Using Decals to Complete Your Vintage Bow Refinishing Project

Decals:THE FINAL TOUCHES TO YOUR BOW RESTORATION

Before you refinish your bow carefully measure the area where the decal will sit and measure the decal itself.

Once you have your bow 90% refinished, you can start to think about the decals. If you are lucky you have some minor buffing and cleaning to do. If you are thinking of decals it is very likely that your bow needs major refinishing. If you have not started the refinishing I suggest you read these helpful tutorials before you even think about your decals.

Here is my article on restoration:

http://shakespearearchery.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-refinish-vintage-bow.html

other great tutorials

http://toolmonger.com/2011/01/19/project-1-recurve-bow-a-refinishing/

http://www.tradrag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=2645

OK, now that your bow is completely prepared you can think about the decals. There is a great guy who makes the perfect decal for vintage bow fanatics like us.

Al's Decals

Al Harford, acaah@aol.com  734-856-2591. The subject line of your email should have "decals"

Al specializes in reproductions of mostly Bear Bow decals but he does have other makers available. He does not have a website; he has a day job and makes these terrific decals for the pleasure of it. The best way to contact him is via email or phone.

I collect Shakespeare Root bows as well as few Bear Bows. I contacted Al and he said that he had decals for my 1957 Bear Cub. The Cub was in fair to poor shape when I got it. The belly had some deep stress cracks, there was also a cut mark on the belly and the back of the bow had slivers of fiberglass coming though the deteriorated finish. However the riser was excellent condition and the leather wrap was in great shape. It was a perfect candidate for the Loctite 420 treatment. This requires injecting the cracks with the Loctite 420 “super glue” until the crack is flush with the fiberglass. (watch out for glued fingers!) It was also helpful to hold down the splinters on the bow’s back.
If you want other maker’s decals you will have to supply Al with excellent high resolution photographs. This can be tough to do if you don’t have a bow with one of the decals. If you have a friend with the decal you need then you are in luck. Otherwise you will need to troll the internet looking for a clear high resolution image. He prefers them in a PDF or TIFF format. However if you are not Photoshop savvy he will use a good quality JPEG.

Again before you refinish your bow you need to  carefully measure the area where the decal will sit and measure the decal itself.

Al said he had a few Shakespeare decals but many of the X-bow logos he does not have. So if you want a good restoration you will have to do some searching for logos and then some photo-tweaking once you have them.

Order your decals, most likely Al will have the ones you need. If not you will have to special order them. Don’t worry, he will let you know exactly what to do.

He is very quick with his shipping, once you get your decals open them and read his very thorough instructions.

Your decal will come with a protecting backing, set it aside; you will need it later in the process.

You will need a hard object to burnish the decal and a role of blue painter tape. The tape keeps the decal in place. Make sure you have lightly sanded the area with 600 sandpaper and make sure it is clean and free of dust to assure a good bond. Measure the spot which you want the decal to be placed.

Carefully begin to burnish the decal. You will see a change in color as it transfers. Lift the decal to see if it has transferred, if not, simply re-burnish.

Next place the protective piece of paper which came with the decal over the transferred decal. Lightly burnish again. This will assure a smooth looking decal.

Check to make sure the logos are flat with no bubbles.

Now your bow is ready for the final coats of finish.

Sometimes you might not have the time to do the bow restoration, refinishing, and then the decal application. The decals have a shelf life of about 1-2 years. Older decals dry out and are hard to transfer. Monte “Inrut” from Tradrang.com posted his simple solution to dried decals: “I have a solution to the self-life problem that worked for me on the last two sets that I applied. My transfers are over one year old. I VERY lightly sprayed Elmer’s Craft Bond of the back of the transfer. I'm talking a fine sweeping mist. I then let it dry about 15 minutes and applied the decal as per the instruction sheet. The transfers worked just like they did the first time I'm bought them.”

 

Enjoy!!!!!

  
Books:

Rick Rappe- Vintage Bows 1 &II

http://www.lulu.com/shop/rick-rappe/vintage-bows-i-an-introduction-to-choosing-shooting-and-collecting/ebook/product-17355180.html

http://www.lulu.com/shop/rick-rappe/vintage-bows-ii/paperback/product-20247920.html

Professionals Restorers:

• Old Bow Rehabilitation Service- Recurves, Longbows. Rick Rappe; author of “Vintage Bows 1 & II” - you will be in good hands. His email: yorktown5@comcast.net

• Rich Lopez is also a great bringer of life to tired bows:http://droptinetraditions.com/php/ droptine59@gmail.com

• Bowdocs Archery Finish Restorer http://myworld.ebay.com/bowdocs/

BowDocs Bow Restoration business is now-    

Prairie Traditions Co. owned by Joe Lasch 

786-236-2857 info@prairietrad.com http://www.prairietrad.com/

The Bow Hospital owned by John Rafferty 

http://www.prairietrad.com/page30.html

Shakespeare Yukon X24 prototype?

THE MYSTERY YUKON BOWS

      

I spotted these bows on eBay. My friend Lewis Kent snatched up both of these unusual bows. These are two  very different M24 bows, one needed some refinishing the second just needed cleaning. The decals on each are outstanding, limbs are straight and they are both a beautiful bows. What make these bow so special is it has no Yukon X24 decal logo but each have a handwritten “M24”; they could be a prototypes or special production Yukon X24.
From from 1961-65 Shakespeare named all of their bows with a "X" designation. After 1965 Shakespeare renamed the bows after national Parks and redesigned the models.The predecessor to the Yukon X24 was the Wonderbow X24. Like the The Yukon it is a 60" bow however it had red fiberglass rather than the Brown or green of the Yukon. Both bows are missing the Yukon logo.  

model X24 1963-65

Lewis Kent's first Mystery Bow M24 rosewood and black glass

       

Lewis Kent's second Mystery Bow M24 dark wood and chocolate brown glass

A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to be replicated or learned from. A prototype is helpful to determine cost of production and the function of a design. Bow designers use prototype to test of limbs and arrow speed. Most archery prototypes bows are use fairly simple woods for risers.

       

Light variety X24, Dark variety X24, Mystery M24

 

Mystery M24

 The Yukon X24 was a no frills bow- no overlays, and no expensive woods.  It is a rugged, durable, and reliable bow designed to be a sturdy, inexpensive yet accurate target / field bow. It was created for the novice to “take the strenuous beating of beginners” in school or camp environments. The Yukon was also a fine bowhunter and called a “Great Shooter”. Shakespeare used mostly Maple for the Yukon X24 risers and its color will vary from a light honey color to deep dark mustard brown. The Yukon was first introduced in 1967 with brown glass, and in 1970 green glass was used. Over the years the color of brown and green glass varies slightly.   http://shakespearearchery.blogspot.com/2013/01/shakespeare-wonderbow-yukon-x24.html

      

     These bows have the exact profiles of a Yukon X24, the  the same AMO, the same riser shape, the same limb width and have the Shakespeare Wonderbow logo. However one bow has a beautiful very dark wood riser which looks like a laminated Rosewood riser and it also has black fiberglass limbs making it a very rare bow. The X24 bow was never produced with black glass or a Rosewood riser. The other bow has a dark hardwood which is not rosewood and has a very dark brown fiberglass, a color which I have never seen in a Shakespeare or Root bow. When the arrow rest material is odd too. When the first bow arrived we both thought that the material was added later.  The second bow arrived with the exact same material on the arrow rest. I have never seen Shakespeare or Root use this same material or style on any of their bows.

M24 riser material

Ocala x17 with "II" seconds mark.

Shakespeare did have a sales shop at their factory which sold factory second. The seconds were perfectly fine bows but had slight irregularities. The seconds were identified with a hand written Roman numeral “II” on the riser. These bow has no “II” and the expensive woods makes it unlikely that it was sold as a “seconds” bow. 

one bow was in rough condition with its original factory finish

There are a few possibilities for these M24 bows.

1. The first theory is it was refinished and the original logo was lost. However the bow was a mess and it had the original finish and hand writing inscription. But a refinish wouldn’t explain the rosewood,/dark wood and black / dark brown fiberglass.
2. The second opinion was it was a factory “second”. Maybe it is, but it is missing the “II” found on Shakespeare seconds and wouldn’t explain the rosewood,/dark wood and black / dark brown fiberglass.
3. The third possibility is it was a special production, possibly given as a gift by Shakespeare. This might explain the rosewood,/dark wood and black / dark brown fiberglass.
4. Perhaps the M24 was a very early version of the X24 before the "X" designation and before the Yukon X24. 
5. The last explanation is that it was an early prototype and could explain the rosewood,/dark wood and black / dark brown fiberglass.

There really isn’t any way of knowing which theory is correct so I guess we can take our pick. Whatever your pick, these are rare and unique examples to the Yukon X24. Both are exceptional because of the beautiful rich Rosewood-like woods used and it is rare for the black and chocolate brown fiberglass used on these model. Any way you cut it, Lewis got himself a mystery, two conversation pieces, and two beautiful bows.

Yukon M24, Dates unknown

60 inches AMO

Weights; 30+lbs, 45lbs

Glass: Black, Dark Brown

Handle:  Rosewood on one, dark hard wood on the other with

Recurve: Palm-pressure fit grip

Brace height 7 1/2 inches

Sight window 4 1/2 inches

Limbs 1 ½ inch wide

No tip overlays 
Arrow rest: one piece rest, arrow strike. gray leather like material

(Thanks to Lewis Kent,  Larry Root, Rick Rappe, and George Stout)

Any comments or suggestions are very welcome!!!

Shakespeare TITAN MODEL X-15

Shakespeare TITAN MODEL X-15

Shakespeare bows were designed by Ernie Root, his love of target archery and his talent as competitive archer comes through in this bow design. Root archery had been had been produce bows in the fifties and in the early 1960’s; Ernie Root was hired as a consultant and designer by Shakespeare Archery. If you look at the Shakespeare Kaibab and Ocala, beside the Root Brush Master and Field Master, you will see bows of near identical design. By 1969 Ernie Root left Shakespeare and continued his Root Archery Company. He continued to perfect his Golden Eagle Take-down which was a staple in the hands of many professional archers of the 1960's, as well as his top line target bow...Pendulus Supreme.

  

Shakespeare Archery and Ernie Root produced excellent competition and target bows. The Titan X 15 introduced in 1965, it is very similar to the Professional X10 but did not have stabilizer or sights and is a outstanding mid-priced target bow. The Shakespeare's family of target bows (Titan, Supreme and Professional) was in responses to the Bear Tamerlane, the 1967 riser is beautiful laminations of light Bubinga, Maple and dark Brazilian Rosewood with multi-layered wood tip overlays. In 1967 The Supreme X16 was also introduced. It was the entry level tournament bow and was 66 inch AMO but had many of the characters of the Titan and Professional.

The Titan X15 is one of the few Shakespeare bows to look very much like its predecessor, the X-15. From 1961-64 many of Shakespeare bows were designated with “X” with a number. The X15 1961-64 did evolve quickly. 

In 1965 the bows were redesigned and renamed and often looked nothing like their predecessor. However, the X15 Titan is the exception.  The beautifully sculpted lines of the x-15 were incorporated and perfected in the X15 Titan.  Of the entire Shakespeare Archery Line, the Titan also saw the most radical yearly design changes; the 1968 model is the most striking example. At 66” & 68” AMO and 2 inch wide limbs, it was designed for the target range and was well balanced, very stable, accurate and a fast shooter. 

Titan X15 1965 -1971

1965-67, 1970-71 66”AMO

1968-69 68” AMO

Weights: 

1965-67 30-45 pounds, 

1968-69 30-40 pounds, 

1970-71 25-40 pounds

Riser:

1965-67 Bubinga and Imbuya,

1968- Rosewood and maple

1969- Bubinga, Seduha, Maple

1970-71 “Exotic” woods and “Space Age” Formica

Tip overlays

1965-67 Benge and maple wood

1968-71 Rosewood and maple

Limbs: 2 inch

Glass: White

 Arrow rest:

1965-68 vertical feathers, Arrow plate calf hair,

1969 Flipper rest

1970-71 adjustable plate and flipper rest

Brace Height: 8 ½ inch

Sight window: 71/2 inch

1968 insert added for M16 Stabilizer

 please add comments if you have additional information about this bow.