I'm finally getting down to the finishing stage on my boo backed Ipe longbow, but am unsure what to finish it with. I'm considering several coats of wiped on True Oil or wipe on poly. Does anyone have experience with either on Ipe? I've read that it is difficult to deal with. Used as exterior decking it is recommended to not finish it at all, but that won't work here. Any advice will be appreciated.
I used true oil on the one I posted pics of this morning. I don't think I'll use it again, it's kinda shiney and it still feels kinda tackey. I think the next one I'll rub CA glue on it for a finish.
I have also used Bartley's gel varnish on Ipe. It worked purty good.
Do NOT use Minwax Helsman spar urethane. That's a standard finish I use on osage bows, but when I finished a bamboo backed ipe bow this winter with it, it took about 6 or 8 weeks for the first coat of finish to dry on the ipe. It took another week or two for the 2nd and 3rd coats to dry. By then, the bow was sealed and subsequent coats dried normally. No problems with it a month after completion, but it took a long time to get there!
I plan to blow the dust off my air compressor and use Thunderbird epoxy for my current ipe project.
I've never worked with ipe before but from your description it sounds like an oily wood. I used to have a similar problem with putting a finish on cocobolo - it would take forever to dry. Then I started spraying a primer coat of shellac underneath the regular finish (Tru-Oil usually) and presto - problem solved.
Someone told me once...shellac will stick to anything and anything will stick to shellac! I love the stuff. Makes for fast sealing on new staves too. Pat
Yep, shellac is magic.
Ipe is an oily wood. With ipe, spar urethane can take forever to dry sometimes. Start with a coat or two of shellac, then you can apply whatever you want over that.
It sounds like a couple coats of shellac followed by a couple of wipe on poly will be the direction I'll follow. Thanks for all the input.
That's good info to know. I hope to do a BBI someday - I'm loving the ones I'm seeing with the slender limbs and tips by Rich Saffold of CA, and lots of others.