PSD Ryan posted a few pictures of his early seventies Bear Kodiak Magnum yesterday that he would like to spruce up a bit. That reminded me that I have a Grizzly from the same era that wasn't looking too sharp. I have never worked with a bow that has the green Futurewood so there were some questions in my mind about how well one of them would clean up.
I pulled my Grizzly off of the rack about mid morning and photographed it. Then I went to the workshop and gave it a thorough cleaning with 91% isopropyl alcohol and some elbow grease. During the cleaning I took mental notes of the good and bad conditions of the bow. I was very pleased to note that there were absolutely no stress cracks in the glass. The finish on the riser also did not have the deep cracking that is normally found on old bows. There were several scuffs and scratches on the glass and the finish was peeling off of the edges of the limbs. So I decided to see what I could do with some sandpaper with the intention of not sanding all the way through the finish so as to not disturb the green stain (if that is what it is) in the futurewood. I started out with some wet or dry 600 grit and knocked all of the glaze off of the old finish. I tried feathering out the scratches with the 600 grit but it just was not working so I grabbed a scrap of 120 and it made quick work of it. I dry sanded with 600 grit then took the 120 again and knocked all of the finish off of the limb edges. I gave the edges a quick once over with the 600 grit then gave the bow another alcohol bath.
A spray of Helmsman Urethane was put on about noon and then I went back and gave it another coat at about 12:30. Took a few pictures and now it is time to walk away from it for a couple of days. Once the finish is good and hard I will wet sand with 1000 grit, buff it out, and wax it.
Here are the before pictures
I pulled my Grizzly off of the rack about mid morning and photographed it. Then I went to the workshop and gave it a thorough cleaning with 91% isopropyl alcohol and some elbow grease. During the cleaning I took mental notes of the good and bad conditions of the bow. I was very pleased to note that there were absolutely no stress cracks in the glass. The finish on the riser also did not have the deep cracking that is normally found on old bows. There were several scuffs and scratches on the glass and the finish was peeling off of the edges of the limbs. So I decided to see what I could do with some sandpaper with the intention of not sanding all the way through the finish so as to not disturb the green stain (if that is what it is) in the futurewood. I started out with some wet or dry 600 grit and knocked all of the glaze off of the old finish. I tried feathering out the scratches with the 600 grit but it just was not working so I grabbed a scrap of 120 and it made quick work of it. I dry sanded with 600 grit then took the 120 again and knocked all of the finish off of the limb edges. I gave the edges a quick once over with the 600 grit then gave the bow another alcohol bath.
A spray of Helmsman Urethane was put on about noon and then I went back and gave it another coat at about 12:30. Took a few pictures and now it is time to walk away from it for a couple of days. Once the finish is good and hard I will wet sand with 1000 grit, buff it out, and wax it.
Here are the before pictures
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