Heat gun question...

[Scrub_buck]

The osage stave I am working on now needs a limb to bend some to line up the limbs and handle better.  I have not narrowed the limbs to final width yet and I have about 3/8th limb thickness.  The limbs are probably 1.25 inches wide in the area I want to treat.

I went by Lowes today and picked up a heat gun.  Any tips on heating the limb wood?  I want to straighten up a small crook to get the limbs and the handle lined up better.  This is bending the wood laterally, not towards the back or belly.  Probably need to move it 1/4 of an inch.  I wanted to ask the people in the know before I went off half cocked.   

[Michael C.]

As far as I know you need to get some lard from the store and make sure to put it on about 2 inches larger than the area your heating. Don't heat the back of the bow to much or you will weaken it, just enough heat to get it hot to the touch, at least that's what I was told. Just heat the belly going back and forth until its a bit darker brown and heat the sides a bit along with the back. Just make sure you have enough lard to keep it from drying out to much. I was able to line up my nocks this way on my first bow and it worked out great. I used a 5 gallon bucket with a clamp on the bow to keep it from falling off and just added some bricks until it goes a bit further than you actually want it to be. It will spring back a bit after you bend it, so make sure you go a bit further than you need, I would say about 3/4 to 1/2 inch. I have only done this once, so you might want to wait until someone who has been doing it longer chimes in.

[Aries]

Ive had to preform the same procedure a few times. The method that has worked best for me is to use Crisco(convenience Lil) to coat a good portion of the limb being heated. I keep the heat gun on high and about 6-8 in. away (to keep from scorching of burning the wood). For this to work you need to make sure the wood is heated all the way to the core, but not too hot on the out side. You have to slow cook that steak .  Too much heat fast will get you no where and can weaken the wood. Slow cookin while rotating(rotisserie style ) the stave has worked best for me so far. and like Michael said you'll want to bend the wood a ways further than your line up point for it to come to rest at the proper point.  Ty