well it's been wet and smokey here in "sunny" Florida, please keep those affected by the fires here in FL and GA in your thoughts
i'm nearly finished ruffing my stave out, and will put some pics up in the next couple days.
One quick thought/question... if this truly is your first bow, don't you think 80-100# is a bit ambitious?
it may be, but I like a challenge (I've worked w/ wood before, but yes this is my first bow), and like my father and his father I am a perfectionist (that is I pay very close attention to the details).
Do you have better pics of the whole stave and the areas that you feel need heat treatment? Do you have any idea how cure or fresh this stave may be?
I'll have another pic of it soon; and I'm not sure exactly when it was cut, the description on e-bay says it was cut recently, and that was about a month ago when it was posted. It spent about a week in usps's care (when I opened the packaging I got a face full of steam
). Since I've had it it has been sitting in my room where I have a fan blowing anytime I'm in there.
It must also be noted that not all woods respond well to heat bending. I would suggest you need to think long and hard over whether you really need to straighten the stave.
duely noted, I haven't decided whether I will or not but I think if I do it will help w/ power
... but if it will compromise the wood then I don't want to do it.
--Mark R.