'66 Kodiak refinish

[C Kerley]

Well after refinishing a few bows and learning a little each time I'm going to really put some effort in this one.  Most everyone on here knows Cameron Kruse, who just donated the '59 Bear catalog to go with the '59 Kodiak for the charity auction...well, he made another donation, this '66 to me!  The other bows I've done were mostly basketcases, so what I did dramatically improved them, but I still saw things that just "weren't right".  And with that, I'm asking for alot of input from you guys who do this with much more skill than I have.  

Here's what I'm starting with
 

and the details



First off, where do I get a gold pen to redo this mostly gone serial number?

And, I refinished a K-Mag that had this stain on the handle that I never got off.  After I sand this, what will clean this up?


I sent Al an email, but is that the best way to get ahold of him for some new decals?

[C Kerley]

It's almost funny how nifty this works!


If you look on the left side of the bow you'll see some indentions.  



I have iron steamed and sanded them to this point.  However, as you can see I now have two different textures to the wood.  I'm assuming that where I've given it extra effort I've actually gotten to the wood and the other still has some finish residue?  And if so, do I need to sand it all down to completely bare wood?  I'm just wondering if the new re-finish (Min Wax poly wipe-on) will blend it all together?

[C Kerley]

And with that, I also have two different textures on the limbs where I cleaned up the decal area.  When I wet this with acetone I couldn't see the difference between the two.
 

And let me clarify my question above...should I sand the entire riser to what it is on the left?  And can I go to any more aggressive sandpaper than 100 grit?

I tilted the bow to get the maximum affect under the light, but the different textures isn't quite as obvious as it looks here also.

[C Kerley]

And I couldn't believe it, but Cameron actually had a Bear stabilizer insert he gave me for this giant hole.  I'm not big on that being there, but it was an option on a '66 so I can live with it.  



And finally, what may be the easiest to deal with.  I think I can throw some matching brown paint on this filler, sand it smooth, and make it look alright.  


It sure needs some loving, but I'd like to give this one some extra attention and make it "right".  And feel free to jump in with any suggestions, I'm crossing my fingers it'll make Compton in a few weeks.

[ckruse]

Great to see this underway! After several years of sitting at my house, she's found the right home. I hope you shot it a few times before you started, just to check it out. Keep us posted. CKruse  

[ishi1archer]

First off glad to see your going to give it a second life. I would sand the whole riser down to bare wood and the limbs down to bare fiberglass, just go easy on the glass and watch the edges. The best way to reach Al is e-mail and he is a great guy to deal with. Stick with 100 grit paper and once you have everything sanded down switch to finer paper. You can get a fine tipped gold pen at AC-Moore or Micheals craft stores. You should check out the real bowdoc's bow restoration 101 on here. It's full of great info!! Good luck and post some after pictures. Scott

[C Kerley]

ishi1archer you're right, I re-read the 101 post and most all those were answered.  And let me add, I don't know what a person gets paid to refinish one of these bows....but it ain't enough!  My gosh, to get these bows to bare wood is WORK!  I have this side of the riser stripped, and part of the grip area.
 

I'm debating what to put in those holes.  I could drill out that filler and put a small piece of wood in there, but would it have to be the same rosewood?

[C Kerley]

This is when Cameron gave it to me.  We met in Neosho, MO and went to a nearby archery/taxidermy shop.  

[Killdeer]

You two are up to your whats in alligators!

I am enjoying this thread a lot. It is a pleasure to see new vitality put back into your old classic bow.

Killdeer  

[shaft slinger]

Kerley,you could use some of the sanding dust from the bow and mix it with some clear glue and fill the holes, i also have had good luck with color Crayons, just melt the right color and fill the holes   Good Luck  

[Warberg]

Nice Work,

[C Kerley]

What is a clear glue?  I don't think Elmers is completely clear?

[Whip]

I've tried the saw dust and glue trick, but haven't had great success with it.  I've used it with super glue and epoxy and it seems the filled holes turn out darker than the wood around them.  Not bad, but still noticable.

My best results come from using artists pastels that come sticks like chalk.  Scrape the stick with a blade to make dust and mix it with epoxy until you get the shade you need.  It takes a little experimenting, a little dark brown, a little yellow, a little light brown, etc, until you get the shade you need.  

I think it was in bodocs 101 where he recommends filling the holes first with a wood dowel cut to fit just below the surface so that it takes up some of the space.  The epoxy will contract as it dries, and the wood dowel helps to keep that to a minimum.  

If you simply fill the holes with wood other than the rosewood you may have trouble with color matching.  And with a dowel of course the wood in the hole would be end grain versus the edge grain of the riser.

I'd love to see it when you bring it to Compton!

[C Kerley]

Any specific epoxy Whip?

[Whip]

I use smooth on, but for just filling holes I would think any clear epoxy would work for you.  It's not going to be holding anything together.

[C Kerley]

I got sidetracked doing the Black Widow DVD's and a canoe dip in the river cost me my camera, but here's an update....

That shelf corner is sure tricky, but this side is just about done

[C Kerley]

I felt like I was destroying history sanding the serial number off.  But, it was barely there,  and the bow isn't original too.
 

[C Kerley]

Sanding that white overlay really makes it "pop" bright

[C Kerley]

Here's what I spent the hot days at Compton doing.  I think most everyone there was in agreement...refinishing a bow is not a quick or easy chore for an amateur!

Aside from some clean-up on the shelf, the riser, bottom limb, and upper belly are sanded clean.  


 

[Bel007]

I saw Carlos sanding on that puppy for many hours this past weekend at Compton.  If you can't find any sandpaper at your local hardware store, don't worry...  He should be done soon and nation wide sandpaper shortages should be resolved.