Hey bud,
Was following the thread and maybe this will help ya out a little. First, I make hardwood arrow shafts and not shoots and all of mine are 3/8 diam......but, I can tell you that black walnut is real flexible (really felxible) on matter what form it's in. There is an ancient tool made for straightening shafts that ya can make your self. (attached some pics of mine)
The other fellas told ya right about straightening with their hands and no heat. But if you get a real bad bend, kink etc. this little tool will get it out
The tool makes heat by friction, burnishes and applies straightening pressure all at the same time, which is pretty cool.
The first pic is the back of the tool, the second is the belly of the tool and the third is how it goes on the shaft. You hold it like a frying pan and rub it quickly back and forth (creats heat and pressure) I'm sure ya can figure out how to use it. I check and straighten all my arrows before every session in the woods, I just consider it part of the "process". Hope this may be of some use to you. Just make it out of a "soft" wood, and make sure the knot-hole is big enough to get an arrow head through so you can use it after the arrow is made also.
Rich
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