Bamboo

[Michael C.]

I just got some of the stakes from Ben Meadows and will be trying to make some arras over the next week or so. I noticed that some of you have said that it's tough to get them to bend at the nodes without breaking, is there a trick to it that you have found works best or is it just trial and error? Glad to hear from anyone with tips on this.

[stringstretcher]

Michael.  What I found out the hard way was trying to get the nodes too hot.  If you heat them lightly, just until they will bend, they will not break.  If they get real hot, they will snap.  Take you time and heat it while you keep trying to bend it, and you will feel it give...thats all the heat you want.   Also, put some oil, bear grease on the area you are heating, and it will help from scorching the bamboo.  I have found that if my nodes on tokin get to the point they are dark brown.....snap every time.  For whatever reason, the tonkin I have worked with seems to be a lot dryer bamboo than others.  JMO.

[markinengland]

I have found that it can pay to strighten the sections between the nodes first. This often seems to mean that there is less to straighten at the node. Heat a small area just enough to bring a sweat or shine onto the surface straighten a little and set down, pick up the next shaft and carry on this way until all the shafts have been straightened all the way along.

I have used a small petrol camping stove in the past but plan on trying my hot air gun next time.

Try to put too much heat into a section of bamboo between nodes and it can go bang - which is quite a good way of learning not to do it again! A really sharp thin awlcan be used to make a very smallhole tolet the escaping heat out but I have never found this necessary (except for that one exploding shaft!).

Mark in England

[Grunt]

I use a small alcohol lamp to heat small sections of the shafts. Works great. Also use a piece of wood 10 inches long 4 inches high and 11/4 thick with a gradual radius cut long wise ( 8 inches) on the top. Press the heated shaft section on the top of the block at the apex of the radius and push down on both sides to work a section or a node.

[Michael C.]

I watched John (Okie1) do it at OJam with a shaft, but I wasn't sure if this stuff from B Meadows was a different sort of cane or not. I will practice these all on a smaller piece that isn't going to be used on an arrow to test them out and see what works. Thanks for the tips and keep em coming if you have a different point of view.

[Swamp Bow]

Keep in mind I'm still very new to Bamboo arrows.  I use two heat sources, one is a propane plumbers torch with a copper pipe extender on it to help keep the flame off of the shaft (burns and too hot), the second is an oil lamp that is candle sized.  I like the oil lamp because the heat is not so intense, but you end up with soot covered arrows.  Most of the soot comes off with steel wool, but not completely.  I'm using the propane 95% of the time now.  For the nodes, Ive found that when i have a shaft that is "stepped"  focus on the area right before and after the node.  The node itself is usually fine.  When I need to actually work a node, I rotate the node in the heat till hot to the touch, then remove it and wait till it is just below hot.  Then I put it back in to reheat and work it.  I think that this works better because the outside of the node is hot but the inside is not ready.  If you leave it in the heat, you burn the outside, but it won't move yet.  The pause lets the heat travel inwards. Sort of like a steak can be, outside black inside frozen.  I've also noticed that I break most of my shafts because I push to hard.  Just heat and then put small amounts of pressure on it, let the shaft "relax" into shape.  When I push to hard, I can feel a few fibers break and then it cascades.  I wonder if those first fibers to break are not hot enough yet and because the break the rest goes.  Sort of like pulling a splinter on the back of a bow.  Oh and really turn down the gas on the torch, I adjust the flame by sound.  I've also noticed that if you can sand the node down to match the shaft, they move better.  I use a 1 X 42" belt sander.  Again, I'm new. keep it in mind.

Swamp

[DanaM]

Wrap a wet rag around the shaft on either side of the node and heat just the node all the way around, then gently bend.

With 500 shafts to play with their will be a bunch of culls practice on them first

[Tom Leemans]

I use a heat gun myself. Works great. Just run the shaft back and forth over the source while rotating it. You have to develop a feel for "hot enough". Always straighten in between the nodes first.

[stickbender]

     Like Tom , I use a heat gun, and have found out with a snap, that you don't sand, scrape, or touch up the nodes till you have finished straightening.  Haven't done a lot, but what I have done, have worked fine.  I agree, straighten the long sections first, then the nodes, an keep rotating, and go slow and easy.

                                                                                        Wayne