Excited about whitewood

[darinputman]

I've built a few selfbows over the last few years and have messed up many more during the process. I'm very lucky to have had Eric Krewson as a teacher on my first hickory bow. It was a very good shooter, but turned most of my attention towards osage after that. I recently watched the fire hardening video, read the somewhat lengthy thread about it on here and decided to give it a try. I have to say I'm thrilled with the results after having made a couple of bows with this method over the last couple of weeks. I am cooking one now as I type. I have never been able to do anything near this with my heatgun. My favorite osage bow just took 2nd place to a hickory bow, I would have never thought that possible. This process may not be new to all of you but has given me a new tool in my bow building arsenal.I only hope that through the heat of summer it will hold up to my expectations.

[darinputman]

Think I may be able to post a picture now.

[sleek]

What is the difference in performance you are getting with this fire hardening? Nice tiller on that bow too.

[darinputman]

Hopefully this will be a shot of the belly, hickory 51#@28".

[darinputman]

Sleek I have never shot a bow through a chronograph before but I ordered one so I could judge the difference between the bows I was making and gauge my improvements. My 65" osage bow also 51@ 28 shot 159 to 164 but has been shot many times. The 68" hickory bow was 165 to 169 but has only had a couple hundred shots through it. They both have 12 strnd 8125 continuous loop strings on them made by me. I owe the tiller on all my bows to the tillering gizmo but thanks anyway. The osage bow also had  more deflex put in when I spliced the billets. The hickory bow is also very easy to shoot for me. Of course that could be length plus handle design.

[burchett.donald]

Darin,
             Your unstrung profile tells the story...Nice bend and balance...Like them stiff outters

[Badger]

Very nice job!! Held the profile beautifully.+

[darinputman]

Thanks Donald, thank you Badger, I believe if I can get the heat/color closer to the tips it would hold even more profile. But it may not be as easy to shoot. Thats a goal though.

[simson]

Nice work!
The profiles are looking very good!

I can't imagine the fire toasting is so much different to heat gun treatment ...
maybe I should give it a try

[darinputman]

Thanks simson, I've never been able to do anything close with a heat gun. Then again I'm not as experienced of a lot of yall. But I really like this method for hickory. As far as osage goes I've ruined 2 staves using it and burned up 1 caul with 1 of the staves, but am getting better. I do plan on useing it on osage again just not as extreme as I do on hickory. I'm up late cause I was doing another tonight, trying to get some color a little farther out to the tips. Gonna see if I can tiller well enough to hold any more reflex. I think it took it pretty well. Almost no springback when I took the clamps off and color is on out the tips for sure. I do try to rough the bow out really close to finish dimensions though so thats always a risk. So far I've been able to do ok.

[George Tsoukalas]

Very fine bow! I love hickory too. Jawge

[darinputman]

Thanks George

[bownarra]

Could you outline the method of this fire hardening process please. I haven't seen the DVD but have heat treated plenty of bows over the years and i'm keen to try it out. Bit kinder on the wallet too haha!
On your caul you appear to have the reflex concentrated just out from the fades. If you have it flatter through the handle/inner limb section and the reflex progressively increasing as you move along to the tips you will find it easier to hold it in the finished profile. Thinner wood can bend further so your mid / outer limbs can hold reflex better than thicker near handle limb.

[darinputman]

Thanks for the advice on reflexing bownarra, I  got my pit just simple blocks laid out that I put my bed of coals in(I use charcoal) and set my caul on holding my bow up above the heat. Hickory seems to be able to take a lot of heat but I have ruint 2 osage blanks using the same process. Will try osage again but not near as low to coals as the hickory. I heat about 2 hours on this bow. If it doesnt get dark enough I just do again. Everything I tried so far has been just basically doing what the dvd said.

[darinputman]

Here some pictures bownara if it would help.