Primitive heat treat methods

[sleek]

Other topics got me thinking about this....

What if a trench were dug, a well established bed of coals were made at the bottom of the trench, then sand were laid over the coals an inch thick, the bow placed belly down, then it gets covered with sand to hold the heat?  Kinda like making charcoal,  but on a time limit to not char the bow. A bed of wet moss can protect the back from charing.

[JW_Halverson]

Did you pre-order the video? Is this a sneak peek? Or rather, a sleek peak?

(Hiding the long handled spoon behind my back)

[Deerhunter21]

there is a heat treating for flintknapping stone in the suggested threads for beginners, they had the wood going and put the sand on top, that created charcoal and it burned for days upon days. it will probably work. try it! I would but i dont have land, and my backyard isnt probably the best place to dig trenches

Ahh your jokes JW always make me laugh!

[sleek]

Did you pre-order the video? Is this a sneak peek? Or rather, a sleek peak?

(Hiding the long handled spoon behind my back)

Hehe, no.... just a thought I had... one that may not be unique to me, but still... my own.

[Santanasaur]

My intuition is that the sand around the back would be pretty similar in temperature to what’s around the belly. If you want both treated similarly guess this could be good but i’m uneasy without evidence about treating the back and the belly the same way. Maybe i’m missing something. Im thinking that radiative heat is better for targeting the belly than convective heat from air or conduction from sand. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to bury a bow in sand back-down and heat treat the exposed belly. With the back insulated maybe a more thorough heat treat could reach the belly before the back gets brittle.

[Santanasaur]

I like the wet moss idea, sleek.  that could be a great insulator that wouldn’t let the back dry out. I’m hoping moss can hold onto water for long enough to do a heat treat

[sleek]

My intuition is that the sand around the back would be pretty similar in temperature to what’s around the belly. If you want both treated similarly guess this could be good but i’m uneasy without evidence about treating the back and the belly the same way. Maybe i’m missing something. Im thinking that radiative heat is better for targeting the belly than convective heat from air or conduction from sand. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to bury a bow in sand back-down and heat treat the exposed belly. With the back insulated maybe a more thorough heat treat could reach the belly before the back gets brittle.

Outstanding thought. To carry that further, let's use clay on the back as a moist heat sink
 In order to stay primitive,  we still use a trench,  but do as you said, back down, belly up, sand, then coals for an even heT.

[sleek]

I like the wet moss idea, sleek.  that could be a great insulator that wouldn’t let the back dry out. I’m hoping moss can hold onto water for long enough to do a heat treat

The modern version of moss is a wash cloth. I use that for when I need to heat a sinewed bow. Works great.

[PatM]

 None of these methods will work without first consulting ancestry.com.

[sleek]

None of these methods will work without first consulting ancestry.com.

I almost died. You damn near made me choke on my toothpick.

[Santanasaur]

Clay alone i worry would dry and crack off but maybe not as a second layer over moss or rags. Personally I’d be worried about heat treating in a way where i can’t see the wood directly.  Im still tentative with fire, I ruined or worsened many early bows with botched heat treats so maybe i’ll stick to my heat gun at first.

[sleek]

I swear if your not Native American it wont work. just give up there. just go cry into the night and drink your drink saying that you were unlucky enough to not be born to the right parents. bow building has nothing to do with skill... all ancestry.

 


But... back on topic here...

The clay could indicate when the bow is done via color change or hardness.

[Nasr]

How about burying the bow back first in the ground belly side being up then pour the hot coal on top of it. That way the ground under the back will keep the back cool and belly will get toasted from the coal on top. As I am typing this I can see how this is the dumbest thing ever.

[bownarra]

Light fire, burn down to a nice bed of coals. Heat treat belly over them. Go slowly.
K.I.S.S. is a great moto to live by

[Santanasaur]

Nasr I think that’s exactly what sleek suggested unless i’m mistaken. My only qualm is that personally i like to see the wood as I heat treat so I can adjust in time, but that’s no good reason not to do it. I have a feeling the direct radiation from the coals is better than conduction from another source like sand  but that’s unsubstantiated.