Hiding sight holes=full customization (pics added)

[Bvas]

I purchased this early 70s bow off the big auction site. I knew that site holes had been drilled in the riser, and was ok with that........ until the bow arrived. Then I decided to put my skills to the test and try to hide the holes. From there it turned into a full blown customization. I haven't got pics of all the phases, but here are before and afters of the inlay to get ya started        
 
 

[fujimo]

what wood di you use for the inlay- very nicely done

[alaninoz]

I like the grain matching of the inlay.

[BenBow]

Nice!

[typical2]

Very nice.  I would love to see a build along with a project like this.

[Bvas]

Thanks guys.
The wood is actually apple from a log that I had saved for use in a smoker.  The inlay is outlined in wood putty that I dyed black. My wood carving skills weren't as good as I hoped   :rolleyes:  I had tried using sandings from the bow and super glue to fill voids, but just didn't like the final look.

[wood carver 2]

That turned out nice. It's a lot harder to do than it might seem at the beginning.      
Dave.

[Bvas]

Alrighty got some more pics taken and loaded up.
The bow came with a plastic stick on rest. Even though they can be accurate, I much prefer to shoot off the shelf. So the second step was to crown the arrow shelf.


It's hard to see in the pics, but at the same time the handle also got narrowed with the cut in of a light thumb rest.

[Bvas]

I had thought about trying my hand at checkering or stippling the grip, but I wasn't sure I'd like the extra texture. I wanted something with a little texture, but not a whole bunch.  So this is what I came up.

[Bvas]

The final step was to dress up the tips. So I fired up the belt sander and a chainsaw file and went to town. Again I got into the stash of apple wood. All three lams are from the same cut of wood. However, the middle lam I soaked in black ink for a couple of days. It didn't soak up as much color as I hoped(that apple is pretty hard stuff), but still gave a good contrast.
Before

After

[jhk1]

Nice work!

[Wolftrail]

Nice details, to call it your own.      :cool:

[Bvas]

Thanks guys.
I think it turned out pretty good for a "practice" project. This was the first time I did an inlay, crowned and shaped a riser, and my first set of tips. I have refinished a couple bows before. And I've done some simple wood burning, but never on a contoured surface. That added a degree of difficulty I didn't expect.
The old Black Hawk Avenger has been renamed the Black Hawk Re-venger, as it has been re-built and re-finished.

[Msturm]

Great stuff

[stujay]

[Roy from Pa]

That is very nicely done..

[LittleBen]

Nice. What is the riser wood, oak? And walnut? Pretty unusual to see oak in a riser but actually I like it a lot.

[kenneth butler]

How did you protect the sight window when you rasped the shelf? Did you just burn the eagle or cut then burn? I really like it. Thanks    Ken

[Bvas]

Originally posted by LittleBen:
Nice. What is the riser wood, oak? And walnut? Pretty unusual to see oak in a riser but actually I like it a lot.

I'm not a wood expert, so can't say for sure.  
My guess would be oak or zebra for the one half.
I don't believe the other half is walnut, I would say it is some kind of exotic.
Maybe someone with more knowledge than me can chime in with a guess.

[Bvas]

Originally posted by kenneth butler:
How did you protect the sight window when you rasped the shelf? Did you just burn the eagle or cut then burn? I really like it. Thanks    Ken

I didn't worry about protecting the sight window too much, as I also put about a 1/6" contour in the window at the same time.
The hawk was only burned.  But I went over it about 3 times to get progressively darker and deeper.  I wanted to create light grooves to give sweat/moisture someplace to go.