I have been using True oil by fingers for almost all of the bows I have done( not that many!) and am curious what most of you use for a finish and how you apply it.

I have not been happy with my results by fingers. The true oil is fine as long you know it is going to lightly yellow your project but does not come out completely smooth. It always comes out with a brilliant shine.

As long as I'm asking questions is there a best way to fill pores in the wood before or during the finish to come out smooth without a dozen coats?

Thanks Tim

Google search Massey finish,,,,it may be what your looking for.

There 2 different Massie/Massey finishes.

Jeff Massie, from over in Gonzalez,Texas used a finish that is acetone thinned epoxy.

Jay Massey, from Alaska, used a finish that was 1/2 bolied linseed oil, and 1/2 shellac.

Many times the 2 get confused, and crossed up.

Don't know if you are only looking for hand applied finishes. If you can spray, a vinyl sanding sealer, followed by conversion varnish, will give you a b*tt smooth, durable finish. If you are hand finishing, you could use a paste wood grain filler, before your finish coats. It would give you a nice smooth surface.

Good post FDP! I was referring to the acetoned thinned epoxy,,,,fumes are wicked! I've had good luck with it on Osage and hickory Selfbow's using a lint free rag and wiping it on. I've only used the Gorilla brand clear once and it left an ultra high gloss finish.

Applying true-oil with fingers. First thing is to fill the pores. This is done buy applying a fairly heavy coat and while still wet sand with 220 grit wet/dry paper,in a circular motion. You will notice a slurry developing, that's wood dust and finish, when it gets fairly thick wipe excess off with a soft cloth across the grain and allow to dry. repeat process until grain is full. Then wet finish the entire bow using 320 grit wet/dry and wipe the excess off as before then hand rub with bare hand before finish is dry. you now have a satin finish. If you want a gloss finish, wax with a quality floor paste was.

I've used this process to finish gun stocks for many years.

Bob

Should add, While sanding continue to wet the sand paper in True-oil to keep the slurry moist.

Bob

Thank you for the replies I really appreciate it!

Next time I will try the wet sand True oil approach. Eventually I would like to set up to spray on the finish. Tim

I've experimented with a lot of different finishes on bows and arrows, then I tried Thunderbird Epoxy. Now I put that #%*^ on everything! It's a little more of a hassle than your typical out of the can finish, but the results are worth it to me.

deft has worked for me well so far

Try using panty hose to apply Tru-oil. It helps keep everything smooth and even. I use steel wool in between coats.

Jay Massey did not use linseed oil and shellac, he was the original inventor of epoxy thinned with acetone for a finish.

I had all his books at one time. According to his book, his first use of the acetone epoxy finish was on a sinew backed hickory bow that he lost in a river and recovered days later with no damage to the sinew or hickory.

After sanding, I wipe my risers with denatured alcohol and apply a coat of marine epoxy to the riser with a foam brush. When it sets up to the tackiness of masking tape, I apply coat 2. I wait until it's masking tape sticky and apply coat 3, then coat 4 in the same manner. I let the epoxy cure for a day or two, then LIGHTLY sand with 220 grit paper on a "Mouse" orbital sander, being VERY careful not to sand through the epoxy, just knocking down the high spots and ridges. Then I switch to 320 grit and hand sand slowly and carefully until the epoxy sheen is gone. If I cut through the epoxy into the wood, I apply 2 or 3 more coats of epoxy over the entire riser and begin the sanding process again. I finish up with a Scotchbrite pad, then OOOO steel wool. This process will seal and fill all the pores in any wood and allow any finish to be applied, even over very oily woods like Bocote. I simply spray my bows with 4-6 coats of Minwax semigloss polyurethane in a rattle can, but you can use any finish you like. You must let the poly dry for a minimum of 3 days before handling, even though it may feel dry to the touch after 1 day. I use MAS epoxy, but any good epoxy will do the job. I feel the biggest mistakes in the bow making process occur when folks rush. SLOW DOWN! Savor and enjoy each step. Good luck! Richard

Tim

It's only going to be a little more even than your original surface. If it isn't smooth, it isn't because of the tru oil. I'm figuring his out myself now. I like the 'primitive look' on my self bows. I put some Shellac on a rough Osage bow and it's not even...steel wool and multiple coats does help.

I'm doing another one now with Danish oil and haven't decided if I will topcoat after curing

I tried tru-oil, but didn't like the results after cutting down the shine. Then I found DEFT spray at Home Depot, and I'm sold. Looks great.

Runner is right, Massey did use other finishes early on. Whether he was the first that came up with the epoxy acetone finish is debatable as well, I had never seen it mentioned before but it could have been out there. I used it on all my personal bows and arrows for years but got lazy and gravitated to Tru-oil.

Runner, I've heard of the "lost bow story" but have never seen it, or any reference to where the story appeared. Do you know where it is written? Jay didn't get French Polish named after him, except in the cyberworld.

2 different Maasey's/Massie's guys. Jeff used the thinned epoxy, and that was called the "Massie finish".

Jay did talk about tin the "bowyer's Craft" rubbing epoxy on bows as a finfish using his fingers. I've never read, anything about him using thinned epoxy. Not saying he didn't, but I've never seen evidence of it. It would kind of gone against his personal code.

TruOil, wetsanded with 1000 grit wet-r-dry and buffed with a cotton wheel on a drill and some automotive rubbing compound

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