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Fire hardening vs heat gun tempering
organic_archer:
--- Quote from: Muskyman on November 22, 2022, 10:11:56 am ---I’ll probably stick with the heat gun for my Osage staves for now and try the coals for white wood staves.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, whitewoods only. I don’t recommend heating osage over coals. Takes no time at all to crack it to pieces, and in some cases the extreme heat can rip apart the belly fibers. Don’t ask how I know, lol. The marginal benefit with osage, if any, isn’t worth the risk. It already responds well to mild heat. )-w(
superdav95:
Very true.
Marc St Louis:
There's really no difference in the end results between heat-gun and coals
darinputman:
"There's really no difference in the end results between heat-gun and coals"
I imagine will vary depending on individual experience and technique. I can't get near the end results with a hickory stave using a heat gun that I can heating over coals.
I can heat a hickory blank over coals to the point that I worry I won't get past the charred wood and into solid wood during tillering before hitting poundage. It simply amazed me. Osage blanks are toast if heated anywhere near this point. I stopped trying the process on osage as I saw no point, and wasted too many staves.
I do realize that folks with your experience level Marc St Louis and even some with lesser experience may have the skills with a heat gun to get the same results. But not this bowyer, if I want the most out of a hickory stave it would be coals every time.
bassman211:
I have a hickory target bow that I made a few years ago that is 35lbs. at 25 inch draw 64 inches long that was made from a 19 year old rock hard hickory stave that was gifted to me by Will B. It ended up with 2 inches of reflex by using a heat gun ,and a 4 inch reflex form. Hard to work with, and hard on tools ,but made a really nice shooting target bow. So ,yes it can be done, but not in 3 days from green to finished with the same results with a heat gun. At least not by me. If you are in a hurry to make a good solid hickory hunting bow in a 2,3,or 4 day period with green hickory wood it can be done with the fire hardening method. I don't think any body has proven yet that it can be done with a heat gun in that short of period of time.... so their a challenge for any body interested in giving it a shot.
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