Natural stuff for bow

[thegardener007]

What do you guys know about natural stains, finishes and sealants for primitive and traditional archery bows?

I'd like to stain and seal a bow but the only information I have seen so far is about using toxic stuff. Which kinda goes against the idea of making a primitive traditional bow. (people often talk about polyurethane)

I know nothing about the topic (it'll be my first bow). I do have a concern about compromising the flex performance of the wood with whatever I use and I would like to get really creative with colour.

If there was something that would give the wood extra boing, I think that would be very cool indeed.

The end result needs to protect the wood from scratches etc to a degree but most importantly would be to protect it from water and maybe sunlight as hunting is an all weather pursuit.

Whatever info you can feed me would be fantastic. I want to pass it back to the bow manufacturers and hobbyists.

Cheers

[Bradford James]

Hi,

There is a thread in the G'day forum that might be of interest. It has some links to some links that may help. http://www.woodworkforums.com/f175/archer-bowyer-127035/

It mentions ozbow. Have you looked there?

[orraloon]

I would first piont you to
Ozbow - Australian Traditional Bowhunting Forums. (http://www.ozbow.net/ozbow_v2_001.htm)
There are plenty other sites but this one is good and is local so you can get the stuff they talk about.
I have used all sorts of finish on bows and most will not affect the way the bow bends. You should look for something that will protect the wood from the weather. Old favourites were marine varnish, linseed oil and wax. An authentic primative would be animal fat or some kind of plant oil but mostly we use modern finish as long as we get the "look". I have used outdoor furnature oil on many traditional bows as it is easy to just give it another wipe if it is looking scuffed. Poly will do but it takes more work to touch up later. Just consider the environment the bow will be in and the look you want. If you can lay hold of the Bowyers Bible it is a good starting point for traditional bow making. 4 volumes all up but vol 1 will be a good start.
Regards
John