Time & Heat

[GregB]

I'm currently working on a osage bow that I've flipped the tips on. There were initial alignment problems and I tweaked the tips a couple of more times to correct these. My question is this, how long do some of you wait after tweaking wood with dry heat to re-string the bow and check the outcome? After the wood has completely cooled, would it not be stable enough to check or do you think it improves in stability by giving it overnight for example?

This last time I tweaked the tips, I let it cool a couple of hours and then restrung it to check the alignment at brace. I did not pull the bow further, and immediately unstrung it after checking it.

[Lost Arra]

I let wood sit over night after heating and bending but this is just a habit and I have no idea if waiting that long is necessary.
I do know that when I get in a hurry in any aspect of bowbuilding it increases my chances for problems.

[George Tsoukalas]

Over night here too. Jawge

[Ryano]

Greg, I just wait till the wood is cool to the touch with osage, white woods I tend to let rest a day or two after a servere heat treating where I think it may have lost a lot of moisture. I tried working a iron wood bow the same day once and she blew on me, not sure if that was why or not but Ive let white woods rest for a while ever since then to just to be safe.

[Pappy]

You already know my feelings on this but I will tell anyway  I 'm with Ryan on the white wood
and really rather leave Osage over night also if I have the option,And I usually do.If nothing else it seem to hold better if left over night or longer. 
   Pappy

[GregB]

Thanks for the replies...I guess the safe bet is if you're not in a hurry why not wait overnight. 

[ricktrojanowski]

I'm a beginner also.   When I heat bent for the first time (recurving osage tips) I let it cool for about 24 hrs still clamped in the form.

[Pat B]

I usually let a bow rest until the next day after heating. I want to be sure it has cooled and usually I have other bows in the works to play with.   Even if the bow feels cool to the touch it could still be warm inside. I use oil on bows when I heat them and I believe it holds the heat longer. Sometimes I will wrap the heated area with aluminum foil to allow it to cool very slowly. Because I do this it needs to sit til tomorrow.    Pat

[wvfknapper]

I use oil on bows when I heat them and I believe it holds the heat longer.     Pat

Pat

Does the oil affect the wood taking stain such as on white wood, especially using water based stains or dyes?

wvflintknapper

[Pat B]

I have noticed that the oil doesn't go that deep into the wood. I leave the wood proud before heating so when it gets shaped, that wood is removed anyway. You can also wipe the area with alcohol, acetone or other solvent to remove any oil that might be left behind.     Pat

[TRACY]

I've still got the tips clamped on a hickory stave that I heated with a gun to flip the tips on from Monday. The white woods seem to lose reflex if I unclamp too quickly. Osage I just leave til the next day and haven't had any problems.