Article on building fast self bows, by Marc St. Louis

[UserNameTaken]

I recently bought a couple of back issues of primitive archer, and I was reading this article on building fast self bows, by Marc St. Louis, where he talks about heat treating. I was shocked that he spends 2 hours heat treating each limb! Four hours of sitting there with a heat gun!

Is this still the prescribed method to heat treat a bow, or have we since discovered that you can get the same results with less? The most that I've ever spent heat treating was about 40 minutes per limb. Now, I'm wondering if I should be spending half a day for better results. 

[Bryce]

Takes me 2 hours each limb. When the heat gun is 4" away it takes awhile to get nice and brown.

[Del the cat]

I've added side plates of offcuts to keep the heat away from the back when heat treating Yew, I found this helped to spread the heat along the limb so that rather than doing an inch or so at a time ( doin up the brown dots) it gave a better spread of heat and gave about 45 mins per limb.
There's no substitute for taking its slow.
I still remeber with embarassment when I first tried it and posted results "showing it didn't work" nothing wrong with results... they clearly showed that rushing it and just charring the outer wood acheives nothing.
I was slightly miffed that I din't get much helpful input other than 'get TBB vol 4' and read it. But hey, it does the job. Bottom line is if it takes less than 45 mins per limb you are going too quick .
Best aid to consisten results is a kitchen timer.
I forgot a limb once and it toasted right through  
Del

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Do you mean keeping heat from the back?
-Squirrel

[UserNameTaken]

Wow. So, I probably haven't been getting much of the performance benefit beyond the added reflex.  Thanks for the responses, guys. Good thing I read that article! Sounds like I was mostly wasting my time spending only 40 minutes per limb.

[mikekeswick]

A lot of guns have a high and low setting. I've got the best results when using the low setting.

[Del the cat]

Do you mean keeping heat from the back?
-Squirrel

Whoops... yes... I've edited it 
Del

[Fred Arnold]

Del, can you explain the "side cuts of offcuts". I've been using aluminum foil but still once in while get a small section of the back.

[twisted hickory]

Intresting,
It usually takes me about 30 min per limb with black locust and 40 for hickory. I have shot the same bow without heat treat then heat treat and there is a very noticiable performance difference. I will try longer on the next bow and see what happens.
Thanks for the insight,
Greg