Titebond or Smooth-On

[bowmad]

Hey everybody. I've been making bows since just before Thanksgiving, and now, obviously, I can't think about anything else. I've made eight bows so far but they have all been backed with rawhide or nothing at all. For my next bow I want to try a maple backed walnut possibly with some reflex. Up until now I've used Titebond II for all my glueing purposes and it has done what I needed, so my question is is it absolutely necessary that I use Smooth-On or something similar for the glue up on this type of bow, or can I get away with the cheaper Titebond? I feel like I've seen the answer to this question somewhere before but I can't remember where, and even though this is my first post here as a new member, I've already learned a ton from you guys so thanks!

[Pat B]

TBII will work just fine for an all wood backed bow. I have made many and never had a glue line failure.

[bowmad]

Thanks. That's good to know!

[red hill]

Listen to, pat! He knows what he's talking about.

[Sam Harper]

You could use Unibond 800.  It's cheaper than Smooth On, but fills gaps better than Titebond.

[Bowjunkie]

The best type of glue to use should depend on the gluing surface. If it's rough, as if 'ground' with a coarse sander or other tools, or if it has small gaps because we were unable to perfectly mate the pieces together, then a gap-filling glue like Smooth On, or Unibond is best.

If on the other hand, the surface is smooth, as would be the result of a planer or jointer, and perfectly mated, then a glue without gap-filling properties such as Titebond will generally work better.

Use what you need to best suit your application.... or prep your joints to suit your glue  

[bowmad]

Ah, that makes sense. I think what I'll do is get the wood and determine which direction I need to go from there. I do have a planer at my disposal so I'll probably try that approach first!

[bowmad]

Ok, so I went the planer and TBII approach. So far so good. Problem is now I have maple on the back of the bow and nothing else. Anyone have an idea for stain or something so I don't have a solid white backing? I'd like to make it at least a LITTLE less visible... but I do want to keep the contrast of the maple and walnut, just maybe not to the disadvantage of the hunter    

[4est trekker]

All of the above is excellent advice. I've seen this topic come up a lot over the last couple of years leading to a greater clarity for many.  This is good because I'm afraid many bows have met their end due to no other reason that an improper pairing of surface prep and glue choice.  Best of luck, and enjoy the build!  

[macbow]

Might want to use a light rub on stain. Then you can add coat till you get the color you wnt. Maybe a cherry or med dark maple.

[LESKEN2011]

Leather dye adds great color to an otherwise white bow back, but I have also used water based dyes in the tube you get at HD and even clothing dyes on occasion with some success (mixed with alcohol)

[Roy from Pa]

After applying stain, you can rub it with 0000 steel wool to lighten it up where ever you like. If you hit any sharp edges with the steel wool, it will take the stain off completely.

[bowmad]

Thanks for the advice fellas! I'd love to put a couple snakes on the back but It's not in the budget yet, so I'll experiment with some different dyes and stains on a scrap piece of maple and see what turns out best. I just don't want to ruin it before I start, and I'm pretty good at that!

[Pat B]

You can take a dry sponge, like you wash dishes with put dye on it and blot it along the back of the bow, It will leave a mottled pattern that looks pretty good. Use a few different colors for more variety.  I used this method on the PA Trade Bow I'm building. If Photobucket were more cooperative I'd post pics.
Do a few tests first on a scrap so you get the hang of it. I did mine on a rawhide backing but it should work fine on bare wood.

[bowmad]

Here's a pic of the bow so far  

[bowmad]

Well, looks like that link didn't work.
Great suggestion Pat, I'm gonna try that for sure.

[bowmad]

I took Pat's suggestion and ran with it.
 

[Zradix]

:eek:  

I'd really like to see a close up of that one.

looks BEAUTIFUL in the pic....thought is was skinned at first...had to go back and read what Pat suggested.

[bowmad]

I basically just dipped a sponge in stain to make the "scales," and used the corner of the sponge in a different stain to make the "diamonds."
   

it gave a nice pattern on the back while still leaving some nice natural color to contrast with the walnut on the side.      like this
 

[Zradix]

Thanks for the close up.

I really like it!

Very clean looking bow..NICE!