Excited about whitewood

[sleek]

My dad told me about that as a kid. I never did it exactly like that, but I have roasted bows over a camp fire coals using a spit set up. Worked great. Keeping your clamps from damaging must be a trick

[Deerhunter21]

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.

that is a sweet bow! looking at this is pretty dang cool! a well made white wood bow can out do a osage bow easilly. all of the really fast bows on here (at least the ones ive seen) have been white wood bows that have been heat treated!

one thing is osage doesn't need to be heat treated. it already has amazing tension and amazing compression. but if you do heat treat osage, you definitially dont do it like you do with white woods. white woods need the added compression strength but osage doesn't so youll see a big improvement with white woods but with osage you wont see as much. so i just suggest not heat treating a osage bow, 

[darinputman]

Thanks for the advice deerhunter.

[bownarra]

Ok so the dvd doesn't mention any additional steps. This would appear to be just like 'normal' heatgun heat treating but over a bed of coals? From what I've seen of bows made with using this fire hardening process is that they are treated to a dark brown/black. Most of my best whitewood bows have been heat treated very thoroughly. Our ash (fraxinus excelsior) is transformed when treated to basically black.

[darinputman]

Bownarra that seems to be the general thoughts of most. My heat gun skills are not yet capable of doing what this process does. When I take this wood off the caul the shellac on back of my stave is bubbled up, my moisture content is down to zero and I get almost zero springback off the caul. I personally have had problems getting hickory to take corrections which is one of the many reasons I like to use osage. Heat gun and boiling for flipping tips is the way I usually make corrections. I have tried steam but was not satisfied with the results, but that is probably my inexperience with the process.

[sleek]

Bownarra that seems to be the general thoughts of most. My heat gun skills are not yet capable of doing what this process does. When I take this wood off the caul the shellac on back of my stave is bubbled up, my moisture content is down to zero and I get almost zero springback off the caul. I personally have had problems getting hickory to take corrections which is one of the many reasons I like to use osage. Heat gun and boiling for flipping tips is the way I usually make corrections. I have tried steam but was not satisfied with the results, but that is probably my in experience with the process.

I think the idea is a solid concept, but the hassle of a coal pit that large, and accounting for the height above coals for temp control as they burn down, what a pita. However,  if it works for you and makes you happy, do it. It sure does leave a nice even color when you get the set up right.

[BowEd]

Bownarra that seems to be the general thoughts of most. My heat gun skills are not yet capable of doing what this process does. When I take this wood off the caul the shellac on back of my stave is bubbled up, my moisture content is down to zero and I get almost zero springback off the caul. I personally have had problems getting hickory to take corrections which is one of the many reasons I like to use osage. Heat gun and boiling for flipping tips is the way I usually make corrections. I have tried steam but was not satisfied with the results, but that is probably my inexperience with the process.

I get the no spring back and bows' back shellack stuck to the form using the heat gun too.The heat gun I use has 2 heat intensities and speeds.Highest is 1100 F.Next is 500F.

[darinputman]

BowEd I always seem to get the shellack stuck to the caul, but once I break it loose I always also get springback. Don't know how hot my heatgun gets but is a porter cable 1500 watt gun. But I never have seen my shellac bubble up and cooked off the bow like when cooked over coals. It scared me a bit the first time as I thought I had ruined another bow. Always had a hard time getting hickory to take reflex with my gun but now I have a way of inducing it. That is why this old method that is new to me ecites me a bit. If the bows don't try to get a little bit sluggish during the summer heat being stored in my shop I will definately be hooked. Just another method I learned to use in building bows. I also have  enough hickory on my place to build as many as I should ever need. Can't wait to try the sweetgum, that is ome tree Ive always considered trash, got plenty of it too. Thanks

[sleek]

BowEd I always seem to get the shellack stuck to the caul, but once I break it loose I always also get springback. Don't know how hot my heatgun gets but is a porter cable 1500 watt gun. But I never have seen my shellac bubble up and cooked off the bow like when cooked over coals. It scared me a bit the first time as I thought I had ruined another bow. Always had a hard time getting hickory to take reflex with my gun but now I have a way of inducing it. That is why this old method that is new to me ecites me a bit. If the bows don't try to get a little bit sluggish during the summer heat being stored in my shop I will definately be hooked. Just another method I learned to use in building bows. I also have  enough hickory on my place to build as many as I should ever need. Can't wait to try the sweetgum, that is ome tree Ive always considered trash, got plenty of it too. Thanks

You figure out how to build a good bow of sweet gum and I want a lesson from you!

[darinputman]

Sleek, they seem to be prouder of their sweetgum than any of the others they built on the video. Definately the fastest, not sure about shootability if that's a word, but look forward to finding out one day.