Thanks, guys. Steve, no, we did not heat treat it, but we always put the bow in the heat box and get it completely dry (10% or less) before we ever start to bend it. You must keep hickory dry all the time you are working on it, or it will take a set. We leave the handle area and cut away the fades on a band saw, leaving the rounded back just under the bark. If it is crooked, we will straighten and clamp the bow on a form to keep it straight while it dries. Then we put it in the hot box, and generally, when the clamps get loose, it is dry and ready to work.