Flipping Tips

[hillbilly61]

   I thought I had listened to everything that I could hear about flipping tips. I steam bent a piece of white oak and it worked good.
 I thought Osage was supposed to be dry heat. Soooo I got the heat gun out and heated the area (about 3" each side) I got to the going that it started drooping. I went ahead and eased it down. It cracked from one side to the other Sooooo I cut 4" of each end and wa-la another shortbow. I'll post pics of all that in another post latter.
 What did I do wrong? Use the wrong heat? Overheat?

[Lombard]

I've had that happen Mark. Now I leave the tips thicker, and actually chase a ring on the belly. It has helped me doing it that way, and then thin the tips after bending.

[Lee Slikkers]

hillbilly, that's how I made my 56" Osage with recurved tips 

[hillbilly61]

Well. I 've ended up with a 46" T2T 39# @ 26" I would like to put a little reflex bend in the tips. I know it will shorten the draw length but that's ok.

This is the first time I've chased a ring. What would it do if I sinewed the back That would be a first also.

[Lee Slikkers]

dunno, haven't sinewed...yet.  Soon though...

[Alpinbogen]

I've wrecked more perfectly good bows trying to flip the tips with dry heat than I care to admit.  Steam is the way to go for severe bends like that.  The shame of it is I knew better almost every time, but didn't want to wait a couple of weeks for the wood to dry out from steaming.   I pulled it off just enough times that I thought luck might be on my side to use dry heat.  Just dumb.     I think I've finally broken myself of that practice, but it's taken a long time...   

[Bow Nut]

from what I have heard dry heat is no good on sharp bends.  I steam my tips for 2 hours before bending them and while I am bending them I use the heat gun to keep them hot and take my time usually try to take about 10 minutes for each recurve but I have only done 2 now with osage and they both came out perfectly.  I have heard though that if the wood is still some what green or is green you can use dry heat with no problems.

[gstoneberg]

I've only used dry heat on osage and have never had a problem.  I also leave the tips at least a growth ring too thick, sometimes 2.  Only heat the belly and sides, never the back.  I have popped a slivver on the belly  doing the bend, but with the extra thickness I could sand it out.  I did build a half-round caul and the last one I did was easier with that.  I put a thin piece of steel on the belly where I bent it for the clamps to bear and didn't have any trouble.

George

[bubby]

I'm know expert on flipping and such but I was under the impression that you use steam for green, steam or dry heat for seasoned wood, Bub

[Pappy]

I do about like George, and sometimes pop up a splinter but never broke and Osage flipping the tips.
I have broke several Hickory using dry heat.
   Ppapy

[crooketarrow]

  Those splinters pop up because your trying to make too sharp of a been.
 
 HILLBILLY

[crooketarrow]

   HILLBILLY the only thing I can thing of is your stave (bow) was'nt all the way seasoned and it had a little moister. Maybe to high a heat aplyed to fast.  Seasoned wood dry heat, unseasoned steam type of wood dos'nt matter.

  ALSO let the weight of the bow do the beening as you heat it don't do the beening yourself. This way you don't over heat it. Make a caul where the tip down and the bows up on a 45 % angle. This way the weight of the bow will do the beening around the caul as you heat it.

  I know alot of people use heat but I never heat moveing parts of the limb. I no longer flip tips but I will been the handle to bring the tips in line if I have to.

[Bow Nut]

So using dry heat on Green wood is not good?  Ed Scott suggest to do it that way.  To me it is no different than steaming it considering that you are heating up moisture that will start steaming if you get it hot enough.  and I have tried dry heat on seasoned wood and it ended in disaster but I only tried it once so I dont have much experience to go one here but i have tried steaming seasoned wood and it has worked both times.  Also in the bowyers bible they say to steam or boil the wood for atleast one hour for sharp bends.  Do I have all this wrong? If I do let me know because I dont want to risk wasting any wood as it is hard to come by.  thanks

[mullet]

Did you put enough oil or crisco on the bow first? I use crisco and heat it slowly. If I'm doing a severe bend I do it over time. Letting it cool down, rehydrate and then bend it some more.

 It sounds like to me you overcooked it.

[John W. Cooper]

I'll second George on the metal band clamped to the belly when you bend it.  If you go inch-by-inch and heat it really deep into the core of the stave, it should work better for you.  Just as you watch for violated growth rings on the backs of your bows, watch out for them when you're flipping tips.

John