steam or boil?

[sadiejane]

after taking a look at lees bow and his mention of "steam rig". got me thinking again.
a pal of mine is thinking of building  a bow 'boiler" with some old pipe etc to use over an open firepit.
he read about it in jim hamms book bows and arrows of the native americans.
there wasnt much in the way of details.
i know some folks use steam. (i've seen some crazy rigs set up over the stove and such).
so which do ya'll  use/prefer?
pros n cons of steam vs boiling?
got a prime candidate right now for some heat. have only used a heat gun so far for bending and straightening.
thanks for your insight!

[Del the cat]

Bottom line is steam and boiling water will both be 100 degrees C.
I think it's whatever is easiest/most convenient for you, the main thing is to get it from steam/boiling water to the former and clamped up really quick.
I use a wallpaper stripper to create the steam and some aluminium clad insulation board to make the steam chest (an old duvet draped over the pipes and chest keeps the heat in), it was jus tstuff I happened to have lying around in the garage (the duvet was from my secret cat nest )
Del