# Epoxy bow grip.



## youngguy (Aug 23, 2010)

Thinking of making a grip out of epoxy resin but I have not worked with it at all. Thinking of using the bow as a mold since the grip is flat but I am a little concerned about the epoxy shrinking. Anybody ever mess around with it?


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## b0w_bender (Apr 30, 2006)

Depending on the epoxy yes it does shrink. It's possible that it would shrink enough to crack if you tried to use the bow handle as the mold. take a look at this site for some ideas.
https://www.smooth-on.com/


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## youngguy (Aug 23, 2010)

Think I might try and make a mold of the grip this summer. I think if I use some sort of filler that would help with shrinkage from what I can tell. 

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## Hunter Dave (Jul 17, 2007)

While not an epoxy, this stuff looks like it may work very well for grip-making: https://thermoworx.com/
I have no personal experience with it but like the idea of being able to start over and reuse it if you aren't happy with your work.


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## GatorHiott (Nov 5, 2015)

I work with Epoxy for a living. You need a Epoxy putty that you can mold. If you use a good quality Epoxy it will not shrink. Polyester resin will shrink. But the smooth-on products are your best bet. They make everything you need look them up and call them they can tell you everything that you need to know.


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## youngguy (Aug 23, 2010)

Does the epoxy putty come in clear or colors. That sounds like I could just mold it up and shape it how I want. Might be the best bet. 

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## LethalParadox (Dec 1, 2016)

Try automotive BONDO, no shrinking with this stuff, get it roughly the size/shape you want then use a file to shape, and sand paper to smooth. 
Ez to work with and fool proof, If you cover what is to be protected.
Just a suggestion


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## Jackpine Willy (Jun 25, 2018)

LethalParadox said:


> Try automotive BONDO, no shrinking with this stuff, get it roughly the size/shape you want then use a file to shape, and sand paper to smooth.
> Ez to work with and fool proof, If you cover what is to be protected.
> Just a suggestion


I have not done bow grips, but have used auto body putty for customized grip for target rifle stocks. I think it molds to shape a lot easier than epoxy, and will take paint very well. Use a good coating of paste wax, as release agent, if you want it removable. To practice, put sheet plastic under putty. Do not wrap putty around more than 160 degrees of grip, or a real problem to get off. (don't ask me how I know this for sure) Where latex gloves to grip and squeeze to get shape you want. If you want the grip to be permanent on the bow, rough the surface with course abrasive and even drill some little dimples, go give the putty a good "purchase" secure it.


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## Mike Lawless (Sep 6, 2017)

Here's the stuff to use. Incredibly easy to mix and mold by hand. I've both modified my existing grip, then having decided to ditch the grip completely, used it to make a wedge shaped addition to my riser. Jake Kaminski has a video on how to use this stuff to modify a grip. I think it would make a great grip if making from scratch too. Sand a bit too much off a certain spot? Add some more!

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/epxy_putty/overview/Loctite-Repair-Putty-Multi-Purpose.htm


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## youngguy (Aug 23, 2010)

My whole goal is to make one I can slip on and off and hold with a little double sided tape. I have seen the auto filler and putty but I want to end up with something that looks nicer. Hopefully in a couple weeks I will order some stuff to make a mold and see how that goes. Gotta get time to do that first. 

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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qhXXz31w8Q






Jake Kaminski video about recurve grip building. Interesting ideas, and he explains his logic for the adjustments he has made over the years. He discusses his progression of grip designs over the years, the how and the why.


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## strayarrow (May 7, 2003)

Try a product called SUGRU. You can mould it while it remains pliable but then it hardens to a very hard plastic like material. It can be sanded afterwards with a dremel for shaping or sandpaper to smooth any small burrs


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## Dewboy (Apr 19, 2005)

I just ordered some Apoxie Sculpt. It is an epoxy clay. Molds like clay and sets hard like epoxy and does NOT shrink or crack. And it's available in Black and adheres very well to itself at any stage or cure, so you can add more where you need it. When finished, it can be shaped and smoothed with sand paper. Also, it is a slow setting material! Plumber's putty and other epoxy putties set way too fast to allow the average person to sculpt a complete bow grip.

The same company makes a couple other similar materials, Fixit, and Fixit Sculp. Fixit is also available in black and advertised as industrial strength. Fixit Sculp has fiber mixed with it for an even stronger application, but only comes in skin tone color. I believe you can add color pigment though' but I didn't order it because I didn't want the hassle of adding just the right amount of black color.

Sugru is just way too expensive. $20 for FOUR GRAMS! There is No way I'm spending that much on a few GRAMS! Besides, it dousn't cure solid like Apoxie Sculpt. I ordered 4 lbs of Black Apoxie Sculpt for $42.95 shipped. That should be enough to do several grips. 

I'll post my results.


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## pborowick (Jul 14, 2009)

I work with resin quite a bit. You can always sculpt the handle from the epoxy clay and then make a silicon mold from that and cast as many different colors from that as you want.


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## Dewboy (Apr 19, 2005)

I just finished sculpting my grip with black Apoxie Sculpt. I think it's going to turn out very nice. It gave me plenty of time to work before it starting to set up. I may have to do some sanding to get the contour just right. The biggest drawback is that one you get it sculpted, you can't grab it to see how it feels. Well, I guess you could, but then you would have a grip that was a mold/impression of your hand. That may actually appeal to some, but not what I'm shooting for.

Making a better feeling grip is not my only reason's for doing this. I am putting it on a PSE Vendetta XL UF Frankenbow that has a draw length that is about 3/16" too long for me. So I'll be able to reduce the draw length just a hair. The good thin about this stuff is that you can sand if it is too thick in places or you can add more to build it up where you want. It adheres to itself very well.

Rather than making the grip removable, I just made it permanent. I removed the side plates, cleaned off the goo from the double sided tape, and filled in the grip plate areas with Apoxie sculpt. That way, it will be one solid piece and will add more strength to the grip, plus I won't have to worry about gluing a grip on. 

I may get ambitious later and make a standard grip that is removable and try to make a mold for casting them. It would be way less complicated than casting antlers. I would also have to cast a set of side plate fillers that would mount flush into the side plate holes with double stick tape or glue to allow the grip to mount like a standard grip. That would make mounting the grip easy and negate the need to glue it on, since the plates can be threaded, making it easy to mount the grips. 

It took 4.5 ounces of Apoxie Sculpt. 2-1/4 ounces of Part A and 2-1/4 ounces of part B. Most folks could easily get by with 2 ounces of each (A & B) for just a standard grip. That means a 1 lb kit (8 ounces of each A & B) would do 4 grips. 

















As you can see, I won't have too do much sanding. The back appears to be rounded in the photo, but it's actually pretty flat with only the edges rounded a little. I'm not sure if this stuff will feel less like a block of ice in cold weather than the bare riser. That would be another plus. I wrapped it all the way around the front of the riser hoping that it will help with the feel in cold weather.

I'm pretty good with contouring with sand paper, so I have no doubt it will look as good as it feels when I'm done. I believe the Apoxie Sculpt is going to be an excellent alternative for making grips for bows that have no aftermarket offerings. I'll post again when I'm done and will let you know if there's anything I would have done different.

There is no reason why you can't get your grip exactly like you want since you can sand away what you do not want and if you remove too much, you can just add more back and try again after it cures. IMO, it will look much, much better than most grips I've seen people making with other materials that allow very little working time before they set. I had a good hour and a half of working time with this stuff.


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## Tincher10 (Aug 13, 2018)

I always think I’m crafty till I see guys to stuff like this. Looks great!


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## Kaburaya (Jun 16, 2019)

Nice job and thanks for the info!


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## Yellowhorse6 (Jun 27, 2019)

Good info. Following


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## rodco03 (Feb 5, 2019)

good work looks great.


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## nitr027 (Apr 11, 2019)

cool


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## ranger51r (Jul 10, 2019)

That is pretty cool. I imagine one could paint it too...wonder how air cure Cerakote would look on this? Man! The more I check out this site the more projects I imagine doing. Great idea and nice work on that grip.


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## badshaw24 (Jul 30, 2015)

Wish I would have seen this before I sold my Mathews Hated that grip.


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## Soo Jit (Aug 12, 2007)

Good idea, you might be able to use aluminum fold to inlay the inside of the grip on the riser before putting the putty. so when the putty dries. your grip could be "remove"


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