hackberry question

[AH]

I notice there's been a lot of hackberry posts lately...
I have a roughed out hackberry flatbow, just waiting for it to finish seasoning to start tillering. From what I've read about hackberry, they say it takes a lot of set and you'd be well to heat-treat the belly.
But I don't like the look of heat treated bows, so I got an Idea: what if I just trapped the back? would that keep set low?
Even if trapping wouldn't work, well, I don't have a heat gun, so If I got to heat treat it...well, it's back to the stovetop.

[Hrothgar]

An alternative suggestion, I have several times used a candle to heat treat the belly of a white wood bow. It just takes a little more time and attention.
Unless you really scorch the surface of the wood you can always use a medium grit sandpaper after toasting, this will pretty much return the wood to its original color.

[SLIMBOB]

Heat treat!  I had my early HB attempts turn out as wet noodles because of the set.  Started heat treating and a huge difference.  Build a fire and temper over a fire if nothing else.  Just my opinion.

[Shondy55]

i am also working on a hackberry recurve, when you guys say heat treating what exactly do you mean? i have a heat gun i just want to know exactly what you mean by heat treating it.  thanks

[smoke]

Heat tempering involves reflexing the limbs - either on a form or by essentially stringing it backward about 3 inches - then applying heat until the wood is toasted brown.  Much of the reflex will stay in the limbs and the mass will be reduced.  Marc St. Louis (monitor of this site) is a wealth of knowledge on this technique.

[SLIMBOB]

Tempering is simply heating up the belly wood slowly until you get a nice light brown color change.  Any heat source will work, but a heat gun is cheap and simple to use.  Holding the bow in reflex as you temper is a good idea.  The amount of reflex is another issue, but some of that reflex will keep after shooting it in.  Lots of info on the forums about this.  I wouldn't make another HB bow without tempering it.