Well seasoned osage staves???

[snag]

Someone generously traded me some osage for a yew stave. The osage has been down since '98.  Is it too well seasoned
to steam and bend the tips when I get to that point?

[Pappy]

I would use dry heat if it was me. Steam might work but will sometime cause seasoned wood to check. Dry heat works well,just heat good and bend slow.
   Pappy

[Poggins]

It depends on how mutch bend you want to put in it . A little bit on the ends or down the full length dry will work , but if you want lot of bend in the tips just steam the tips and not the whole stave .

[Pat B]

Like Pappy I use dry heat on osage especially well seasoned osage. I do use oil(cooking) to protect the wood from scorching though. I put the stave in the form and heat it until gravity begins to pull it down then I assist it and clamp it to the form to cool. I leave on the form until tomorrow and give it 3 or 4 dars to rehydrate before stressing it.

[SLIMBOB]

I'm with Pappy.  Dry heat on Osage.  I have done it both ways.  Really dry Osage has ended up with grain checks after steaming the tips.  I coat it liberally with Crisco (seems to me to work better than liquid oil but that's just a feeling) and heat it slow and deep before bending.