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straightening shafts?

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GregB:
I think I've broke three shafts out of about two dozen I've been working on. All three broke at the nodes...I'm straightening the nodes before I work them down any. I'm wondering if using some oil only on the nodes might limber them up a little more to get some movement going. Seems like the ones of mine that broke maybe got to dry because I was using a torch turned down really low and even so the node got pretty hot. These last sessions of straightening I've been using a one burner propane Coleman stove.

I guess I'm trying to determine why they broke...did I just apply too much stress trying to straighten them to quickly, or maybe actually got them to dry/brittle causing them to break? If too dry/brittle, oil might help some.

Cowboy, have you broke any at the nodes while using oil?

Hillbilly:
I often use a heat gun on high with no oil for cane and shoots both,. Just keep the shaft constantly turning. Greg, every time I pop a node, it's usually because of overheating it, bending it too fast, or a combination of the two-but usually just overheating. I've broken a lot more heating with a torch than a heatgun or campstove, the torch even on low seems to be too hot. 

GregB:
I may give the heatgun a try and compare it to the campstove. This last one I broke was already fletched ...just trying to tweak the node somemore. Ouch!

napper:
Stringstretcher   you might try using a 3 pound coffee can turned over on a stove top or a camp stove burner.  Just put holes in the side that match and at differand levels and maybe a few in the top this should let some of the heat out but should also keep a lot of heat in so you can do what you want  st righen or temper them  just slide the shaft through the hole at the right level to get the heat that you want. This should let you heat about 6" of the shaft at a time and using different hight will give you different temps.  Tom

D. Tiller:
Nice idea Tom! I will have to try that out.

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