I purchased a 1974 Super Diablo from Jim Reed on here about a month ago. I had heard that they were good shooters and wanted to try one. I am not disappointed in that regard. Someone had done a refinish on the bow and had done a fairly good job, they just stopped a bit too early and the top of the riser on both sides had some deep grain lines showing. I piddled around with the bow for a couple of weeks and got the grain filled in, but when I was finished the darn thing glowed like a new dime. There was no way that I could hunt with the bow as shiny as it was. So I did a first for me and toned down the finish quite a lot. I like a glossy finish on an old bow, but I think that the new look makes it look forty years younger. Notice the glossy limbs in this first picture.

The riser side

In the sun

That limb is a lot better for hunting

Brad if you don't mind, what were the steps used to "tone down"? Beautiful bow by the way.

I think the bow looks a lot like something built today and it is forty three years old.

This should make a great hunting bow. Thanks for the deal Jim!

I feel your incorrect about the gloss finish!!!!!!!!!!

Most of my bows are gloss and I shoot animals ect. others dream about.LOL

That bow isn't for me with the flat finish. To me its to dull and deserves gloss.

Sorry bud just my liking of gloss. That bow is to pretty to not show off the woods.

I think it's fantastic. Even though the shelf is on the wrong side.:-)

I agree with grizz on the first part of his statement. That is a great improvement.

Ryman, Hey I'm with you. I love gloss on an old bow but the sun almost always shines here. You must be hunting on cloudy days or after dark. If I do change my mind I can have that bow back into gloss in less than an hour.

Chas, I used a small cup gun, 80 psi, Minwax semi gloss polyurethane with the needle on the gun almost closed when spraying. I wanted lots of air; enough so that the finish was tacky when it hit the bow. I held the gun back probably two feet or so. After it dried overnight I just lightly buffed off the ragged finish with some fine steel wool then used compressed air to blow off the bow.

Here is the picture that didn't load

Well, now it loaded. Go figure.

Nice Job Brad. I like the satin finish, you can still see all the grain very well and it also photographs better. )). I like it.

I think what you need is another Super Diablo. One gloss one low tone. Nice job, like the bow both ways.

The super devil is a GREAT bow. You made that one look like it belongs in the woods...

Never understood the liking for full gloss because there is too much glare to see anything but light bounce. Semi gloss or full satin shows the wood in detail. Guess everyone is different! Those are good bows! I shot one I made in 1960 for more than 40 years.

Just got back from shooting a couple of courses at the Compton rendezvous. One of the guys I shot with had an old Super D like Brads. I'm here to tell you I was envious. Those are nice looking bows.

MP

I am a gloss guy. Been that way since I bought Browning rifles. Their bows had that finish as well. Now I have both, gloss and dull. What I do object to is taking a fine well finished bow and camouflaging it with some house paint.

nice! and the low-gloss finish is excellent.

M60, I own a few high-gloss Browning guns, the 12 guage BPS has been dulled by age and use, imo it looks better than new ;-)

I like the satin finish good job.

NICE!

Great job.

Enjoy your new/old bow.

That looks great!

I like a high gloss bow, probably because that's how I remember them hanging on the racks in sporting goods shops in the 60's. But there's something elegant about a satin finish.

Brad,

You got a thumbs up from the horses mouth himself, Mr. Hatfield, so that should tell you something.

The bow looks awesome! All those old fantastic looking Winchesters had a hand rubbed oil finish that was satin and not glossy and the grain on some of those stocks looked a mile deep.

Sure wish I still had the Super Diablo I bought new back in the early 70's. It was the first new bow I ever bought.

Louis, you deserve the credit. You told me how you do it with a rattle can and I just modified your procedure to fit my equipment. Basically, I did it the same way that I paint limbs. I want it dry and almost like a match box striker. That way it won't try to run. Being able to regulate the air pressure makes doing that pretty simple.

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