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

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.

thanks i guess i forgot about boiling, say if you are boiling how long did you do it for. thanks

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.

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.

thanks it's what i will do, heatgun sounds like the consences of most i'll post results when done.

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.

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.