Questions about reverse bracing for heat treating

[WhistlingBadger]

Hi, all.  I want to heat treat some reflex into a hickory flat bow, and I think reverse bracing would be the best way for me to do it.   So you know where I'm at, my bow is long-string tillered, bending well and evenly.  I haven't braced it yet.  I plan to dry-heat in some reflex then rawhide back it before final tillering.  I'd like to try for about 2-3" of reflex.

I feel like I understand heat treating pretty well, but reverse bracing has me a bit baffled.  Do I simply string the bow backward at a very low brace height?  Someone mentioned using a long string instead.  How does that work?  Should I use wire instead of a string so the heat doesn't break the string?  What do I do about the nocks, since they are of course pointed the wrong direction for reverse brace?

Could someone talk me through this, or point me to a good resource?   

Thanks!!!

Thomas

[Pat B]

Thomas, I've only heat treated and reflexed using a caul. When I heat treat using a caul I clamp the bow at the handle and work out each limb clamping as I go . I may be wrong but reverse bracing without any other support seems to me there is a chance of uneven bending results.

[Del the cat]

I think there's a potential problem with reverse brace!
Presumably you can't heat the entire bow evenly all at once... thus the area that gets above 100 degrees C first will take up all the bend and screw up the shape!
I think it need clamping to a form/caul, or to a straight edge and then once hot maybe slip a 1/2" block under the grip?
Del

[Yooper Bowyer]

I always heat the part that needs the most bend for precisely that reason.  Sometimes I tighten the string before I start on the second limb.

You have to tie on temporary knocks or tie the string on tight to the bow.  Using a long string helps to keep the string more perpendicular to the limb so it has less tendency to come off the knocks.

[SLIMBOB]

Agree with Del and Pat. Not using a caul and clamps can cause all kinds of problems. A simple 2x shaped as you wish, and a few clamps is cheap, easy and nearly fool proof.

[Yooper Bowyer]

Yea, but what is the right shape? 

[SLIMBOB]

Pretty much what ever you want it to be. From a gentle sweep to radical hooks. Just depends on what you want.

[BowEd]

For a straight line reflexed bow very little if any at all out of the fades then with a gradual increase out to the tips.The majority of the reflex is put in from midlimb out to the tips.

[WhistlingBadger]

OK, thanks for the info, guys.  I decided to just make a simple caul from a 2x4 and do it the easy way.  Might be interested in doing it more primitively in the future--reverse bracing, or go full Clay Hayes and hang it over a pit of coals with a weight on the handle.

Anyway, got out and cooked some wood this evening.  Will let it cool overnight, and do the other limb tomorrow.