Heat treating

[Del the cat]

Thanks guys
It's nice to know that there is something about bowmaking that I probably can't screw up, but I'll do my best.

I know a good way to screw it up...
Make a jig to hold the heat gun, move it along every 4 minutes or so... half way through, go indoors and start watching an interesting TV program (ok I know that's a bit far fetched.. it's mostly cr4p on TV ) When you return you'll have a nicely burnt limb.
One of those kitchen timers is a great aid to avoid that scenario.
Nice pic of heat treating in progress, using my jig, here:-
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/multitasking.html
Del

[mullet]

I do about the same as Badger, also. Except HopHornbeam, I heat it till it starts to smell good then move on to another section. When I'm heat treating osage it is usually because I'm coming in under weight and I want to try to tighten it up and gain a few pounds or I have one limb or recurve that wants to keep pulling out.

[SamIAm]

Is there a recommended wattage on the heat gun for this purpose?

[mullet]

I use hot, and go by smell and visual observation.

[SamIAm]

What I really meant Mullett was: when you buy a heat gun to heat treat your bow, is there a recommended wattage to purchase?  What size?  Thanks.

[steve b.]

No, Sam, it just needs to be a heat gun and not something like a hair dryer, of course.  I think it might be important to get the heat as deep into the wood as possible without burning the outside, so I 'slow cook' my bow's belly over dry heat for at least a half hour and then go at it with the heat gun. 
You don't want the treatment to take too long so your heat gun just needs to be hot enough to burn the wood if it gets too close. 

[bow101]

    Do most of you heat treat every bow made.. ..?

[DarkSoul]

Of course not. Laminated bows, osage, black locust and yew don't require heat treatment.

[huisme]

Of course not. Laminated bows, osage, black locust and yew don't require heat treatment.

Osage and BL can both benefit from heat treating, though. Not sure about yew, and I've only done a couple osage, but every once in a while I'll want an extra couple of pounds in a BL bow.

[Don Case]

Are there any woods that it hurts to heat treat? I was under the impression that heat treating hardens all wood. Does it harden some too much?

[DarkSoul]

Apart from dense tropical woods, such as ipé or jatoba, it does not hurt wood to heat treat it. (You can 'boil the oils' out of dense tropical woods and cause drying checks.) Some woods just benefit more from a heat treatment than others. Sure, you CAN heat treat yew, osage or black locust without ill effects, but the benefit is just lower than with most whitewoods.
Bow101 asked if I heat treat every bow I make. I simply replied 'no', based on the woods I work with most of the times. If I made only hazel bows, my reply would be 'yes'.

[Don Case]

Got it. Thanks

[bow101]

Of course not. Laminated bows, osage, black locust and yew don't require heat treatment.

   Laminated bows no;   I double that.

[steve b.]

No bow requires it.  Yew benefits from it also, sometimes greatly.  Sometimes tempering does not work.  Trapping serves a similar purpose.

To do nothing might result in some set.  Some people like a little set. 

So there are options, and combos of options, in order to achieve one's desires and depending on one's particular needs.  Capish?

[mullet]

I've never tried it but, I don't think I'd heat treat Eastern Red Cedar. I've had too many blow while tillering when I thought the wood was too dry.