wh-wha-what ... :\ how to fix ?

[IndianKid]

Hello all, first post here, hoping to hear your opinions
as I'm a new bowyer and really don't want to make it
worse...

It's my first bow build In 30 years, knew it might not come
out perfect but wanted to get at least a little more familiar
with the techniques and various tools, and if I learned along the way AND
had a shooter, id be happy

I'm pretty sure this is white ash, was 6" in diameter and the straightest
and best I could find that day, cut it, glued the ends, peeled all the bark
and let it sit for 6 months...

She was straight, was gonna start tillering and learned about chasing rings and backing...

So, few days later Im just about to glue down some rawhide, and woke up to
find that overnight the bow must have slid over, and slipped between the Christmas tree and wall to
land on the baseboard heater 

Now it's bent sideways and I'm not sure if I should wait for the moisture to reach
equilibrium as it appears as one side dried more than the other
Or
I need to thin the convex side a little
Or
Throw it in the steamer and have at it
Or
?

Like I said, I really hate to make it worse, hoping to hear the opinions of people who have
been there already. .

[JoJoDapyro]

I'm fairly new as well. It looks to me like the bow really isn't in trouble as much as you may think. As long as the string alignment is still close to the handle it should be fine. I would let it sit and equal out a bit before bending it. Looks good from the photos.

[Pappy]

It was still probably a bit green, and the added heat just brought it out, that is not uncommon for one to twist that way once thinned if it wasn't completely dry. I would heat or steam the handle, build the heat up slow and have it clamped to a table or some flat surface with edges down and high side up so you can pull down in the middle  and just bend it back to where I wanted it, go a little beyond what you want, let cool and carry on. :)Seen that a lot with Hickory we get to bow size before it is fully cured.  Shouldn't be a problem.
  Pappy

[Jim Davis]

It looks like the pith, and therefore the grain,  runs off the center of both limbs. That could contribute to the bending as it dried. I'd Pappy's advice. That approach should straighten things out.

BTW, with ash, you didn't need to chase a ring. The surface right under the bark can be the back of the bow.

Jim Davis

[IndianKid]

Sounds like a plan ! Thanks Pappy, gonna steam it a lil later

Will post results

[George Tsoukalas]

Welcome, Indian Kid!
After 6 months it is still green.

Just a couple things.

With whitewoods like ash just pop of the bark, if cut during the growing season will come out easily, and there's the back.

Jawge

[bradsmith2010]

what Pappy said,,looks bad but you can fix it

[Springbuck]

  Practically every piece of wood I work with dos this unless I clamp it to something to dry.  It isn't that bad.  Get a bunch of hard clamps, like C-clamps (at least three) and some shims/spacres softer than the ash.

Make a form by using a big spade bit to drill holes 2" apart all along in a 2x4.  That's th cheapest way.  Doesn't have to be full length, either.  Half the bow and a scosh is ok.

Start at the handle, clamp above and below the fades (with shims), and wrestle the tip over until you can clamp somewhere along the limb.  Then place it in whatever position you would normally heat treat the belly, say, on blocks over your stove top, and give it the "5 minutes or until golden brown" treatment.  The clamps will be in our way, so do wherever you can, even the handle, and then let it cool completely.  Then move the clamps, wrestle it back on the form, and cook it again.

I end up doing this to lmos every bow, anyway, but next time clamp it to a form to dry to simplify your life.  If it is still at all damp inside the wood, you ca still do it.

  Green and heated wood is very susceptible to aving crushed divots left from the clamps, so be absolutley sure to use softer wood scraps between.

[IndianKid]

Awesome info, Thanks ...

 I didnt have any time today, but plan on steaming the bow,
and will clamp and leave to dry/cool for at least 24...
The lowest its been out doors has been above freezing and very dry

Should I bend slightly further than whats needed, anticipating that
it will move at least a little  ?

Should I let it dry for days before backing, or safe to glue in 24 ?

[JW_Halverson]

Was the inside of the curve closest to the heat source?  You might swap sides and warm it a little more!  You may have uneven curing that won't need fixin' but will fix itself! 

You will likely have a little heat straightening to do eventually, so why not set this one aside for a month or two while it finishes drying out.  No sense rushing into corrections until you have the full grocery list of what really needs to be done and what don't!

Meanwhile, find another stick and get back to whittlin'!  Good luck!

[bushboy]

I don't use steam for alignment, only a heat gun. I use a method borrowed from pat B. I can post a mock up this weekend, kinda busy at work right now!Maybe pat can chime in. Just a couple of 2x6 screwed together in a right angle, blocks and clamps,and a wet rag.

[mikekeswick]

This the problem with green wood! Make super sure next time that the stave is dry by weighing it regularly and marking the weight reduction/date on it.
Also on your next bow do not narrow/shape the handle area at all until you have the bow braced. Once it's braced and settled there then mark on the handle where the string tracks naturally and then reduce handle width to match the string.
This trick has saved me countless hours of messing about with heat guns and clamping.....

[bushboy]

I usually put a wet rag at the right angle to protect the back from getting scorched from the heat gun.

[IndianKid]

Dang ! Steamed it for an hour and change, clamped it making
Sure to bend a little more than needed for springback, left for 2 hours
(Ouside, 39-42 deg ) and see 70% better, now to dry slowly in the basement
so I can see what the wood wants to be...

And like JW said, working on some sweet red oak staves
thanks to ALL for responding