Heat, oil and stain (question)

[BigWapiti]

Hey, a lot of you guys talk about using crisco, bacon grease or some other oil when using a heat gun to make adjustments (bend) on your bows.   What does this do come time to stain the wood?  Seems that that oil might make a change in color when staining?  Just curious before I try to put a final bend in my latest bow to center the string. 

Should I use an oil before using dry heat?   And how will that effect the final finish?

Thx - Mike

[Pat B]

I use olive oil when heating a bow to bend. It doesn't what oil you use and some use no oil at all. Usually when bending wood it is in an unfinished shape so some wood removal will be coming. This will eliminate the oil with the shavings. I have noticed that the oil doesn't penetrate the wood very far and usually some scraping, sanding and a bit of decreasing will do the trick. I use acetone or alcohol to degrease.    Pat

[carpenter374]

i haven't tried bending bow wood with oil yet but i know what it does to my trimwork. if you get oil in the wood it will show up in the finish especially is you use a water based stain. Oil based stain not so much but it will show. I have removed lots of greasy fingerprints from my work with sandpaper so i figure as long as the oil doesn't saturate too much you can just sand it off. 

[BigWapiti]

Thanks guys, I went ahead and just used dry heat using the new heat gun Santa dropped off - worked fine w/o the oil.  Much thanks for all the help and continued encouragement!

[PK]

my experience as a wood worker not a bowyer is if using oil on the surfice use an oil finish, sounds Confusing I used to be A pre-finisher Untill $@$#!@#%@ Exuse me!use acitone or solvent to remove the oil, then ya have to let it dry. I don't know what that does to a bows moist content, I Myself hold the heat gun further back  or put the setting on Low but , that takes longer