Cracks on back after reflexing

[Ryan C]

So I just reflexed one limb of an Osage bow using heat gun and a form I made and I got lots of little cracks on the back and belly. Will this bow survive and how should I do the other limb differently. They all go up and down and follow the grain so maybe it will be fine. I'm filling them with watered down wood glue as I dont have super glue right now. Thank you

[Hrothgar]

The longitudinal cracks aren't usually a problem. A lot of guys would use super glue on the cracks, another option would be to back it.
Is the top picture of the back, and the bottom picture the belly?

[Marc St Louis]

Cracks like that are usually an indication that the wood still has some moisture in it

[bowandarrow473]

I would put some super glue into those cracks, Marc is right, it is normally because of excess moisture in the wood.

[Ryan C]

Both pics are of back I might put rawhide on under the timber rattlers I'm planning on using.

[bowandarrow473]

Sounds like a plan!

[Ryan C]

Reason I added reflex/ heat treating is because the bow came in light.

[Eric Krewson]

I have noticed that some osage is prone to cracking and resists heat correction, some you can twist like a pretzel with zero cracking. The wood I have in my shop has been there for years waiting to be turned into a bows, all is equally dry, no two staves respond the same way to heat correction.

Moisture in the stave may not be your the cause of the cracking.

[rps3]

Cracks like that would not bother me one bit.
 I question how you know the bow came in light with a back needing cleaned up as bad as this one does. I personally would not be bending a bow until the back is smooth. No tool marks, and one growth ring completely followed.

[Ryan C]

It is on 1 growth ring. I finished the bow and it came in at 43@26 which is much better than 37 so I'm happy. It even held a little reflex.

[PatM]

You need to refine your growth ring chasing and general work on the back. Looks VERY rough.

[bradsmith2010]

ok ,, your bow held up and looks like you got a nice shooter,, so how it looked is really not so important right now,, unless the durability is compromised,, if the growth ring is nice,, it could shoot forever,, so congrats on a nice looking bow,, that being said,,
in the future as suggested,, working a little more carefully on the back can help( and increase odds of success) on a stave that may not be as forgiving,, as staves vary dramatically from tree to tree,, a lighter touch with the draw knife can make things much smoother and avoid going through a ring,, takes a little more time but not much,,,I think your bow turned out great,,the snake skin looks nice,,,  congratulations and happy shooting,, 

[Ryan C]

Thanks guys yes I do need to be more careful on the back but I wasent worried about this one as the rings are very thick

[bowandarrow473]

Let's see some FD pics!!!

[gutpile]

looks like checking from moisture loss .. nothing to be concerned with will not affect integrity of the wood...gut