I enjoyed the video, as well as other your bow stuff! Using oil was the first time i've seen it in video, why not try it then sometime.
Did you mention in the video how long do you heat treat the bow (in minutes)? I missed it.
I've burnt bow's backs quite some and never had a failure. Of course they weren't really burned, but some spots were charred through the side up till middle of the back. And these were serious bows, from 100 pounds up to 155. So i'll continue to ignore that until the first explosion.
Zebra is a matter of taste. I like to even the color the best i can. Most of the time it evens out when you work it down.