This morning, I hitched up my trousers and tackled some steam bending attempts (my first) on Hollyween. With the bow back shellaced, I turned my attention to a dry run of the placement of the clamps, to bend the handle a little more, so I (and they) would be prepared after the steaming. That is a suggested proceedure, since time is at a premium to get your bow clamped how you want it, quickly after steaming. The upright 2x4s are to give me solid places to clamp for sidewards movement of the handle, and they are clamped in the portable work bench, behind the 4x4 side of the jaws and the original back jaw of the work bench. The horizontal 2x4 is wedged between the upright 2x4s and the two small trough-shaped forms, to keep them from sliding backwards when I apply the clamps. I think I have it set up OK to do what I hope to do. Doing the handle is just the first step, if it works, and then iIwill attempt to steam and bend each of the limbs, as needed, on other days:
Then I set up the steamer pot, and got the tinfoil ready to "tent" the bow(I'm told it doesn't have to be air tight - it is OK for some of the steam to escape - most of mine condensed on the tinfoil and went back into the boiling water below anyway. After boiling the water, I cut the heat down to keep it just at a simmering boil. Once the bow (and foil) was in position for the hour of steaming, I took a pic of the set-up, as it was starting the steaming process:
After an hour of boiling (check the water level now and then, and be careful - steam burns you quickly and badly), I quickly, swiftly, and delftly (Ha-ha, as best I could) got the bow clamped up in the way I had prepared to, and here is a pic of that. As suggested, I will leave it clamped for 24 hours, and hope for the best results:
