Does anyone know what kind of finish was put on a Browning bow. I am redoing an Explorer 1 that I kinda got took on. Needs some serious work and I would like to put the original finish back on when I get done with the grinding!!! Thanks Gary

Digging deep in my memory banks here...and I almost think that Fred Anderson told me that it was a clear polyester resin made by Dutch Boy, which might be impossible to find nowadays.

By the time you get that bow stripped you'll gain an appreciation for how much finish Browning put on each bow--it's hard stuff, and it takes a lot of elbow grease to remove it. I've converted five or six Brownings to an oil finish, just because I don't like all that gloss over the wood--but in terms of durability, their original finish was just about bombproof.

Crookedstix is correct...it was a resin finish and hard as a politician's head!

On the the three I did the limbs were quite compromised but the riser was fairly good. The original finish is glossy so tung oil or Tru-Oil dulled is a good idea.

Gary, Just for fun, here's a picture on an Explorer I that I got a little creative with. I never liked the way that Browning just sort of slapped those white lams on the handle without smoothing off their edges...so I went at this one of mine, starting with 80-grit, and got rid of those hard edges. Here's the finished product, which was much more pleasing to my eye than the original.

Well done, looks very early 70’s.

That is much nicer looking for sure Thanks for the pic.

Try the finish that Jeff Massie used to use if you want to get close to the same look and hardness. It is 2 part epoxy thinned with acetone and can be rubbed on the riser with the fingers if you so choose.

Simply build up coats to get the look you want. SAnd with 22o grit or 0000 steel wool between coats if required.

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