Question About Dry Heat Bending Osage?

[PaSteve]

I just put some reflex in an osage bow I'm building using a reflex form. I used dry heat and clamped as the limb became flexible. The bow was at floor tiller stage so it didn't need much heat to bend. My question is: Do I need to go back and "set" the reflex with more heat? Should I heat treat now or not heat treat at all? Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks, Steve

[Stick Bender]

If it was proper heat above 350 Deg , I find reheating osage makes no difference in the end , osage doesn't benifit as much as other white woods like say hickory from reheating the trick for me is to make sure it was a deep slow heat treating to begin with !

[Weylin]

I agree with Stick bender. I rarely find the need to go back and set bends in osage. If it pulls out a little for some reason then go back and do it again, but you'll probably be fine without setting the bend.

[Dances with squirrels]

I never have. I just heat it enough to make the bend (not heat treating per se), and unclamp it the next day.

[PaSteve]

I just took the clamps off after 12 hrs on the form and the limbs look good. Hopefully I don't lose too much reflex during tillering. Thanks for the responses.

[SLIMBOB]

I just heat and bend. No setting of any kind beyond that. The non bending parts will hold, while the bending sections will likely loose some, most or all of the reflex put into it. That’s been my experience.

[Pat B]

I do heat adjustments(if not too bad) and add reflex at the same time, working out one limb then the other. As I'm going out each limb I work about 6" at a time. When that has good color I move on to the next 6" but also go back over the area(s) previously heated until each limb is well heated and clamped to the form.

[Bubbabowyer]

I agree with pat and slim. If the recurve tip  is meant to work then it should just barely work. If not then just heat it enough to bend and let it be. Heat treating a nonworking bend is just going to make the wood more brittle no real benefits imho

[PEARL DRUMS]

In regards to heat bending and not also tempering osage bows. I have noticed over the years that there is hot enough to bend and hot enough to bend and hold. There seems to be a fine line between the two. It seems like the hotter the wood gets through and through, without really darkening much at all, the better it holds its shape. You can also quickly heat it up and bend it no problem, it will even come off the caul looking the same. But, that quick heated bend will usually lose at least half what you put in it. It seems the best way to get a bow to hold its induced shape, without tempering it, is to hold that heat gun at least 6-8" away and ever so slowly heat the wood up to super hot, clamp and repeat.  And, I dont go back and set with heat later. I know a lot of fella's do. 

[Selfbowman]

I heat more than once. Nearly always. Sometimes I will take a bow to the heat caul 4-5 times getting the wood where i want it. Then if some areas have not been heated I heat treat the entire bow. Rarely leave the bow on caul overnight. Not saying that might be better though. Seems like we all do it about the same. Arvin

[SLIMBOB]

To PD’s point. I think I know why Pearl, as I have noticed the same. If you heat the belly enough to plasticize, the belly will reshape. Enough to “pull” the back into shape without having reshaped the back. That pulls out over time. I get both sides, back and belly equally hot before I put it on the caul where I am heating only the belly. If I get the back hot enough it to plasticizes and holds the shape.

[PaSteve]

Interesting answers. It seemed to not take much heat to get the limbs bending and I was afraid I didn't use enough to "keep" the shape. Getting the tip overlays on tonight and hopefully start tillering this weekend. Guess I can clamp down & heat again if it starts to pull out during tillering. I realize I'll lose some reflex but if I can manage to keep some I'll be satisfied. This bow is reflexed not really a recurve. Thanks again guys.