Drying river cane?

[razorsharptokill]

Is a bow oven too hot?

[Pat B]

You shouldn't need an bow oven to dry your river cane. A month in a dry area should get you well on your way to having cane arrows. If they are fairly dry the bow oven will work OK but I never saw a need to speed up the drying process. As you use heat to straighten your cane you will be forcing out and remaining moisture also.

[razorsharptokill]

Ok. I cut them over two weeks ago and the are still very green colored though. Im trying to get them ready for OJAM

[Roconman]

Will they dry faster if you scrape of the rind? I cut some 4 weeks ago and they are still plenty green.I read somewhere that if you take a wire and run through them and open them up they dry much faster,but haven't tried it

[Pat B]

Lay them in the sun and the green will turn tan.
   You don't have to punch the centers out. You may be able to work them with heat now, after 2 weeks. Give one a try and see how it works.   I usually work over my kitchen gas stove. Start with the nodes and straighten them then let the cane cool completely and after that work on the internodes. If you try to do all at once you will re-bend what you already straightened.

[razorsharptokill]

Good advice, thank you.

[CheapShot]

I have read where the Korean arrow makers sometimes drilled very small holes beside the nodes on their bamboo shafts. never tried it myself. They also toasted their shafts over a bed of coals. The holes were probably added to release the steam from the heat.
I have started straighting cane after a couple of weeks, Pretty much like pat does. I usually use a alcohol burner or a scentless candle. Be carefull not to scorch the nodes too much. If you burn them they will break easily.

[Pat B]

I have found that After straightening the cane you can reduce the nodes with sandpaper. I always would just heat the nodes and compress them by rolling against a hard surface with a block of wood. This will reduce the nodes to almost the same diameter as the rest of the cane. Now, after seeing cane arrows that others have made the nodes can smooth by sanding. I you do sand the nodes(and shaft) you have to seal the shaft. Before, I would not seal boo shafts because they have the rind to protect them from moisture. Either way works just as well.

[razorsharptokill]

I re-sorted all the shafts into 6 shaft bundles by size. I found about 12 that appear too small.

I tried to straighten a couple and they appear to be too green still. I found one that was ready to fletch and shoot right now! I doubt I could get one that straight! Weird.

[Pat B]

You don't have to get them as straight as a carbon or aluminum shaft. As long as the point end and nock end line up and the arrow spins true it should fly well.