a couple questions about Steaming

[John Cooper]

Hello!

I built myself a stave steamer to sit on top of a hot plate.  I got the stave down to floor tiller, sealed the back with polyurethane, stuck it in and it almost immediately turned a mildewy black!  Has anyone else experienced this?  The steaming went really well and in combination with the heatgun, It kept almost all reflex and recurve in the tips.

2nd question is how long to wait to start bending it without worry of it taking excessive set.  I've been thinning the limbs out a little more, and my moisture meter says 8-10% moisture on the spots that I had just worked and 13% on the handle area.

Thanks!
~John

[walkabout]

from what i know you should let it sit a few days before bending it again for it to stabilize in moisture content.

[John Scifres]

I'd let it sit a week or so.  Steaming, done properly, should not add too much moisture.  Use shellac next time.  I'd bet the poly, being a plastic, degraded with the heat.  Shellac won't plus it's cheaper and easier to apply.  Do the whole stave.

[walkabout]

ive been told to use shellac too, it certainly holds its own even on fresh cut wet wood.

[T Folts]

John

Gary always had us waited two weeks before working on it.
Terry

[John Cooper]

I'll have to go out and get a few flakes of shellac, then!  I just used the junk poly-u that I use to seal the ends of logs and when I seal the back of a bow to prevent splits.  I was very happy with how it kept it's shape with the steaming.  2 weeks, though?!  I'm an impatient bowyer!  (if there's such a thing... )

Thanks for the advise.

~John