Tip Flippin With a Gun

[jtbluefeather871]

I got myself a heat gun today and am ready to flip some tips... So how do I go about that for hickory?  Ipe?  Is there a how to that I couldn't find somewhere?

Thanks

[SportHunter]

I tried dry heat with hickory and heard a craaacck! Switched to steam and haven't looked back.

[Nim-rod]

Hickory and Dry heat usually worked well for one limb and then would crack on the second one. Usually pretty shallow though and could be sanded out if I left enough material. I too switched to steam and so far not a single crack (yet...and crossing fingers).

[briarjumper12]

I've bent a couple with out cracks and one cracked bad.  Will be trying steam next time.

[PEARL DRUMS]

They will crack almost everytime. The key is to keep the thickness heavy enough to remove them. Use dry heat in my opinion. I have done plenty both ways and I would say dry heat forming sticks a little better than steam. Just my spin.

[psychmonky]

As for Ipe, the consensus seems to be that it doesn't like heat, and that since it has to have a backing anyway, you should just glue in the reflex when you glue the backing.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Ipe wont bend and stay much with heat. Try a simple kerf cut if you want more reflexed tips on ipe.

[fujimo]

i did some glued on flipped tips on a hick/ipe bow- ala 4est style.
i had already glued in some overall reflex when i was adding the backing

[ALW]

I've flipped the tips on hickory several times with dry heat and haven't had a problem yet.  This was a mild bend and not a static tip bend.  For a bend the degree a static tip needs to be you should really steam/boil and maybe even kerf.  If you are just looking at flipping the tips a bit to help string angle, dry heat should work OK.  Just heat thoroughly and bend slowly.

Aaron