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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: tishtail on May 15, 2012, 03:54:00 PM

Title: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: tishtail on May 15, 2012, 03:54:00 PM
Hi all would like your thoughts on heatgun/dry heat verse steam heat for bending hickory wood/bow i'd like to change tips and handle placement it's a self bow. has been floor tillered and most of final tillering. thanks
Title: Re: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: mwosborn on May 15, 2012, 05:02:00 PM
Many say dry heat for dry wood and steam for wet wood.  If you steam a seasoned wood, I would protect it with some kind of sealer - shellac etc.  I have used both methods with good results.
Title: Re: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: vanillabear? on May 15, 2012, 07:30:00 PM
Title: Re: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: tishtail on May 15, 2012, 08:29:00 PM
thanks i guess i forgot about boiling, say if you are boiling how long did you do it for. thanks
Title: Re: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: Bowjunkie on May 16, 2012, 05:58:00 AM
If you're mostly tillered, the wood is dry. I'd absolutely use my heat gun. You can do miraculous things with a heat gun, it picks up no moisture, and as soon as it cools, you can continue tillering it.
Title: Re: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on May 16, 2012, 10:17:00 AM
I use my heat gun 90% of the time. Static recurves get steamed and thats about it. Im with Jeff, heat guns can do great things.
Title: Re: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: tishtail on May 16, 2012, 07:41:00 PM
thanks it's what i will do, heatgun sounds like the consences of most i'll post results when done.
Title: Re: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: okie64 on May 16, 2012, 09:38:00 PM
Heat treating the belly of  hickory with a heat gun will produce great results. Ive never had much luck bending static curves on hickory with dry heat, if you plan on putting a very sharp bend in the tips I would recommend using steam.
Title: Re: dry heat or steam heat
Post by: okie64 on May 16, 2012, 09:39:00 PM
Heat treating the belly of  hickory with a heat gun will produce great results. Ive never had much luck bending static curves on hickory with dry heat, if you plan on putting a very sharp bend in the tips I would recommend using steam.