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Author Topic: Heat bending and limb set  (Read 7036 times)

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Offline IrishJay

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Heat bending and limb set
« on: December 22, 2018, 06:52:30 am »
So I fin the finally made a working bow. It ended up a hair lighter than I wanted it, and it took some set, ending up with string follow. Is there anything to be gained by heat forming the limbs back to straight, or even a hair of reflex? Or will they just return to their current set as soon as I draw it again? Belly is already toasted, now is red oak backed with linen, linen was applied with polyester resin.


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"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline Pat B

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2018, 07:03:02 am »
If you heat treat them in reflex they may keep a little reflex or come out straight unless you damaged the belly cells too much.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline IrishJay

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2018, 07:05:06 am »
Am I correct in assuming that will add a couple pounds of draw weight?
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"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline StickMark

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #3 on: December 22, 2018, 07:14:14 am »
varies.  I have gotten increases from about 1.5 pounds to around 5 pounds.  Wouldn't hurt.
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Offline IrishJay

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2018, 07:21:05 am »
3 to 4 would put me right where I want to be. Bow is going to be a gift to my father, he has bad shoulders so I'm trying to keep it light, but he has a pride point about staying over 40lbs.
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"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline DC

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #5 on: December 22, 2018, 08:48:34 am »
I would make a test piece before I heated it. I'm not sure how polyester resin takes heat. The back doesn't get too hot but sometimes the heat sneaks around the corner and it may lift the edges.
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Offline IrishJay

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2018, 09:02:09 am »
DC, probably not bad advice, although I didnt see it until after I had done one limb. I cant see any issues with the resin so far, but shes still clamped to the form. I'll let you know for sure when I remove it.

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"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline Pat B

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2018, 09:21:16 am »
 :OK
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline IrishJay

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #8 on: December 22, 2018, 09:52:31 am »
Does this count as a reflex/deflex bow?  ;) But seriously the first limb took about 1" of reflex with no damage to the resin. bending the other now, then we'll see how much set it takes when I draw it.

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"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline IrishJay

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #9 on: December 22, 2018, 11:11:26 am »
First draw after heat treat, both limbs hand grenaded, when it let go it was at full draw and 2lbs LESS than it was before the heat treat.
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"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline IrishJay

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #10 on: December 22, 2018, 11:12:42 am »
So I guess I should have left it alone.

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"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline TimBo

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #11 on: December 22, 2018, 11:23:08 am »
Well, back to the drawing board...sorry to see that, but it looks like you are learning a lot!  Next time, if it is close, just write "40#" in fancy script and call it good...
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #12 on: December 22, 2018, 11:34:49 am »
You got too impatient. You have to let the wood re-hydrate for a while after heat treating and especially this time of year when the R/H is so low normally. Live and learn.
Now time to start your next one using the lessons you learned from this bow.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline bradsmith2010

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #13 on: December 22, 2018, 12:01:51 pm »
the bow was pretty good as it was,,a little set not going to hurt anything,,,and a little set is better than no bow,,when we start letting the way the bow looks,,, dictate the design,, it can get dangerous,, but as said,, I have done the same thing in dry conditions,, so I am pretty conservative with my heat treating, and if the bow is shooting well,,,I usually wont do it for very little or no performance gain,, just to make it "look" right,,  if the bow is a real dog and I have nothing to loose,, then I will try pretty much anything,, knowing it could cause failure,,
I get the feeling,, there is a trend putting too much emphasis on the way a bow looks,, putting the performance somewhere down the list,,that sometimes is not giving the bow a true representaion,,,of what it should do first,, shoot well and not break,, ok just one more thing,, I had a bow that was shooting well,, and thought I would heat treat the belly to get just a little more out of it,, but I thought I would ask one of the best bow makers on the site what he thought,, he just said no,,,
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Offline DC

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Re: Heat bending and limb set
« Reply #14 on: December 22, 2018, 12:05:29 pm »
If we'd thought of it I guess we should have reminded you before hand but we just can't keep track of everything. Next time do some research on what you are about to try. Something like "primitive archer heat treating" in Google gets a bunch of info. Still to bad about the bow. Good luck on the next one. :)
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