A perfect finish on a bow.

[T Folts]

SO here is where I am at. I've done alot of different finishes over the years but IMO I have never achived the perfect finish. I am talking automotive perfect (show room). I'm not talking about gloss, semi gloss of flat, I am talking about when you hold the piece of to a very good light there are no imperfections. I can get everything correct but I still see little specs here and there of fuzz ect...
I have a clean spray room vented and temperature controlled and about as dust free as you can get.
After speaking to the pros in finishes I have come to the conclustion that there is going to be some labor involved after the bow has it final coat of finish. I use Thunderbird. I understand other finishes will dry very fast and really limit this but I want the best most durable finish on the market and that is Thunderbird IMO.
So I am working on a technique where I will be sanding with up to 2000-4000 grit (wet sanding), then polishing with the appropriate compound for the final finish. From what I understand this will not effect gloss as it is a part of the finish I will just be making the surface perfectly smooth. I currently use a splatter spray technique that alot of bowyers do and this will hide alot of sins but I want to have a smooth final coat for some bows. Good luck and if you have been down this road with sucess please share what has worked for you.
Terry

[Bowjunkie]

I too use only T-Bird and get upset if I have a single pock mark due to missed filling of open ended grain, or a speck of dust land on it. My finishes are pretty danged good, and while I take some degree of pride in them, I know guys who can use the same finish and make mine look average in comparison. The guy that helped raise my own standards is one of them. His are virtually flawless and he takes great pride in them, and deservedly-so. He also builds custom, handmade flintlocks... also with beautiful hand rubbed finishes. As you alluded to, he spends considerable time, wet sanding and rubbing it out after the last coat is applied. The chosen rubbing copound depends on the final look he's going for. I remember him using rottenstone on many of his own bows... which looked like a very high grade satin when complete.

[Bowjunkie]

I like to be sure to adequately fill, so the end result is really smooth.

I also work hard to keep dust out, and/or sand it out as needed.

And when I'm happy with all the above, I shoot one last finish coat or two, with satin, and quickly move it to a dust-free, overspray-free area to cure. I've been content with those results using Thunderbird and haven't done the rubbed finish for a couple years.

If I was gonna, I'd use gloss beginning to end.

[LittleBen]

This is all very interesting to me since I think my finishes consistently rank as total crap so I would like learnt eh tricks of the trade.

Has anyone considered using electrostatic painting techniques?

Also I wonder if using HEPA filtering in the spray booth would eliminate the dust problem.

I remember in grad school I worked in the clean room like where they manufacture and test computer chips and nano-scale stuff and I know if you really want truly DUST FREE it's a major pain in the ass. So I wonder how dust free you need to be to get a perfect finish. I have no intention of going into a spray booth wearing a space-suit ...

What measures do they take in professional and automotive spray booths?

[T Folts]

Even in automotive booths they still need to buff out the finish.

[LittleBen]

Gotcha, so sounds like buffing is the real trick then ...

[Dmaxshawn]

Perfect finish.  Over 20 coats the big guy put on himself.  Send it to big Jim and use his product.  Yes they're the same.  He's just closer to me than the others.  

[LittleBen]

So Big Jim sporayed that for you Shawn? That is quite ht efinish ... talk about high gloss

[Dmaxshawn]

Originally posted by LittleBen:
So Big Jim sporayed that for you Shawn? That is quite ht efinish ... talk about high gloss

Sure did bud and did one heck of a fine job.

[Wolftrail]

There is nothing like a sweet clear lacquer finish.

[carpin'mark]

Wow, that is truly a beautiful piece, the finish brings out every bit of it, very well done.

[Bodork]

Do you have a moisture filter on your gun? If not, you should get one. Be sure to clean your gun very good after spraying tbird. I mean take it apart and brush it out don't just spray thinner through it. Maybe those specs are getting delivered through your gun instead of being air borne. Make sure YOU are lint free also!

[Roy from Pa]

Shawn, that is exceptional spraying there.. Very nice Big Jim...

[chackworth3]

Very nice finish...