straightening arrow shafts ?

[oneraindog]

i hope this is an ok/right place to post this

been working on arrow making and straightening the shafts are a headache.
 around the fire i was using hot coals to heat the bends for straightening and that was working pretty good although i did get a small scorch  :(   we had a pot of water boiling on the coals as well but we all agreed that was crap. it would not come close to bringing the shaft to the right heat for bending. we figured we just werent getting it on enough hot coals.

but then at home, with a proper gas stove and a rolling boil i was still not able to get the shaft hot enough. but maybe i just wasnt waiting long enough? i know primitive technology involves a lot of patience but this is testing me.

so here are some methods i tried when the open boil was taking too long

 

here i have a little grill over the pot with something or other over it (its my rommates i dont know what its for.)

when that didnt work as is i wrapped the top piece in foil to cover the holes and to concentrate the heat. didnt make a difference.

 

next i tried a foil cover right on the pan with a hole poked in it to get a blast of steam going. this didnt work either.
i modified this set up by making a foil tent over the foil cover with the hole in it.
this didnt work either.

finally i resorted to holding the shaft directly above the open flame. high enough to heat it without scorching. this has been getting the shaft hot but maybe too hot too fast. i got a small crack and a little crease.

all in all this is kind of stressful haha.

so how is the boil supposed to work? am i just being impatient?

bowyers will use the steam method to heat entire bow staves for straightening. how the  heck do they do this when i cant even heat a tiny arrow shaft?

[4est trekker]

I prefer the heel of my hand with no heat if possible.  I even do this in the field just to keep them touched up.  However, if they're stubborn, I'll either use a hot plate/oven burner/hot coals in conjunction with my hand.  Doesn't take much.  If that fails, I resort to an arrow wrench (basically a board with a hole just large than the arrow's diameter cut into it) to help coax the kink out.  Just use dry heat.  It just takes a few seconds over a hot burner to get the wood to respond.  

I think 3Rivers Archery has some videos on YouTube demonstrating how to straighten shafts.  You might try there.

[Pat B]

I use my hand also. For stubborn bends use the smooth shank of a screw driver and rub vigorously on the outside of the bend. Usually that will work. I have never had to use heat on store bought shafting.

[Don Stokes]

If you steam them, they will absorb water. This is bad. When they dry, they will try to shrink and probably warp again. Too much heat, dry or wet, can weaken the wood, also bad.

When I was in the shaft business, I tried everything I heard about, but nothing worked better than simply bending them across the heel of my hand. Just sight down the shaft to find the worst point of the bend, and bend it in the opposite direction. After a little practice you will find it easy, and by far the simplest solution.

[jsweka]

Hand method for me too.  When I first got into making my own arrows I bought one of those roller straighteners from Three Rivers.  Tried it but found it was easier simply using my hands.

[Eric Krewson]

The best way to heat an arrow shaft for straightening is with a paint stripping heat gun.

I use a piece of aluminum angle to reflect the heat around the shaft and can turn any shaft to rubber in about 15 seconds.

 

[coulter]

what kind of wood are you useing? what diameter are the shafts. most wooden arrows i have used straghten without heat or steam.       noel

[oneraindog]

thanks for all the replys! lots of good suggestions. i really like the heat gun idea.

so i guess i should restate/clarify that i am making an arrow from scratch. i dont know if that makes a difference. this isnt store bought.

the wood was viburnum and pretty wavey but not horrible. so im trying to straighten a raw piece of cured wood.

i really like the heat gun idea.

[Jim Curlee]

Use a tea kettle, then you can aim the spout at the spot that needs to be straightened.
Jim

[Roy Steele]

I agree with PAT no heat on dowl shaffing.I will use heat on river cain if I have to.Hand and screw driver and practice.Before long it well only take a few mintes.

[George Tsoukalas]

http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/simplearrow.html

[Roy from Pa]

Green wood use moist heat, dry wood use dry heat. Cane arrows are different than wood shafts. But dry heat works great when cane is green or dry. Just go slow and you will be fine.

[Brently]

By the look of your pic it looks like you used a dowel cutter to make the shaft?  When I have done that and the grain goes funny I am unable to straighten the shaft.  To straighten shafts I normally use a wrist pin from a diesel engine to rub the shaft with, it is super hard,heavy and chrome plated so it works pretty slick.