Rawhide and reflex for a "bit" of extra weight?

[manysteps]

Hey all.

I just finished tillering a hickory longbow for my wife (and kids) to use... (21" draw length, 51.5" bow)

This is a single board hickory bow.

I have at least an inch of string follow at the moment, but now that it's tillered I think it's time to relfex it, and probably back it.

I don't know what the draw weight is, my fish scale's battery is dead, but it's less than 20#.

I really don't want to have it more than 25# all finished up, so hickory backing is out unless I want to re-tiller it.

I'm leaning towards a rawhide backing and reflexing it.... am I up in the night to think that could add 5lbs or so?

[Pat B]

Add reflex and toast the belly will give you a few more pounds. You might have to reduce the weight if it comes out stronger. If you are going to add rawhide, do it after toasting. It won't add weight but it will give your board bow some protection.

[upstatenybowyer]

What Pat said. 

[manysteps]

So, adding rawhide with a reflex won't add any weight? I don't "need" to back it, the tillering is done... I would like to add a few more pounds, so if a heat treat is all I need, then that's actually easier/cheaper.

[PatM]

The reflex will add weight and the rawhide will slow it back down  in all likelihood.

[manysteps]

I've never heat treated a bow before, so would I reflex it, heat it up, and then just let it cool to set the reflex? (I will be visiting my mentor who's been building bows for nearly 60 years to do this, but more opinions are always welcome)

[BowEd]

Yes hickory is a top shelf wood to heat treat.You'll like the results.I'd let it rehydrate a week to be sure after heat treating.That's just me.Stiff areas that are'nt bending can be used right away if your adjusting alignment of tips etc.

[Pat B]

You can add reflex and heat treat at the same time.

[manysteps]

First, thanks for the great advice! you guys rock!

I took the bow to my mentor, and we heat treated the belly with a reflex... now is hydrate time...

Here's what I didn't expect... the reflex DOUBLED after just a couple hours at home... I get it to some degree... the limbs on this bow are SUPER thin, so we drove all the moisture out, but the reflex DOUBLES?

I called my mentor about it, and he suggested I spritz them down with water on the belly to get some moisture in to that part... and they've stayed pretty much the same since then.

I went from 2" of string follow to 4" of reflex in nothing flat... wood never ceases to amaze me with its dynamics.

So, now for the REAL question... does this change my tiller enough to check it, or is it shooting time? (I was ready to shoot this before I heat treated it)

(NOTE: nothing will happen until this has had more time to hydrate)

[BowEd]

Yes best to wait a while.I'd rebrace it then and check the draw weight.Don't go beyond your draw weight doing that.See what draw length your at getting that draw weight.I've never had one go much beyond an 8 pound increase.I usually side tiller it mostly back to the draw weight I had.If done right your tiller should'nt have changed any.With reasonable luck you should end up with at least an inch of reflex when done going by the numbers you said.
PS..Get a battery for your fish scale.Since it's from a board I'm assuming it has an edge grain back.You might want to put rawhide on it but probably not neccessary given the numbers of draw to length of the bow you said and if the grain is nice and straight.

[PatM]

If you were to spritz anything it should have been the back.

[Springbuck]

That is unreal.  Never had that happen.

Did you have it in a form, clamped down when you heated the belly/added reflex?

[manysteps]

We put the back of the handle on a 2 x 4, then clamped the tips to the table to create the reflex while we toasted the belly.