Ok, here is the deal. Took my martin dreamcatcher hunting last week. I put on top of my truck while getting dressed. A big gust of wind came and blew it completely off and onto gravel. I have several little nicks and scratches in the riser now.5 good ones tobe exact. Beautiful bow, now looks like crap.
Reason I love wood bows are thier beauty.
I called Martin and they said they will refinish it for me for $60 dollars. And yes, I want it looking nice, so please no replies on giving it character, or just go hunting, or whatever.
Or I know a furniture guy who said he can help me do it. I want it look great again. But he said he would really like to know the finish they put on it.
with a little patience you can refinish it yourself...i would give it a shot if the wood isnt gouged/messed upreal bad(its pretty easy to draw out nicks in bear wood with steam or a damp hot rag and a heavy glass rod or shot glass ....
if its just finish scuffs,
its not that hard...just go slow, and try to remove as little material as possible when sanding(do it by hand)...call martin and ask them what kind of finish they use...or use whatever the furniture guy suggests
I dontthink you can mess it up, at least not worse than it is.
Wood is not my thing. Never has been, hence the reason for the question. There is not much I can't do if I put my mind to it, but some things I would rather pay to have done.
Bigcountry, I've been asking around and nobody seems to know exactly what they use. Best guess is some kind of polyurethane, but that's still just a guess. $60 for a refinish isn't really over the top though. I think the bow doctor charges something like $200 for a refinish, but he takes pains to preserve the factory markings and that's extra work. I think I'd just pay the $60 to Martin.
You know I took it out hunting again this evening. Didn't get anything, everything was far, besides a family of coons.
But I was lookng it over, and the scratches are not as bad as orignially thought. I think I might just hunt with it. My luck I will get it refinished and next year scratch it up again.
Reason i was looking into getting it refinished, was I have considered selling it as I shoot my longbow better. But if I keep it, not too worried about it.
I still might send it back. I figured 60 dollars refinish, and 15 dollars shipping.
bigcountry-I own a furniture refinishing/resoration business and know a little about wood finishes. The link I provided at the bottom of this post is the same finsh used by Thunderstick archery. You can get it in both spray and brush on versions. This is the place where we get all of our chemicals and I go there at least twice a year for training seminars. The owner of the company has a longbow made for him by Thunderstick after their company began using this finish exclusively. Thunderstick sells it with their label on it, but I couldn't find it on their website. We spray it on every dining table, front door, etc. that we do. It is the toughest finish I have ever seen and will stand up to anything you put it through. It is beautiful as well. It lays smooth as glass and after it has cured, it can be hand rubbed to the exact sheen you desire. Feel free to PM or e-mail me with any questions, I would be happy to help.
Hey BC.....I've had Martin/Howatt refinish acouple ofdifferent bows in the past and they do an excellent job. I wouldn't hesitate to send them another for a refinish. If you're wanting to know what they use for a finish, Larry Hatfield frequents Tradtalk.com quite often and has been very gracious about answering any questions relating to the Martin/Howatt line of bows in the past. Youcould jump over there and shoot him a PM.
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