I used to shoot ash arrows exclusively, when they were still available from Silent Pond shafts and before I had a house fire and lost everything. After that, without shop facilities, it was easier to just use carbon.
I heated them in the oven to assist in straightening, but also used a hook and the ace straightener. Once straight and sealed, I never had much trouble keeping them straight. I used water base MinWax polyacrylic and dipped them about 4 times in a diluted solution after staining. I still have a few that escaped the fire and they are as good and straight as the day I made them 8 or 9 years ago.