I have a Bear 59 Kodiak re-issue and I'd like some tips on changing the leather grip. Big Jim sent me a nice piece of leather and a tube of Barge Cement. Any tips on tackling this job without screwing it up would be appreciated. Bear did a super job with this bow but saying the leather grip is sub-par would be an understatement.

 

I have done a few............for your first one make a paper template using some heavier stock. Don't glue down too much until you are sure-just the leading edge and see where you are..........use a minimum of glue is my recommendation.

Mike,
The Leathers exposed edge should be Skyved which tapers the edges nicely otherwise you will FEEL the edge of leather.Skyving the hidden edge would not hurt either.If you have not used the BARGE cement you should practice a bit so you do not use to much and you get the best adheashion.

I bought leather and skyve tool. To put a new grip on a Honey Cub. First 3 try very bad ,I pried them off (do not glue it if its not perfect ). Look at a Bear bow and see how thin the edges are(thin as a playing card almost ) This took days of practice .
  I am proud of what I did But the Bear Factory is professional.

As above!!
Make a paper template. Skyve the leather thin at All the edges. Try a trial wrap of the leather to get an idea how and where proper fit is. Follow Bjorn's advice on usage of glue.
In the past I have used Titebond wood glue and found starting at the leading end and then slowly gluing and working the grip around in sections allowing for adhesion came up with good results. Clean up was easy with a damp rag.  
Working slow with patience and minimum smart use of glue is the key to a good looking grip.

I replaced grip on my Kodiak 59 (replica) several days ago .. see my post here   http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=001130;p=2  

You will find some very useful info and links there ... thanks TonyW and BowDoc again :-)

I've only done stitched leather grips; got lots of good tips from posts here.

One thing I've come to like is using double sided tape instead of glue.
Cleaner, holds well, and a lot easier to remove if you need/want to re-do the grip.

Michael Michael Michael, how did it turn out?

Had a little time on my hands last night and decided to put a leather grip on a 56 Kodiak. The previous grip had been removed in the past and a section of rubber inner tube was serving as a grip. The strike plates had also been removed so I replaced them as well.







I use thin veg tanned leather. Wet it down, stretch it over the wooden grip, trim off excess, skive the edges and glue it on with contact cement. Overnight it dries and gets even tighter on the bow.

Nice work

here is a pattern for a 1959 griz, not Kodiak. You can get the idea however. You might make your own pattern trying some old fabric to get an acceptable pattern you could transfer to the leather.

http://s190.photobucket.com/user/katswal/media/Grip_Pattern_zpsb4a30b7d.jpg.html

Once you get a pattern,  soak the leather in water and wrap around handle using some rags until dry. you should be close when it dries, then take handle off bow and glue it back on.

I've used the above pattern 3 times, glad to see it resurrected. Still best to skive it. Thanks HT!
Also good to see BD's thread still kept alive.

I used Tony W's pattern reduced to 93% (as I remember). Everyone above is right on. Careful with the glue, skive a bunch of leather around the edges, make a template, study the mock-up, adjust, be patient. I used a 3-4 oz. leather that I had to shop around for on the Bay.  [/url] [/IMG]  

Hey Brad, long time. How have you been?

Hey Brad, long time. How have you been?

Here's how Jolene's grip wound up, compared to the original grip on her sister, Frida.      [/url] [/IMG]

Great job!!!!

Thank you! Trap, do you still make feather rests? Jolene and Frida could use new ones and the rests from 3R are a bit wanna-be's. Have read high praise over the years for yours.

I actually make the feather rests for 3Rivers so the quality is the same.  Have been since Bear Archery started putting my rests on their 59 Kodiak Repros. You can get them there or PM me and I will get you set up.

The previous feather rests sold at 3R were pretty weak but currently they are selling my rests.