Heat Treating Bamboo

[grinder48]

Having trouble finding specific instructions for heat treating bamboo for bows. See a lot on heat treating for bamboo fishing rods. Is heat treating for bows different from that for rods? Anyone know good source of info on heat treating bamboo for bows? Thanks

[macbow]

I put mine in a heated box to get the moisture down.
The only other heat treating I'm aware of is if your using it on the belly of a bow.
Ron

[eflanders]

I would recommend that you do a search on "heat treating".  You will find a lot of useful information here and on the TG website.  But to answer your question directly, the heat treating (commonly called flame tempering) of bamboo flyrods is done primarily to gain speed and some stiffness to the action.  The High heat needed to temper the wood should not be used to dry culms or lams.  Flame tempering works with some wood species better than with others.  Bamboo, Ash, Maple and Black Walnut will flame temper quite well.  The same tempering results can be quite desireable in archery.  Ancient archers have used heat tempering succesfully since the dawn of the sport.

[Pat B]

Like Ron said, generally only boo intended for a bows belly should be tempered.
 I watched James Parker temper boo belly strips and he used a rosebud torch with propane and it looked to me like he was burning up the boo. He started at one end and as the boo darkened and was flaming he slowly moved down the limb. You could actually see the moisture leaving the boo just in front of the torch as he moved out the limb. It was pretty impressive to watch.
  In an old PA magazine there was an article with 3 different guys with 3 different techniques for tempering boo. One actually used a friends pizza oven.

[grinder48]

Thanks all.   I'm trying to fing this info for an 87 year old friend who doesn't use computer. I'm pretty savy with "googling" but found very little very specific, detailed instructions. Someone above wrote "only boo intended for a bows belly should be tempered" and I appreciate that but I'm trying to find out specifically how that boo should be tempered. Also above states info "here and on the TG site" ... what's "the TG site"?  Sorry, not being a bowyer myself, I don't follow the terminology. Thanks.

[dragonman]

the safest is a heat gun about 4" away from the boo heating from the inside not the rind side untill it goes dark,some guys turn it very dark but get the experience first and work towards that I would suggest, hope that is a help.