Heat Treating Techniques

[UnderControl16]

Ok so everyone has a different method to heat treating what is yours?

Personally I coat the belly of the limbs in cooking oil and then use the heat gun at the highest setting still the limb turns a nice golden. Typically i hold the gun about an inch from the limb. I usually heat the middle of the limb for a bit longer since that is where my limbs tend to fail if they are going to. Depending on how long i had to heat the bow i then allow it to sit for 3 days about in a humid location and sometimes will lay damp paper towels over the limbs.

[Dan Landis]

I follow the directions in TBB Vol 4 with the exception of the spruce gum / turpentine mix he uses.  Not many spruce trees in my area.  I use a mixture of turpentine and tung oil finish about 50/50. Have only done a few bows, so far it worked well.....Dan

[Pat B]

When I use oil and heat it is for bending or straightening. When I want to heat treat(temper) wood I don't use oil because I want the wood to scorch. This hardens the wood and makes it less sensative to compression stresses.
  Each wood scorched differently. I try to get a nice chocolate brown color as I move out the belly of the limb. I use a heat gun and hold it about 1" to 2" above the belly and move it back and forth over about a 6" area. When that area is "cooked" I move out another 6" but continue to heat the previous area. When all is done I go over the entire limb getting it hot then let the bow(or stave) rest for 3 to 4 days or more depending on the R/H at the time.

[eflanders]

Lately I have been using a torch to scorch the wood for tempering it without oil.  I am in the process of building a lam oven though that will cook the entire lam at once in an attempt to ensure an even temper throughout the entire length.  I am not sure if this has been done before or not, but I am going to try it anyway.  I am aware of a few fly-rod makers that do this and they have had great success with it.

[Pat B]

There was an article in PA Magazine years ago about tempering boo for bows. Three different guys with 3 different techniques. One used a propane torch with a rosebud tip(like James Parker uses), I don't remember what the second one used but the third one used his buddy's full size pizza oven. All three methods worked well for these guys.

[KellyG]

I have only tried on the current bow I am working on, and I used wood coals to some success. But found the exhaust from a diesel generator worked best.

[frank bullitt]

Greg Harris, was one of the folks Pat is talking about. I think he was in Washington State.
He used a toch tip like used for burning weeds or thawing ice to temper his boo.

Howard wrote of using a stove pipe, with a torch in the end to heat temper, cure his bows.