RH vs heat treating.

[chef-d405]

I got my heat treatment done on my hickory stave for my first attempt at heat treating. I had some issues with my caul i'm gonna have to redesign it. I live in an apartment and I don't have a workbench currently so the form had to be made to stand alone without a vise. One limb took slightly more reflex midlimb than the other. I figure i can make that the bottom limb and work out the difference in tiller. Held reflex is at just short of 2". I had intended to go a bit more. I have a couple questions. We have had a very wet spring with just short of record rainfall. Humidity has been staying around 50% for weeks with lots of wet days. That should have put the moisture content of the stave high for hickory at around 12% pre heat treatment. How much moisture should i have lost in it during heat treating? If the humidity stays high how long should it sit before tiller? The stave is stored indoors if that makes a difference. Thx!

[chef-d405]

Thought I'd bump this once hoping someone has an answer. i probably just need to fork it over for a moisture meter.

[Marc St Louis]

Good to go

[okie64]

Ive worked hickory in as little as a 8 hours after heat treating with no ill effect. You may already know this but that hickory will perform like a champ if you keep the mc around 6-7%. If it gets much higher than that it will be a slug.

[mikekeswick]

Forget the moisture meter they are notoriously inaccurate. All you need to do is cut a small piece of the stave. Weigh it as accurately as possible, then dry it completely in the oven and weigh it again. Work out your moisture content from the readings.

[crooketarrow]

  Hickorys always been my fovoret white wood I'l made at least 50 HICKORY BOWS.

 I do it a little differently. I had reflex in my staves as soon as I cut them while there green. Saw horses ratchet strape them down in the middle to a floor. You can ad as mush reflex as to want.

 But 2 inchs with my way really crooketarrows way. After I deside what stave in a couple years for HICKORY. I do this after I work out my bows hadle and tips and I'm ready to bend limbs.

  Everytime I'm ready to work on the bow. Hickorys famous for picking up raltive humity out of the air ofcorse. So everytime I work on the bow (to bend limbs) I'll put my bow in the hot box for 1/2, 45 min's.

  Your stave should already be seasoned now your only getting rid of any raltive humity it may have picked up. Depending where your at it your at it maybe only a 16 th deep or if could be 3 16 ths but here in WV a 1/2 hour. With a 2 inch reflex I can keep most HICKORY BOWS, STRAIGHT TO 1/2 INCH OF REFLEX LEFT.

  You just have to get rid of that mosture before you been the limbs. Ahot box is easy I'll use a 4x8 sheet of inch insulation.Make it 8" by 14 high, add 3 electial sockets for light bulbs. Put the silver in.  Use 20 watt. A 1/2 hour dose fine be fore you start.  I put everything but o'sage in the hot box any more.   

[mikekeswick]

Weight of lost moisture / original weight x 100