vintage Fred Bear
 

I'm completly new to traditional bows, andI'm trying to restore an old Grizzly for my grandfather. Back in the 50's he put some kind of dark tape on it for camoflauge. Now the adhesive is rock hard and won't come off. Does anyone know a safe way to take it off? I'm alsowant to replace the cracked and dried out leather grip, but I'm not sure the best wayto do that.

Thanks Jason

RE: vintage Fred Bear
 

WD-40 is good at dissolving old adhesive... really about the only thing I use the stuff for besides cleaning rust off old tools. You might try some of the new products for cleaning off adhesives that are on the shelves. I think one is called "Oops", or something like that. I haven't used any of them myself and don't know how well they work.

I do know WD-40 though. With a bow that old, it's possible that the original finish is cracked, so you can't just spray it on and let it soak. WD-40 will soak trhough any bad spots in the finish, get into the wood and discolor it, if not ruin it outright. So, you'll need to spray it on your rag and work small areas at a time. Work slowly and be very patient with it and have faith the gunk will come off.

That stuff has been on the bow for 50 years, so don't expect it to just wipe off. ;) Make it a labor of love, not a chore to fly through.

You can carefully remove the old grip and use the same technique. Try to keep the leather in one piece if at all possible and use it as a template to cut your replacement leather to size. Test fit the leather to make sure it's the right size and do any trimming you need to do. Dampen the new leather just enough to make it pliable, not dripping wet. Then coat the leather and grip area with Barge cement (they got it at Wally World or Lowes/Home Depot) according to the directions on the bottle. Then just wrap the new leather on and do any finish trimming it need to make it look nice. Once that's done, it'd help to wrap the new handle with an Ace bandage until the glue sets up.

Or you can get a strip of leather about 1" wide and make a wrapped handle instead. Won't look original, but it'll be functional. Check out The Ferret's webpage for some good instruction.

http://groups.msn.com/ferretsarcherywebpage

RE: vintage Fred Bear
 

Thanks Arthur P,

The finish seems to be in good condition so I don't think the WD-40 will contact the wood. I'll try what you recommended for the grip.

Jay

RE: vintage Fred Bear
 

If its that old ........ sell it on EBAY as a collectors bow, might fetch some good money, and buy a newer bow !

RE: vintage Fred Bear
 

Before you start, you may want to really inspect it well or have someone do it for you. Look for cracks and twisted limbs. If everything looks good, or has problems which can be fixed, then go ahead and restore.

I bet it has a lot of sentimental value and taking something with it would sure be a lot of fun. :)

I was in a similar situation with my Dad's old Bear from the mid 60's. I remember looking at it as a kid in amazement. Now it's mine, and it is still very shootable. Only problem is finger pinch. I believe it is 52" long and with a 29" draw, it's a bit painful to shoot.

RE: vintage Fred Bear
 

You nailed it, Where I'm from Fred Bear had a big influence on me, andin addition my grandpa bought if from Fred I believe. Since I recently decided to take up traditional shooting, I thought it would be great to take a deerwith this one.

Though I'm know expert, the one I have appears to be in great condition, but I would like to take itin andget looked at.

Good luck on your project, hope it works out for you.

RE: vintage Fred Bear
 

Keep us updated. I'm sure there's a bunch of us eager to share in the experience.