I have a bear Grizzly that has some nicks and scratches that I want to refinish. I am asking for some advice from you guys that have experience with this. There’s a small indentation on the side of the limb. Would I be able to sand some of it out or could I use a iron to draw the indentation out? I’ve been reading a lot of finishes on here and seems like a lot of people like that one automotive spray.

You could sand it out or fill it with super glue and then sand it to match the limb edge on the rest of the limb..Lots of people use spray on poly for finish... I've used wipe on poly with pretty good results also... Be sure to use a new piece of clean cloth with each coat and lightly wet sand between coats with 1500 to 2000 grit paper.

An old trick for wood worked for small dents is to put a small amount of water on the dent to get it to swell out again. You might have to sand off the finish so that the water can get to the wood. Then refinish with Tru-oil.

Thats not a dent, its a nick. I dought you could swell it out. I think I would build it up with some west epoxy that I used to build a wood boat with, but that stuff is expensive and doesnt come in small quantities. Never tried super glue but might be wroth a shot, and its cheap. I used some spray gloss helsman on a bow that came out really nice

Take a no. eleven Xacto blade and pick out any dirt or lose stuff. Put a piece of tape, with straight edge aligned with the bow limb edge, on either side of the limb. This will act as a dam to keep the epoxy fill from running onto the limb. Mix up a small amount of Devcon 5 minute epoxy and apply enough to more than fill the divot. Wait a few minutes - when it starts to harden test it to see if you can cut it with a single edge razor without pulling the fill out of the divot. When it's at a good hardness, but not hard, slice it off even with the bow limb edge. Rest the razor on the limb edge and slice with a sawing motion. Let it sit over night to become rock hard. Strip off the tape. Take a fine flat file and file the fill level with the limb edge. Sand it to super smooth. The epoxy will set "clear", not cloudy. You will be able to see through it when you put your finish on it and will be virtually unseen. Super glue will only harden the wood, not fill it. Sanding it out will leave an obvious depression in the limb edge.

I'd go with MikeT's suggestion with one exception. I don't think you need West Systems epoxy for that repair since you are just doing a cosmetic repair.

I would use epoxy from the hobby or hardware store or gel type super glue.

NO IRON / HEAT on limbs. Sand to blend in then finish to protect from moisture. >>>----> Ken

NO IRON / HEAT on limbs. Sand to blend in then finish to protect from moisture. >>>----> Ken

I wouldn't sand a thing. I really could care less about dings and dents on my 1966 Grizzlys. I simply rub superglue on the damaged area to protect it. CA makes a bombproof finish. ymmv though good luck

Leave it alone,it will get dinged again if u use it

Thanks for the input everyone. I’m gonna try the 5 minute epoxy route. I could leave it be but I want to get more experience with refinishing and also enjoy it haha. Idk when I’ll get it done but if I do I’ll post some pictures

Can't help you with the ding but I believe the other fellas that replied in previous posts got you covered. Hope the 5 minute epoxy route works for you and keep us updated if you'd like.

I've sanded and refinished a couple bows and I've enjoyed it. I'm far from an expert but I was lucky enough to get some advice from guys here who are like 2 bears.

This is the spray on poly I used when I did my last bow. I wanted a satin finish and this spray performed great for an amateur like myself.

This particular spray has an adjustable tip that you can see in this pic. It's a really nice feature because it lets you adjust the spray pattern. Again, helpful for an amateur like myself. Other sprays I used before would spit and sputter and I'd get globs I'd have to sand out between coats. This spray I had none of those issues.

Finished product. Good enough for this amateur.

There are some real talented fellas here like 2 bears, Mike T, Phil Magistro etc. I was/am happy to learn from them.

I've done 5 or 6 refinishes now - by no means an expert and can only speak to my experiences. If you really want that nick fixed - in my opinion it will be a lot of work for little return. Be VERY careful trying to spot sand like that - if you screw up and sand into the fiberglass at all it will very likely result in a limb twist since it's a spot removal, rather than across the entire limb. There's no way you can sand that out, without filling it, and not result in twist or affecting the tiller in my opinion. Filling it is the only real option I see.

That nick has zero impact on the working of the limb as it is. So if it were my bow and I wanted it fixed, I'd lightly sand just in the nick to remove finish and NOT touch the glass with a small rat file or similar. Then I'd fill that nick with 2-part epoxy of your choosing with saw dust mixed in. In such a small spot, the saw dust will blend it right into the look of the wood edge.

Refinishing such a small spot wouldn't be too hard. If you sand around that spot, you'll have a hard time getting whatever new finish you use to blend into the existing finish of the bow without always being able to see the repair. Which ends up causing you to do a full refinish - i.e. turning a small job into a major job. if you stay completely off the back and belly fiberglass (which is looks like you could in this case), then you'll be able to add a touch of finish and not notice it I believe.

That's my 2 cents for what it's worth.

Perhaps I wasn't clear. Sand to smooth up, BLEND IN (not to remove). You don't want any splinters of wood or glass. No raised spots to catch on any thing or splinters to spread. Then super glue to hold and seal everything. A small dab of epoxy may fly out out when shooting but won't hurt to try. I wouldn't though, Especially quick cure which tends to be brittle. >>>----> Ken

In addition to using an epoxy fill; after the divot is filled, shaped and sanded level with the edge of the limb, I sometimes put a little thinset cyano acrylate (super glue) on the fill area. This adds insurance that the epoxy plug will not come out and that the edges and surrounding wood will not peel, lift, etc. If the epoxy fill passes over the glue line of the core laminations, adding sawdust will obscure that glue line. If you choose to do that then you should consider painting in the glue line. When I repair delaminations, fractures and breaks there are always repair glue lines that show. These are all painted out. The end result is a limb that looks, upon close examination, like it has never been broken or repaired. Perfection, although time consuming, is always my goal. The results speak for themselves.

Supernaut that bow turned out nice.

Thanks Frank. I'm happy with it, I had a good time doing it, and I like shooting it. Win, win, win.

Looks good to me. Yes 2 bears and Phil are good.

Nicely done!

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