strange decorative backing idea/question

[upstatenybowyer]

You know how if you iron wax paper over autumn leaves they retain their color? Well, I'm using this as a rational for trying to back a bow with those deep red maple leaves. I know it sounds crazy, but I've got the leaves glued on to the back, and then I brushed a thin coat of melted beeswax over it.

I'm wondering, how do I go about polishing the wax to make it clear without damaging the delicate leaves underneath?

Thanks

[upstatenybowyer]

here's a pic

[Pat B]

You might try going over lightly with a heat gun. That would smooth it out but I think paraffin has a translucent quality so it won't go clear.

[penderbender]

That looks super cool. Like a half de-barked piece of yew. Cheers- Brendan

[PatM]

Better to do the feather backing technique. Bury them in Epoxy. Hard to say how the color will hold up. I toyed with this idea but never followed through.

 Is it not more the fact leaves are dried and kept out of UV light that preserves the color?

[upstatenybowyer]

Thanks for the responses fellas. PatM, epoxy does make a lot more sense for a clear protection, but your question about UV light has me thinking... if UV light is responsible for loss of color (which it very well may be), perhaps a more opaque finish like beeswax will block more of it out? Hmmmmm...

[PatM]

I'd use surfboard epoxy and then a UV resistant  spar on top of that.

[PatM]

BTW a bow like this was posted on here but the pics are gone.

[loon]

BTW a bow like this was posted on here but the pics are gone.

Do you have a link to the thread? Or the title.. I wanna see if I can recover them, if they're from photobucket

[PatM]

This one has the bow Bubbles attempted. Not sure how it finally turned out. Keenan's  with the missing pics is in the same thread.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,39093.15.html

[Hawkdancer]

Very carefully!  Actually, I think the beeswax should work, but all the other suggestions sound reasonable, as well.  Beeswax has been used for many things and seems to work for most of them.  Looks god so far!
Hawkdancer

[mikekeswick]

Coating epoxy is obviously the best way to go for protection but no finish completely stops UV and of course it is too late to use epoxy on your bow after having used beeswax on it.

[ohma2]

Exactly what mike just said

[PatM]

Realistically bows aren't direct sunlight objects. If the leaves even held half their color it's still going to be pretty nice.  Maybe layer them on lighter leaves so that contrast remains.

  Use it in the woods and store  it out of the light.

[upstatenybowyer]

I think you're right Pat. The bow will be spending most of it's time in the woods or on a rack in a dimly lit room.

Update... I rubbed some tung oil over the beeswax and went over it briefly with a heat gun. You can tell the leaves have lost a little of their color, but Martha Stewart says once coated with beeswax the leaves will lose what they're going to loose within the first 48 hours. I sure hope she's right cause I'm pretty happy with how it looks now. Should look even better once I clean it up, apply more coats of tung oil and polish a bit between coats with really fine steel wool.