Vintage Bow Rework

We had a customer send this bow in for Shane to work his magic on just in time for hunting season.
At GPTBC we strive for handcrafted perfection. We have a number of in stock bows and also do custom builds.
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[@timothyribis4751]

Thank you Shane for the great job you did on my Little Bear. After watching all your other Utube bow refinishes, I knew you were the one I should send my Little Bear to refinish. I am very happy with the work you did for me. If anyone ever ask me if I know anybody who refinishes bows, I won't hesitate to have them contact Shane at Great Planes. I have been shooting every day. the riser feels much better. The bow feels better in my hand, It shoots better then I ever though it could. I must tell you that I was surprised that the medallion was made out of plastic. Anyway I just wanted to let you how grateful I am to you for doing such a great job on my Little Bear bow. It is beautiful. You pay so much attention to detail, and it shows in your work. So once again I thank you very much. Take care, God Bless.

[@greatplainsbow]

Hey thanks, Tim! I appreciate you trusting me with your bow

[@earlunderwoodjr.6766]

The Super Kodiak Magnum Bow was the shortest of the Kodiak series. It costed $89.00, in the late 1960’s. The super Kodiak magnum, was a black bow. The other Kodiak bows were green.

[@greatplainsbow]

Interesting stuff

[@earlunderwoodjr.6766]

@@greatplainsbow Fred Bears original bow maker, of long bows was, Nelson Crumbley. He was often called by his nickname Nels.

[@roymilligan]

This video brings me back 51 years when I bought my first bow a super Kodiak! It still shoots great.

[@nailed2thecross01]

As one working man to another, see a chiropractor. Mine has done more for me than any pill ever has. Gotta work on yourself too.

[@deanmiller5931]

They used to screen print the logo and info on, some people copy and cut vinyl to make new

[@greatplainsbow]

Thanks for that info!

[@tedluna624]

Those make mi think of a wierd mediteranian draw tatar bow. I like it..Buen trabajo hermano

[@tomvawter4531]

Outstanding video and craftsmanship! That must be nerve racking doing reconstructive surgery on somebody's vintage bow. Down the road you will know where your gray hairs came from! That bow deserved your own medallion after all that work. Maybe a colored coded medallion that signifies that you refurbished the bow. I believe Fred Bear wouldn't mind at all.

[@user-ii4bw5qt9k]

successful work. You restored the bow to its original condition, respect. I've often done this kind of work and it's really a lot of work. Top top top 👍👍👍👍

[@LeoWeLeder]

Lulzim deine Bögen sind auch TOP ;-)

[@user-ii4bw5qt9k]

@@LeoWeLeder Dankeschön ☺️

[@davidduvall4846]

The rework job on that bow is simply beautiful!!! Great job Brother!!!

[@hawkfeather8]

Excellent work, despite the hurdles. Bear archery started cutting corners after they were sold to Victor Comptrollers in the early 70’s, using cheap plastic raised “medallions” was one way. A few years later they left Grayling because they didn’t want to pay their longtime skilled employees a decent raise. It’s been downhill since, unfortunately.

[@greatplainsbow]

Yeah that's what I hear

[@DavidHBurkart]

Yes, Victor Comptometer did not provide any benefit to Bear Archery except perhaps for continuing their existance for the next acquistion, which ultimately has been in the hands of Escalade Sports since 2003, with Bear as an anchor of their incorporation, providing stability for the past 21 years. Interestingly, the medallion polished up instead of melting, so there must have been at least a copper veneer? I don't think they still use that process & believe they are metal now, but quite frankly, I didn't know about the plastc medallions until this video. Hopefully, it was simply an anomoly of Bear's history.

[@lauriemorrell8247]

You sir, are truly a craftsman. The attention to every little detail, the energy that goes into every part of the bow. Inspiring. I recently moved across the country and wasn't able to bring any of my archery gear, wasn't an easy decision but had to be done. After watching you work, I'm saving up for a Great Plains bow. You set the bar pretty high.

[@knifesharpeningnorway]

Plastic medallion hehe nice work turne out very good

[@bigDbigDbigD]

Great video. More like this please

[@paulpower2680]

Wow! Nice work. You are one skilled dude. Fred would be proud to see that Bow brought back to life. Thanks for the video.

[@DIXIECRAWLER13]

I have an old Shakespeare shim bo I would really like the life breathed back into it

[@kennylainhart7148]

Can't wait to get mine back from them!!! Great job on video,I feel I chose the right guy for the job !! I'll be ordering a bow from these guys ,love how particular he is with his work!!!

[@RedmanOutdoors366]

That button is copper its soft when heated its maluable like gold thats why its so soft Brother lol so it was plastic with copper matt lol

[@greatplainsbow]

Nope. It was 💯 plastic

[@DavidHBurkart]

Has me wanting to send you my Super Mag. Amazing work Sir

[@steveharmon5301]

You earned your money on that bow. Good Job.👍👍

[@mikebrockman736]

ebay sells original bear medallions made of metal.

[@tomboese367]

GREAT work!!!! I love wood work, so it was awesome to watch you work your craft skills on this project. I also love shooting bows; I have a mid 70's vintage Bear Kodiak Magnum, recurve that I believe is a 50 lb bow. I love shooting it, though I don't know why I'm inconsistent in hitting the bulls eye. ON the other hand, I am VERY consistent in missing it, so I guess I'm pretty good after all because consistency is important!!! Great program!!!!

[@greatplainsbow]

😁

[@longbo2771]

That's beautiful 😊, I'm amazed you could make it come out that good.

[@donaldsaunders4736]

Great review and we’ll explained. Thank you

[@TradCat1970]

That bow came out beautiful!

[@twwheels]

Shane, I have encountered GRAY glass Bear bows. Enjoyed watching an artisan work. I am tempted to send you a Ben Pearson that had both limbs collapse. I clamped 1x3 lumber and let it set for 2-3 months and straightness came back, but it makes me nervous to string & shoot. Respond if you like. Ole Tom @ 82 years and still hunting in Penns Woods.👴🏻🏹🦌

[@greatplainsbow]

I'd love to have a go at it and see what I could swing

[@twwheels]

@@greatplainsbow if I would send the old Ben Pearson to you I would not want it back, but hope you would put it in the hands of a deserving young adult archer that is more serious about archery than their smartphone. There is the challenge, and I am sure you would make the bow safe to shoot. The biggest bodied buck I have ever harvested was with the 38# Ben Pearson. The buck bent the frame of my deer cart as I loaded it. And yet the rack was an average 6 pt. Interesting. I will send bow to you if you will PAY IT FORWARD. Tom 👴🏻🏹🦌

[@greatplainsbow]

@@twwheels I most definitely will! We could do a KZbin giveaway to a young archer

[@twwheels]

@@greatplainsbow sure, find the youngster with the rework video. Tom👴🏻🏹🦌

[@huntrealoutdoors]

Looks great bro

[@sigmanarchery54]

Another fantastic job 👍🏼 🙏🏼

[@tomvawter4531]

Great job! Impressive workmanship! 🏹

[@Bobbers_Outdoors]

Excellent work! 👌

[@kevinroberts9580]

Great job, nice craftsmanship. I could never achieve that bow because I have a 32"draw

[@thephoenicianarcher5267]

Same here bro I'm 31" what bow length are you shooting?

[@CampfireKodiak]

The Coin Medallion: Beginning in 1959 all Bear bows had a coin medallion of one type of metal or another. Below are the approx date ranges for the type of coin used. Copper Coin - 1959 Aluminum - 1960-1961 Pewter - 1962 Brass - 1963 - 1970 Nickel-Silver - 1971-1972 ALL coins were flush with the wood until 1972. In late 1972 the coin was raised above the surface of the bow and came in both gold and chrome covered plastic and are still used in Bear bows today.

[@greatplainsbow]

Very interesting! Thank you!

[@craigcook1571]

Looks great

[@LongBowMan89]

Great job, im surprised you didn't break the medallion when you where trying to pull it out of the bow. They are indeed plastic core with copper over them. Bear did use real metal medallions in the early days then went to the rasied ones in the mid 60s./70s the metal ones are flat in the risers. Where the plastic/copper ones like on this bow are above and not reset into the riser. I've broken number of these "rasied" medallions trying to pull them from bows.

[@caseysmith544]

At least this part can be ordered from 3 Rivers to fix old bows up that are missing the medallion both versions depending on what year the bows were made in based on other factors.

[@littlewoody5539]

Nice job 👍

[@unknown-archer]

i figure some one told you..after 1972 raised madallion and plastic ..befor metals

[@greatplainsbow]

Yes they have, but not before the video was made

[@user-rm9sg1iu8m]

Here's the expert I've been looking for! I am Korean. There's a traditional Limbs that's finished with glass fiber, and it's peeled off. Can you remove and refit the glass fiber without damaging the veneer?

[@greatplainsbow]

It can be done and I've done it, but you have to have lots of patience and the right tools. If the bow isn't extremely special to you I probably wouldn't attempt it

[@user-rm9sg1iu8m]

@@greatplainsbow I appreciate your advice. It's manufactured, and I have a replacement, so I'm not that desperate. However, the price of the bow is getting higher day by day, so it would be helpful for me if I knew the possibility of repairing it. It's amazing and fun to see your work.

[@greatplainsbow]

@@user-rm9sg1iu8m Thanks for watching!

[@greatplainsbow]

The best way I've found to get the glass off is to CAREFULLY grind the glass off with either a spindle sander or bearing sander. You can do it with a belt sander turned on edge and a little table made for it and squared to the sander

[@shanedarden5238]

What the price on getting one refurbished

[@greatplainsbow]

It really depends on what all ya want done to it. A refinish and facelift is $150. It goes up from there depending what all you want done to it

[@donbaine118]

Quick question here. I saw you had an issue with your sternum and needed a drink if water. Does it kind of feel like a muscle spasm? Do you ever have an issue swallowing food? Like it kind of bunches up? It sounds like a stricture in the esophagus.

[@greatplainsbow]

No not really. Not sure what was going on that day

[@stetsonspurs4680]

Do you still rework bows? If so, do we just call Great Plains and request this service or is this something only done once in a while? I didn’t see it on the website so I thought I’d ask.

[@greatplainsbow]

I do still do it, but I'm booked up right now

[@brianpalmateer2089]

What grit sand paper is used to remove paint from belly & back of limbs?

[@greatplainsbow]

120 and then 220

[@brianpalmateer2089]

@@greatplainsbow Thank you.

[@caseysmith544]

This bow looks like a late 1970's to sometime in 1990's bow, as after that, the Bear brand and stopped offering the option for a plunger/bowfishing accessory hole on the bows. Most of the models look more boring moving from Michigan to Florida the factory due to Fred Bear Selling the brand and cutting cost just before this move with the bows due to having to keep the bows going as Compounds that were still able to finger shoot and go sans sight, they did not shoot that fast.

[@matthewenis]

do you look at bows and much to refinish one?

[@greatplainsbow]

I think you're asking if I can tell by looking at a bow how much it'll cost to refinish. To a large extent yes

[@matthewenis]

yes i have a Dan Person bow i don't if its ok to shoot @@greatplainsbow

[@greatplainsbow]

@@matthewenis I can definitely help you out with that

[@matthewenis]

how can i reach you @@greatplainsbow

[@greatplainsbow]

@@matthewenis www.greatplainsbow.com