Wood Burning Tool

[froplord]

I was considering using a wood burning tool on a hickory backed bow for decorative/camouflage purposes, but I am concerned that this might promote splintering. Has anyone tried this before?

I would also like to thank everyone for all their helpful information. It has helped my bow building skills tremendously.

Chad.Q

[RG]

Pappy had a lady ask about doing that last week and he told her no. You might try it sometime on a bow your not in love with But me I love all the bows I make LOL

[Pat B]

Chad, I've never done it but if you don't burn too deep you might be ok. I have seen designs burned into the handle area but not the working part of the limb. Do a test piece and see if it will bend without splintering.    Pat

[Minuteman]

I bet you could  back it with some moderately thick rawhide and burn into that without compromising the back. Might stink to high heaven but it'd probably work.

[Hillbilly]

I've seen pics of old NA vows with designs burned into the bellies, don't know if I'd try it on the back, though.

[Pappy]

The belly I am sure would be OK. But I wouldn't try it on the back.I want my back as smooth as a babies behind.The raw hide deal Minuteman mentioned would probably work,never tried it but a good idea.
   Pappy

[Justin Snyder]

Think airbrush and paint.  Justin

[330bull]

John Strunk has a vine maple bow that is totally stained in charcoal and it looks pretty sweet.  He just pulled some from a camp fire, mixed it with some water and rubbed it directly into the wood.

If you want a "burned look", why not just take some charred wood and rub it in for a cool burnt/camo look?  You could cover the whole bow of just take a chunk and use it like a fat piece of chalk.

If you try something cool and new, please share with us OK?

Good luck!

[Pat B]

Bull, I have used charcoal with water and bear grease to color bows, especially hickory. The charcoal gets in ther grain and really shows it off nicely.   Pat

[AndrewS]

The colouring with the charcoal sounds good. I have to try on one of the next bows.

I think, you can make a  tattoo in the rawhide and then back the bow with. Newbies on the tattoo job will train with ears of a pig. May be it will work with wet rawhide???

[a finnish native]

never ever ever give heat to the back of your bow. I have broken 3 bows this way. heat weakens the "fibers".
its almost as if you would be forging metal, and then you dip it into water. it gets harder, but you can not bend it anymore. I think chemistry would explain it so, that the amount of carbon rises in % and therefore the wood is not so bendable any more.

[DanaM]

I know you can use a woodburner on leather so I imagine its the same for rawhide. But I also know that you need to burn at a lower temperature on those materials, so if using a fixed temp burner you would have to keep turning it on and off. The higher end units have adjustable temp settings.

DanaM

[mullet]

  I use a top of the line woodburner on turkey calls.It has a reostat so you can control the heat.I've used  it on the belly of a bow along with carvings.I think you could use it on the back if you didn't get carried away with the heat and burning too deep.You still should be able to back it with white(clear) silk or thin whitetail rawhide.That way the desighn would show through.

[duffontap]

Not to be a contrarian, but on a hickory back--I don't think shallow wood burning would hurt at all.  I don't know how osage would handle it but I think yew and a couple other species would be fine too.  I use a wood burner to do my bowyers' mark on my longbows. 

       J. D. Duff

[Pappy]

Ya JD but that is on the side not the back.It might not hurt but as for me I wouldn't take the chance,at least on something I wanted to keep and use.Side and belly I don't think would be a problem.
   Pappy