Tru-oil
This finish is ordinarily used for gun stock finishes, but it works just as well for bows It’s cheap (about $4 or $5 at Walmart or any gun store), and it’s easy to apply. Just pour a little in a bottle cap, dip your finger in it, and rub it on. The beautiful thing about it is that it makes it easy to touch up a bow if it gets scuffed a little. Just sand the area and rub a little more on.

The only thing I don’t like about Tru-oil is that I’ve never been able to use a whole bottle. After a while, it begins to coagulate. Once it does, it doesn’t spread on as well, and it sometimes turns the wood darker and doesn’t dry as clear. Also, it won’t dry over oily woods like bocote or ipe.

Deft
I love this stuff!!! After trying a dozen different things to get a finish to dry on bocote without success, I tried Deft. It dried within an hour. This is, by all means, the best thing to use on oily wood in my opinion. It’s cheap, too.It comes in a white spray can, and you can find it at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. You can get it in gloss, semi-gloss, and satin. It dries quickly on ipe, too.

Spar Urethane/Polyurethane
They give a nice durable finish, but they don’t dry well on oily woods. Why use them when you could use Deft?Deft is cheaper anyway.

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