Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: SiongSA on February 01, 2011, 02:58:30 pm
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Hey guys, me again
working on this piece of ash and i would like to make some reflexes/ recurves in it. But yes, i'am the most primitive archer in the world so i don't have the equipment to make them accurately. Does anyone know how to make a simple mold to set the reflex in? and also the ash is only 2 weeks since cut to i'm guessing steam would be better that dry heat?
Sion,
South Africa
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I would take a 2/6 and make a radius of 3inches and drill some holes in the board with a (2 inch hole saw) to use clamps to hold wood to the form.I use a space heater or heat gun. Some use grease or bear fat to protest the wood from scorching. I don't use steam for a lot of reasons. But some do.The trick is to heat, too hot to touch , but not to scorch,start your clamping to the mold and ever so gently bent around the radius.Let cool and there you have it. hope this helps. Denny
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Same as Denny, 'cept I use steam. Both of our heat guns have kicked the bucket, so steam is a lot easier for me.
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ash is the best wood in the world for steaming...
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bump this topic^
Hey guys,
i'm still looking to put reflex into my now finished ash 69" flatbow, the reason i really would like to do this is because the bow came out a little of the light side (30lb) so i wanna make it a bit stronger. My problem is is i finish the bow with beeswax, so if i steam the wood it wont be effective right? do i haave to take the wax off first, or if a dry heat instead won't the wax act as a sort of oil/grease that people use for dry heating anyway?
Any advice appreciated
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it's the heat from the steam, not the water that get's the wood to bend, so it should work
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Put it between 2 saw horses and hang a cinder block in the middle. I add reflex to all of my staves this way.
I only have a draw knife rasp ans scraper. I you have these you can build a bow. Useless you want to get really primitive then get a peice of flint. I've did this it I fell for the indains that did this. At least you don't take to much wood off at once.
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It is the heat from the steam that plasticizes the wood so it will bend. The wax might even deter the moisture from re-hydrating the already dry wood.
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i steamed a bow that i had already finished with linseed oil and it worked great, and in my opinon better than without anything on it, it might work the same way with the wax ;D
good luck
noel
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ok getting the steam ready now, how long shuld i steam it for?
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ok getting the steam ready now, how long shuld i steam it for?
what size is the bow?
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the end i'm doing atm is 1/2" at tips to 3/4", 1.5cm thick
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I'd say 30 minutes to 45 minutes. You will just have to test it to see if it has become flexable enough to bend.
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I'd say 30 minutes to 45 minutes. You will just have to test it to see if it has become flexable enough to bend.
cheers pat
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what pat says sounds bout right, i would say a little less, but more probably wouldn't hurt
good luck
noel
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right, last night i removed the bow from the primitive mold, there is reflex in but not enough, i think its because when i removed it from the heat i tryed another mold which didn't work so i moved it to another one which must of cost me 2-3mins, did the wood cool down to much? also how much cool-down time is recomended?
Sion
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2-3 min is far too much in my opinion. I shoot for under 10 seconds to get in on the form and started bending. You can resteam it though, no problem. When I steam I always leave it for a day on the form and usually don't do any sort of bending for a few days after that to make sure the wood has had a chance to equilize.
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Here's the setup I use for inducing reflex near the tips. It's fairly simple to build and works well. I usually temper the belly and induce reflex at the same time.
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Bow%20Making/DryHeatSetup.jpg)