowmaking is as important to me as tillering.
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Anyone use grain filler before putting on your finish?