Author Topic: Fuming setup?  (Read 2036 times)

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Offline Willibow

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Fuming setup?
« on: June 27, 2015, 11:48:40 pm »
Hey guys n gals. I'm about to try fuming my hickory bow I recently finished and am looking for ideas about how to get it done. I was thinking of standing it up in a cooler that also holds the container of ammonia and tenting the whole works with Saran Wrap. Is this how it's usually done?
Lord, grant me the courage to attempt this bow build.
The strength to pull it to full draw.
And the wisdom to listen to the wood.
-- Bowyers prayer

Offline simson

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Re: Fuming setup?
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2015, 03:12:17 am »
Willi, don't play around with that cooler or container stuff. Just use a plastic tube about 2 meters long, seal it on one end with gaffers tape and work in a piece of cord about 1meter long. The cord is for free hanging in the bow in the tube. hang the whole setup at the ceiling, the other end of the tube should reach the floor. Put the pot with the ammonia in this end of the tube and seal with some rubber band.

That's all!

You can watch the tranformation through the transparent plastic esily. I usually go for one day ub to seven days. When putting out the bow let the damp vaporize out (go out for that - it stinks heavily).

Good luck!
Simon
Bavaria, Germany

Offline Willibow

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Re: Fuming setup?
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2015, 06:01:30 pm »
Thanks Simon! They didn't have any clear tubing in the home supply store near me so I picked up some HDPE. I suppose it won't hurt to open the thing up every 24 hours or so to check on progress. So how do you contain the ammonia solution inside the pipe? Use a small bowl in the bottom?
Lord, grant me the courage to attempt this bow build.
The strength to pull it to full draw.
And the wisdom to listen to the wood.
-- Bowyers prayer

Offline Carson (CMB)

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Re: Fuming setup?
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2015, 02:05:18 am »
I just set a fuming tube up today.  :) Seeing Simson's recent update and having a primitive styled osage bow needing some aging, I thought I had to try it! I used my steam setup, which is a couple of 4' sections of 4" chimney pipe, joined with a tee. I just capped the tee and the top end and rested the bottom end over a plastic container of ammonia with the lid off and leaned it against a tree. Just made sure the bottom limb bow tip didn't go in to the jug of ammonia. After 4 hours, only very slight change, barely noticeable. I will see what it looks like in the morning.
"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline simson

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Re: Fuming setup?
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2015, 02:25:56 pm »
Willi please go to http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,52210.0.html
and see my last post.

Master Carson keep me updated!
Simon
Bavaria, Germany

Offline wapiti1997

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Re: Fuming setup?
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2015, 03:03:38 pm »
I suppose you could use the plastic tube from a Diaper Genie refill to do this?  It's blue clear plastic, at least you could see the darkness of your project without opening it.