Author Topic: Heat treating vs. heat manipulating  (Read 2031 times)

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Offline Pat B

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Heat treating vs. heat manipulating
« on: March 26, 2015, 10:23:30 am »
...there is a difference!  Heat treating(aka tempering) is a process by which a bow's belly wood is heated to a charred surface to increase and improve the compression properties of that wood.
 When you heat the bow wood to bend or straighten it you only want enough heat to plasticize the wood so it can be manipulated.
When I use heat to manipulate wood I usually use oil on the wood to prevent scorching. This allows me to make the change without drying out the wood too much. Steaming also does this. When I temper a bows belly I want to scorch the wood, solidifying the resins and cell walls to make that wood more compression strong.
 It seem to me that some folks are interchanging or at least not understanding what these terms mean.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline IdahoMatt

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Re: Heat treating vs. heat manipulating
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2015, 10:30:43 am »
Good info and easy to understand  :)

Offline lebhuntfish

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Re: Heat treating vs. heat manipulating
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2015, 10:31:11 am »
Thanks Pat, this will help me explain this process to a couple of friends of mine. They are about as stubborn as I was when I first started. >:D  Patrick
« Last Edit: March 26, 2015, 10:56:23 am by lebhuntfish »
Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout!

Missouri, where all the best wood is! Well maybe not the straightest!

Building a bow has been the most rewarding, peaceful, and frustrating things I have ever made with my own two hands!

Offline PatM

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Re: Heat treating vs. heat manipulating
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2015, 10:32:16 am »
I actually think people use a similar amount of heat for either scenario now. "Charring" the wood has been proven to be unnecessary.
 If you are heating the wood enough to plasticize it and change the shape it's being tempered too.
 Almost everyone tempers while adding reflex so it's just a full bow heat bending rather than just a localized correction.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Heat treating vs. heat manipulating
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2015, 10:38:53 am »
 Pat, my point is that they are generally two different processes. I wrote this so folks that are new to bow building won't confuse these terms and actions. In a recent post someone was talking about heat treating yew. He meant heating the yew so he could bend in some recurves. When I see "heat treating" I think of tempering and not heat manipulation.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Dances with squirrels

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Re: Heat treating vs. heat manipulating
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2015, 12:09:09 pm »
I never scorch bow wood. But yes, I agree the distinction is warranted.
Straight wood may make a better bow, but crooked wood makes a better bowyer