Repairing small chips in fiberglass

[Bill]

I have a ‘68 vintage Red Wing Hunter. My first bow- bought with money I’d earned delivering newspapers. When I draw her back it’s like being 13 again!

A friend who did bow restorations stripped and refinished her around 20 years ago. I just noticed 2 small chips or dents in the fiberglass. Odd, I protect it so much it’s not from an impact with a hard surface.

What to do? I don’t want them to grow/ spread. Maybe put a small dot of high strength epoxy on each? Leave it alone? Something else?










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[IowaHunter]

Colored sharpie to blend color and then a drop of Super Glue?

[Bill]

Maybe Super glue. I'm not concerned with small dots of a different color. My concern is them spreading and becoming a major problem.

[60 Deluxe]

What I beleive that you are seeing is a separation of the finish from the glass. Certain finishes tend to do that. I have a beautiful 1958 Bear Kodiak that was refinished by Don Ward, the "Bowdoc" that has white dots and creases that have the same appearance. Don uses Fullerplast to spray his refinishes. Fullerplast has a maximum thickness recommendation that Don ignored. When the limb flexes, there is too thick of a coat to flex along with the glass, it pulls loose, and wierd little patterns appear. I've seen the same problems crop up with Thunderbird finish. I fixed a Blacktail Columbian that had the dots by sanding down to the glass and refinishing the limbs. That is a lot of work, so I've started touching up just the individual blemishes using whatever means are at my disposal to make it look good. Sometimes that means sanding and feathering, sometimes that means using a pick to chip away the loose material in the case of a ding, then gradually filling the divot with thin super glue applied with an insulin syringe. I've heard of guys using clear fingernail polish. If you do that, I suggest buying some cheap fine artist brushes for application. I like to overfill slightly, level with Wet-R-Dry 1000 grit sandpaper, then lightly mist the repair area with some polyurethane in an appropriate sheen to match the existing finish on the bow.

[Bill]

So…. putting a small drop of super glue in each?


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[muzzlebrake]

super glue or clear fingernail polish is what I would use. Had that same bow in 1968 as well. Then a Bear Kodiak Magnum and next was a Damon Howatt Super Diablo which was by far the best recurve I ever owned.

[60 Deluxe]

So…. putting a small drop of super glue in each?


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yes. just know that you have to control the amount or you will be doing a refinish

[Trumpkin]

I agree, that's the finish flaking from becoming brittle and flexing at full draw. Not a glass issue.

[Bill]

Thanks, 2 tiny drops of cyanoacrylate gel and some 3000 grit sandpaper when it hardened.

Let's hope my RWH lasts another 55 years. That would make it my great-great-grandchild who could shoot it!