backing osage bow with sinew

[luke the drifter]

i thought i remember someone saying that wiping the back down with acetone will get rid of any moisture(?) and unwanted oils and that this would aid in hide glue adhesion properties when working with sinew.  perhaps, it was something else.  does this sound right?   

[Pat B]

Acetone or alcohol will cut the oils from the wood. I have used both when sinseing osage. Others think that a good sanding and wipe off the dust and it is ready for sinew. I guess both methods work. You still have to consider the oil from your hands as you work with sinew backing a bow.

[billy bowmaker]

i have used acetone to good effect

but on other times i just plain forgot to degrease the osage, and the sinew stuck just fine

[MWirwicki]

I sand the back with fine sandpaper to reveal "fresh" wood.  Then I  pre-apply a thin coat of hide glue to the bow back; also known as "sizing" the bow.  I've never degreased any bows though Jim Hamm speaks of it in the Traditional Bowyers Bible.  I suppose the overall idea is to reveal fresh clean wood.

[adb]

I'm pretty sure our ancestors didn't have acetone or alcohol to 'degrease' osage.

[zenmonkeyman]

I think our ancestors might have used lye?

[Pat B]

Wood ash and water.