Recurving hickory tips question

[eastcreekarchery]

Should i use dry or steam heat? Im tempering the belly soon with a heat gun and was wondering if i could add some reflex to the tips while im at it. Thanks!

[PatM]

Soak and boil if you really want it to bend sharply.

[Nasr]

What pat said I tried dry heat It didn’t bend well for me. I ended boiling and it worked well.

[Jakesnyder]

My experience with bending hickory is go slow and know when to stop. It does like to lift splinters if your not careful.

[bownarra]

Soak in water for a few days first....boil them under water not steam.....then it will be very easy
Dry heat for recurves is a bad idea, ok for shallow bends but that's it.

[eastcreekarchery]

what about strapping it to a caul to add reflex to the whole length of the bow while i heat treat it?

[Jakesnyder]

Yep that works great as well. Just go slow and let the heat really Penetrate into the wood. Its not about just how quick you can get a medium brown color.