boiling a bow in oil

[steve b.]

Not sure the point of it but I actually eventually went to a metal shop to see how much a bow "trough" would cost to have made that I could put across two burners, to heat water, to slow heat a stave in the water, then to remove quickly to a caul and clamp it down all at once in order to form it.  I gave up on it but still think it might work.  A green stave might check, depending on wood type, whether oil or water.

[nsherve]

As far as the boiling side, I am thinking about using black steel/iron pipe 3" X 8' with 45deg upright on the ends to release heat. Or, an upright open angle in the center and both ends. The oil, I was thinking of using lard from WallyWorld.

The clay/dirt (clay soil on my property), I am think of using chimney vent pipe 8" or 10" x 8' to pack the dirt around to green bow. Hang over the fire, with adjustable heights, or bury it on top of coals from a hardwood fire. I'm not sure, but I think that would take a while longer to heat and cool down. I would split the top of that pipe along the top from end to end. I could set the bow in there with the belly down.

Nate

[George Tsoukalas]

Sounds dangerous.

Have you ever added an egg to really hot oil to fry it?

Jawge

[PatM]

No matter what it does to the wood it will add a lot of non-working mass.

[Onebowonder]

 

[nsherve]

Haha who hasn't done that with eggs? This is just ideas that pop into my mind, from time to time. I may try both of them, if I'm not busy with other things when I get home.
If I were to boil the whole thing in water, would it have negative affects on the wood (since it will still be green)?
  And, do you think baking one in clay soil would dry out a nearly finished bow too much, or too quickly? The dirt itself would already have moisture in it, and it seems to me that as it dried out, it would draw the same out of the green wood...

Nate

[sleek]

at that point whats the difference from kiln dried wood?

[nsherve]

I guess there's only one way to find out...

I've never done anything with kiln dried wood. As far as making a bow, anyway...I'm still very new at this. There may be a difference from the weight of the dirt and the compression it will have on the bow, though.

[willie]

I am not sure from your posts exactly what it is that you wish to accomplish with hot oil, but gunsmiths have a technique for bending wood stocks, that utilize hot oil

[Jim Davis]

Robert Elmer mentions the use of hot oil for bending bows.

[PatM]

Have you ever found a really old French fry that fell down the side of your car seat? Do they make you think of bows?

[Jim Davis]

Well, that was what a psychologist would call and intrusive thought...

[nsherve]

Willie,
I didn't have a plan on doing anything specific with that. I was/am just curious of what it would do to the wood, the same with cooking one in clay soil over a fire.
  The one I think I will most likely try is the one with the clay.

[nsherve]

Asharrow,
 I wonder if I put just the ends of the bow in hot oil (near to frying temp), would be bad, instead of just heating it on the belly...
                                                                            (like deep frying, not frying eggs)


     maybe it would help doing a recurve (how many ways to skin a cat?), I want to do a recurve at some point...

[Pappy]

Yep lots of ways to skin a cat for sure. Good luck, be careful, keep us up dated, as for me I think I will stick to steaming and dry heat.  Very effected and not to dangerous.
 Pappy