David,
Unless I missed it no one posted a dry heat method yet. Here's how I go about it. Clamp your stave with the limb you want reflexed to your workbench, leaving the handle and other limb hanging off into empty space. The way you want it to bend should be down the floor, gravity is your friend. The place where you want the bend to occur should be just off the edge of the table. Make sure your clamps have a good hold. Take a gallon jug full of water and hang it on the limb that's off the table. Put it somewhere in the middle to start. The closer you get to the tip the greater the downward force. Try to rig up a yardstick next to the milk jug so you can measure the movement. Apply veg oil, crisco, tallow, or some other oil to the area you'll be bending. The wood will bend without it, but it really cuts down on scorching and helps to hold the heat a little longer. Fire up your heat gun and take aim. Stay around 6" away and don't hold the heat in the same spot for too long. Heat the back, front, and sides for a couple minutes. If you see the oil start to bubble you're getting close to scorching, but that's right where the best movement occurs. If the weight of the jug alone isn't doing the job you can slide it closer to the tip, but you have to remember to check your yardstick measurement again for the new starting point. Often I just push gently on the limb with the jug. It should bend long before it feels like it doesn't want to move anymore. If it won't move easily keep heating. If the area being heated is pretty thick you may have to reapply oil if you see it dry out. After it moves the desired amount stop heating and wipe excess oil with a rag. This will help to cool the area and stop the movement as well. I leave it in the clamps for a couple hours or overnight if it's my second attempt, because sometimes your corrections don't hold and the limb creeps back to the original shape. You should make your bend a little bit farther than your target distance because there will be some creep back, maybe a 1/2 inch to an inch. Go slow and remember you can try it again in the same spot as many times as you need to as long as you don't burn the spot.
I think I covered it all. Let me know if you have a question. I won't be home until after dinner though. I know there was a good tutorial on dry heat somewhere if you want to look it up and read that as well. The more info to cross reference the better.
Rich,
Have you ever used one of those hand held steam cleaners to do your bending. It's a nice way to avoid setting up in the kitchen. Plus they put out 20 times more steam than a pot of water. I rarely steam, but when I do I'm glad I have that little thing.
