Well, I have contracted the bow-itis haha. Just about done my first build and it has made an addict of me. Just wondering if anyone can clear a few things up for me, I have studied/researched extensively but have no experience to work with. She is a fine specimen of a yellow birch sapling taken near my driveway, about 1 3/8" to mid limb, 68" length.
First- had a sideways bend near the handle and straightened it with steam. It worked but in the process of pushing on the side she rolled and I ended up flexing it backwards. Heard it crack...
looked it all over and dug the cracked sections down with a rasp to get below the cracks and it seems to have worked. is this a viable fix or am I just prolonging the inevitable?
Second- had a large rollercoaster section in the top limb, also steamed out. Now I have a dent from the clamp on the bows back (I knew better but just wasn't thinking). I got it to rebound with a hot wet rag overnight but still a bit of a dent. Is this point likely to be a stress riser and pop a splinter?
Lastly- after fixing what I could I decided to test it. No point doing all the finish work if she's gonna explode right? Shot beautifully at about half- two thirds draw (scared to go farther until final tiller is done). Of course since I recently steamed the crap out of it, a lot of my rollercoaster has returned. Is it still too moist or is this likely to happen anyway? I plan on heat treating the belly, should I do that now and use that heat to fix my remaining warps or steam again and leave it longer before I finish it?
Sorry for the lengthy post but being my first I am a bit unsure of myself and since I now have a functional bow on my very first attempt I would really hate to screw it up this late in the game.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.
