Whats your faviorite bow finish?

[Pat B]

Uwe, I believe fat is the solid white stuff and grease has been rendered from that. Two fifferent forms of the same stuff.     Pat

[Rich Saffold]

I like mineral oil rubbed in after a burnishing..Your bow is waterproof, and I have thrown some bows into the pool for testing with good results.. It's clean, and you can rub it dry, plus you can drink it if you are constipated so its very safe as well.

For a major shine,plastic or fiberglass look I will coat over the mineral oil with glossy water based poyurethane using a sponge brush. Very thin coats with a light sanding of 1500 between the first few.  If the bow goes hunting after the photo shoot then 0000 steel wool and a good floor wax  coats it.

I also use Paraffin on occasion as well.

Rich

[carpenter374]

Anyone tried mink oil?

[nailbender]

  I used mink oil (made by Kiwi, in the shoe polish type can) on my hunting bow last year. Got caught in th rain once, the water beaded up an ran off. For those of you that don't know, Mink Oil is a leather waterproofer and conditioner. It is made from a combination of mink oil, silicone and lanolin, and it seems to work well as a finish for bows as well as leather. Just apply it as you would any other type of grease or fat.

  Dale.

[carpenter374]

Cool i keep a couple cans of that stuff around for my boots anyway. I havent had much luck with that kiwi stuff i like the justin oil for my boots.

[Justin Snyder]

I use whatever is handy at the time.   

[nugget]

 I Use Tung oil or Danish oil followed with a good coat of wax. Either paste wax or beeswax. I guess parafin would work

[Jesse]

5 coats of satin water based exterior poly one coat every 3 hours, light sanding before the last coat. I have had bad results with tru oil. It seems to come of if you scratch it. I like to be able to bang it against stuff. The only problem with water based is grain raise but it dries very fast  has low odor and is tough.   Jesse

[Eric Krewson]

Epoxy acetone (Massey finish) if I have a week or so to put it on. Tru-Oil most of the time, misted with flat spar urathane if I want a flat finish.

[david w.]

i have only tried deft and thats great if you want your bow now but it cracks under the compression of the bow and looks like chrysals so on my next bow i am using an oil finish

[PK]

I like shelac then 3 coats of Spar.

[Centerless]

I've had the tru-oil crack as well and it makes me nervous.  I've been using Teak Oil, 3 applications and then Minwax wood wax.  Easy, quick, no gloss problems and simple to add more wax.

[snakebow]

I hand rub on 3 or 4 coats of satin dainish oil finish and finish with a coat of furniture paste wax.

[El Destructo]

I've had the tru-oil crack as well and it makes me nervous.  I've been using Teak Oil, 3 applications and then Minwax wood wax.  Easy, quick, no gloss problems and simple to add more wax.

I have never had Tru Oil crack ...yet....but it takes so many coats...I can see how it could....I like the Teak Oil too..it looks really good....and it soaks in really well...and is supposed to harden in the wood Grains...so this should add extra strength to the Bow too.....maybe!!!

But Bear grease and or Beeswax is so much faster.... 

[carpenter374]

Ive had minwax wood wax fail me miserably.