Fellas, I do have a question that I need to know before doing my first heat treat.

Should I heat treat before I draw it the first time, or can I partially tiller it before heat treat?

I am at the floor tillering stage, both limbs bend nicely, but I haven't bent them very far for very long.

If I need to heat it before finishing and I do remove some wood, do I need to cook it again.

Thank you everyone for your time and reply.

What is HHB supposed to be? Hornbeam? If you want to fire harden or dry a bow, these things are always done before tillering. Like in the video from Shannon Outdoors.

You might also get some experienced answers on PA. Some of us play on both forums, but a lot of talent just stays on it. If it doesn't need heat to make adjustments, I would do as always until I got it to about 20"... like with sinew. It would stink though if you wasted a lot of time only to make charcoal... which is something I might do.

"If you want to fire harden or dry a bow, these things are always done before tillering. Like in the video from Shannon Outdoors."

Not always. Most rough tiller at least and then treat and final tiller. They may even add a whole second heat treat as well.

Quite a flexible process.

2x you can build a bow on a form green, and floor tillered, and through time as it is drying do multiple heat treating on the belly, so that when it comes off the form it is straight ,and shaped, and dry. If you are still not satisfied that it is dry you can throw it in a hot box. When you start the tilleriing process, and you see excessive limb set starting you can heat treat again, but you have to know when, and how much heating in each step of the way.

Thank you fellas, I will try to find the video shannon outdoors.

tecum-tha, Hop Horn Beam also known as Iron wood. supposed to make a great bow, but has to be heat treated.

Timely thread, RonG. I'm in the process of tillering my first ironwood as well. Almost got it to full brace and was wondering the same. Also if I can steam and recurve the tips after it's almost done.

How exactly are you planning to heat-treat? Just a heat gun and a light scorch, or???

I guess I'm the only person that hasn't bought the Shannon Outdoors video, but I still think, after 20 years of making selfbows, that getting the limbs bending evenly before the heat treat is best.

I agree with BowAholic. No other method is logical to me.

HHB does not have to be heat treated. It's a very good wood in its own right.

That's what I was going to say. It doesn't have to be heat treated, still makes a good bow.

Damon, I use a heat gun to put gentle recurves in dry wood, and it can be done any time after floor tillering and before or during heat treating, unless you're talking about more serious recurves or statics, then yes it may help to be steamed or boiled. It makes them a little more pliable and helps decrease the risk of wood rupture when making the sharper bends.

I agree. You don’t have to heat treat HHB. It does seem to respond well to a good heat treatment though.

I often give more than one session. I often get to floor tiller and then heat treat on my caul. Straightening as I go. Normally I steam in my static recurves just before this but you can put them in later. I like earlier myself. I have done them later though. They will typically add 5 to 10 lbs later and you may need to re adjust tiller.

I often remove a fair amount of the heat treated wood tillering. Sometimes I heat treat again around first brace maybe even a little later. If you don’t like the burnt wood look you might of want to later. I don’t mind and actually kind of like it. Two of my favorite bows have very dark colors covering their bellies. One I even called Burnt Offerings.

Bjrogg

PS I really heat mine to. Especially when I do it early and straighten at same time. Just try to keep heat from scorching back. Scorched back is very bad for tension

Just my opinion, white woods make better bows when heat treated. Snappier bows with less set. It will help to make a newer bow maker a better bow, and most good seasoned bows makers use heat with white wood bows. No need to use heat on an Osage bow, but seasoned bow makers use heat on a regular basis with Osage wood also for bending,straightening, making limb corrections etc.It is another important tool in bow making.

Jeff, exactly what I needed to know, thanks! I need to make a caul first, but I'm gonna try it for sure.

BJ, great advice!

So for a heat-treat, I can clamp to my reflex form and get the belly toasty? Then after it re-acclimates, I can steam in some recurves? Plan to do gentle statics...

Thank you all for the help, the reason I want to heat treat my bows are because I live in Florida where the air is 92% water, Ha!Ha!

I built a backed Hickory bow with rawhide that had reflex in it, I put on eight coats of finish and after shooting 100 arrows through it, it now has about 3 inches of deflex. It went from 46lbs at 27" to 28 at 27"

I don't want that to happen again so I want to do the baking of the limbs.

I have a very good adjustable heat gun and I do know not to get the wood more than a light brown using heat gradually. Any other tips would be great. As far as color, I like the burnt wood look.

I watched a couple videos on it and one guy ruined his bow by over cooking it and the other did the same, but not so bad.

Thank you again

I wont make a white wood bow without heat treating anymore, but it's one of my least favorite things to do. With that in mind, I try to do it only once, after first brace. I take my time, doing small sections slowly to achieve a nice dark color.

Check out Doug Shannon on utube fire hardening ,and finishing a hickory self bow from green to finished in 3 days. Clay Hayes shows 1 finished in a day.

Thanks fellas I will do that

Bassmaster, it was Clay Hayes who ruined his bow from over cooking it...Ha!Ha!

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