Steaming hickory?

[Matt Fowler]

Workin' on my first selfbow. Ready to floor tiller and one limb developed about 1 1/2in deflex comin' out of the fade. I steamed for 30 - 40 minutes and clamped in a jig for about 18 hrs. No effect. What do ya think? Should I try it again? I cranked down on the clamp till it was just starting to reflex, nothing extreme.

[Living_waters]

Hickory is not that responsive to heat or steam bending compared to osage or mulberry, but it can be done. I found that I have had to steam it much longer than I expected to see much results and had to over correct it for it to hold what I want to correct. I steamed in some static tips  on one bow and ended up steaming them about an hour before they would take the full bend.

[Living_waters]

Forgot to ask, did it develop the deflex after floor tillering?

If hickory is not dry it will take all kinds of set. Make sure it is dry

[Pat B]

You might try clamping your hickory to a caul and try dry heat. I would heat it at least until a bit of color shows up. You can even go to a chocolate brown color with it. If you do "cook" it until chocolate brown you should let it rest and rehydrate for a week or so before stressing it.

[Matt Fowler]

Jeff, I was just getting the limbs even to start floor tillering when I noticed the deflex. I got the stave from Kustom King. They said it was ready to work on.

[maxwell]

I don't have a ton of experience in this but I did it with hickory. I steamed the riser section over a pot of boiling water using the kitchen stove had the riser wrapped in al. foil, it almost got like rubber I was amazed at how easy it was to bend.  I had a clamp set up and put it in the form, it's been 10 years and still has the bend.  I used one of the bowyers bibles to learn how.

[Bowjunkie]

Unless Kustom King ensured me that they checked it with a reliable moisture meter, and told me exactly what percentage of moisture was in the stave, I wouldn't work on it without allowing it at least a few weeks in the drying box.

NO bow should develop 1 1/2" of 'deflex' or set simply by floor tillering. Is there a natural hump there coming out of the fade, or something?

In the absence of your own moisture meter, if you hold the stave by the handle and tap the bottom limb on a cement floor, straight down, it should 'ring' somewhat like a tuning fork if it's dry. It will make a dull, mushy 'thud' if it's not.

[Matt Fowler]

Bowjunkie, I tried your tap test and it seems dry to me but this is my first go round. I steamed it exactly as Maxwell described. I sure would like to  straighten this out before continuing. I'm gonna try dry heat. Appreciate any tips or suggestions.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have good luck moving hickory with dry heat and clamps. Be sure your stave is dried back down good before using dry heat.

[George Tsoukalas]

Matt, how did you measure? I measure from floor to back of stave. I can't explain it. I was going to say the stave was green but that's unlikely if you bought it from Kustom King.  Even if green it should not have taken that much set from even. I haven't had much luck with dry or steam with hickory. Besides once the set is there that's it. The only way to remove it is to reflex the last 8 inches of each limb and even then with hickory it it tough to do. The time to add reflex is before you start. My advice is work on it and forget about it. As you gain experience you'll get less set. Jawge
 http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[Matt Fowler]

George. I'm just eyeballin' it. After this and some other advice, I decided to move on and not try to remove the set. Thanks all, will keep you updated.