Am starting to refinish an old Pearson Palomino, it has been done once and it's pretty dull considering steel wool and water to take off old stuff and don't know what's best to put on new.

Anxious to see the pic's when you are done. I got started in archery as a teenager when I found on old Pearson Palomino my dad had.

Lot's of guys (2 bears, Yorktown5, Phil Magistro,etc.) will be along soon with much more knowledge than I have, but I've read and had good experience with a 50/50 split of tru-oil and mineral spirits.

Also, there are a ton of old threads on here discussing refinishing.

Dave, My favorite is Minwax wipe-on. I usually put in on with Shot cleaning patches. Just be sure to get all the old finish off before applying the new finish. It is available in different finishes ie. Gloss , semi gloss , satin ect. Can't wait to see the before and after pictures. Be sure and post them!

This isn't a simple Q since the bow was already refinished and not knowing what type of finish was used and how deeply the refinish soaked in.

So I can't tell if the suggestion of steel wool removal of the re-do is sufficient.

Then there's the fact that while most "Palos" were made with light color woods, they also made a "dark" version.

Generally, I'd suggest a more aggressive removal of the refinish with Zip-strip or some such and scraping followed by an acetone wipe down to remove any remaining stripper chemicals and a fine sanding preparation for new finish.

There is a difference between "restore" and "refinish" too. Pearsons are notorious for not very durable original finish. It actually makes it difficult NOT to refinish better than original. In that case, most any brand replacement of finish will do.

If you choose to wipe on, I'd avoid polyurethanes as they dry too quickly to self-level well making between coat sanding more difficult. Better to use something like Minwax Helmsman poly-spar which levels better as it dries.

If spray can finish is used, an acrylic such as Krylon clear coat will end up closer to original looking (thin). Helmsman sprayed on in several coats can deliver a deeper looking finish and can be scratch touch upped with Tru-oil, itself a decent wipe OR spray option.

Rick

Thanks so far I can tell its going to take more than steel wool and water. Main question, can I sand the glass?

I've refinished a lot of bows, and steel wool and water sounds like a bad idea to me.

Yeah Dave. I sand off all the old finish.I usually start with a 100 grit to get the majority of the old off. Then go finer until no scratch marks can be seen. When sanding where there is glass, if you watch you will see a dull sheen appear when you get the finish off. If you don't have new decals then just sand up as close as you can and take a picture of the info on the riser so you can replicate it. On the lettering I spray a coat over it before using a wipe-on over it as it can smear if not cured real good.

I did one recently. I agree you must get all the old finish off. It is time consuming but be patient and carful when sanding. Do not sand through the colors. They are stained and they won’t match the color after you put on a finish. I like and use the MinWax rub on products too.

A scraper, whether a regular cabinet scraper or just an old pocket knife or piece of broken glass will really help with getting the finish off and minimize sanding scratches.

Some good advice here for stripping thanks. Have found a guy that said if I got it ready he would shoot it with some Fullerplast, might do that.

Stripping is the hard part , I sand and scrape with a cabinet scraper , like wood scraper blades also.

Scrape it.

I don't often use coarser than 240, it cuts fast enough. Courser often leaves scratches that are harder to get of the the finish was. Good comments for finish but if you can get it sprayed even better. Looking forward to the results. >>>>-----> Ken

I've refinished a few bows as well, and can't see any reason to use water. As far as steel wool goes, I only used OOOO between the finishing coats. Sandpaper and elbow grease first ! This Super Mag was done with gloss Wipe-on Poly.

Any more on Poly , I like to cut straight poly 50 0/0 with mineral spirits. Wipe on and wipe off to 13-15 coats min. , let sit 10-15 min between coats. Then hit the riser with the 50/50 for another 3-4 coats without wiping as the wood grain hides the little sins. The limbs are unforgiving on the smallest of defects and will get polished out once cured.

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