As many of you know, I picked up a "used" 2010 Strother Infinity back in February. It's a really nice shooting bow, but with a couple of years under it's belt the camo finish was looking a little rough.
Here you can see some of the wear marks around the grip, which is common with a bow that gets shot regularly.
...And some other spots where it's just worn down a bit around the sharper edges of the riser.
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Most of you also know that I'm a pretty ambitious guy... Some would even go as far as calling me crazy when it comes to tinkering and projects. (Ah hemmm.. Milo) Guess what... This one is no different, boys.
I decided that since I bought the bow used and the camo looked like shit, what could it hurt if I attempted to repaint it. Best case scenario... It turns out great and looks better than before. Worst case scenario... It ends up looking worse than before, I strip it back down, and send it off to be dipped or powdercoated.
Since before I even got this bow I've had a certain idea in my head for a custom look. One day while looking at my Z28 up in the treestand, I wondered how it would look to have it dipped camo, but leave the insides of the riser cutouts matte black. Well shoot, why not do the same thing with this Strother, only the colors would be reversed... Matte black on the outside and predator camo on the insides.
As you can see below, there is an edge that sort of transitions each cutout from the flat side of the riser. The plan was to follow this edge while masking, so that the camo would stand out against the black from all angles. This is where my ambitious personality really like to stick it in my rear. To say that masking these cutouts was tedious would be a GROSS understatement. The only thing that kept me sane while doing it was knowing the finished look would be worth it.
I found that the easiest way to follow the edge was to use 1/8" pin-striping tape. Once the edges were laid out on both sides of the riser, I masked off the inside of the cutout with automotive performance masking tape. Once all the masking was finished, I lightly and very carefully sanded the riser with some 800-grit sandpaper. Then I wiped the dust off with a damp towel, and finished by carefully wiping it down with acetone.
Here it is ready for paint...
I then applied 3 coats of Rustoleum Self-Etching primer, allowing about 2-3 minutes between coats. Here it is after being primed...
The wife and I then had to leave for a graduation party, which was fine because I wanted the primer to set for at least 3 hours anyway. About 5 hours later we got back home and I just couldn't wait to start painting. I hit it with 6 coats of Rustoleum Flat Black Protective Enamel, again waiting 2-3 minutes between each coat. Here it is after coat number 5...
Before the paint hardened up, I took the riser in to the garage to start pealing back the masking. I wanted to remove it quick because I was afraid if the paint dried, the edges would chip away when removing the tape. Once again, this was incredibly tedious... but well-worth it.
Here is what it looks like right now...
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So far, this has turned out as nice as I had envisioned. I'm not 100% sure how durable the enamel will be, so I will most likely end up spraying a few coats of matte clear over top to help protect it. Originally I had planned on using Duracoat, but that stuff's not exactly cheap, and I didn't really know how this was going to work out. I'll post some more pics once I get it coated in clear and get the bow put back together.
Here you can see some of the wear marks around the grip, which is common with a bow that gets shot regularly.
...And some other spots where it's just worn down a bit around the sharper edges of the riser.
---
Most of you also know that I'm a pretty ambitious guy... Some would even go as far as calling me crazy when it comes to tinkering and projects. (Ah hemmm.. Milo) Guess what... This one is no different, boys.
I decided that since I bought the bow used and the camo looked like shit, what could it hurt if I attempted to repaint it. Best case scenario... It turns out great and looks better than before. Worst case scenario... It ends up looking worse than before, I strip it back down, and send it off to be dipped or powdercoated.
Since before I even got this bow I've had a certain idea in my head for a custom look. One day while looking at my Z28 up in the treestand, I wondered how it would look to have it dipped camo, but leave the insides of the riser cutouts matte black. Well shoot, why not do the same thing with this Strother, only the colors would be reversed... Matte black on the outside and predator camo on the insides.
As you can see below, there is an edge that sort of transitions each cutout from the flat side of the riser. The plan was to follow this edge while masking, so that the camo would stand out against the black from all angles. This is where my ambitious personality really like to stick it in my rear. To say that masking these cutouts was tedious would be a GROSS understatement. The only thing that kept me sane while doing it was knowing the finished look would be worth it.
I found that the easiest way to follow the edge was to use 1/8" pin-striping tape. Once the edges were laid out on both sides of the riser, I masked off the inside of the cutout with automotive performance masking tape. Once all the masking was finished, I lightly and very carefully sanded the riser with some 800-grit sandpaper. Then I wiped the dust off with a damp towel, and finished by carefully wiping it down with acetone.
Here it is ready for paint...
I then applied 3 coats of Rustoleum Self-Etching primer, allowing about 2-3 minutes between coats. Here it is after being primed...
The wife and I then had to leave for a graduation party, which was fine because I wanted the primer to set for at least 3 hours anyway. About 5 hours later we got back home and I just couldn't wait to start painting. I hit it with 6 coats of Rustoleum Flat Black Protective Enamel, again waiting 2-3 minutes between each coat. Here it is after coat number 5...
Before the paint hardened up, I took the riser in to the garage to start pealing back the masking. I wanted to remove it quick because I was afraid if the paint dried, the edges would chip away when removing the tape. Once again, this was incredibly tedious... but well-worth it.
Here is what it looks like right now...
---
So far, this has turned out as nice as I had envisioned. I'm not 100% sure how durable the enamel will be, so I will most likely end up spraying a few coats of matte clear over top to help protect it. Originally I had planned on using Duracoat, but that stuff's not exactly cheap, and I didn't really know how this was going to work out. I'll post some more pics once I get it coated in clear and get the bow put back together.
