Fire hardening bows

[Santanasaur]

I guess I overreacted last time this came up. I don't think they're 'wrong' in the sense that what they're doing doesn't work. Shannon and Beckum are bowyers I really respect.

A lot of us have heat treated over coals in the past, because it's just about the first idea that comes to mind. Doesn't take long to realize how good the quality of a deep, long heat treat from coals can be. So it was a bit weird to see someone saying this is a modern rediscovery. That said, what I have seen of their content has been good bow making material. The bows are are well made and tillered.

After everything I've seen, I don't see a reason to put fire-hardening outside of the heat-treating spectrum. We can even call it Shannon fire hardening, but in my opinion it's still under the umbrella of heat treating.


Silicone heating strips are great by the way. I have one with a 0-400 F thermostat. It can easily get too hot. I can still get a higher quality heat treat with the heat gun, but the labor is much less. You only have to check on it every 10 or 15 minutes. Labor aside, I still think coals are the best way to heat treat. The way you can mold the coals around the bows character, or recurves, is really handy

[Eric Krewson]

I don't think I have ever seen anyone put a bow on caul over a bed of coals to heat treat it before, correct me if I am wrong.

Old concepts with a new twist are what keep this bow making stuff interesting, my tillering gizmo is a case in point. I came up with the idea but two other people took my idea and added their twist to it to make it better. Thank you Daniel, he added the nut to the wood where I had set screws to hold the pencil, for the life of me I can't remember who came up with the pyramid shape to streamline it but it was a major improvement.

We had a saying at work when it came to problem solving in a very complex power plant; "none of us is as smart as all of us".

Keep the new twists coming, we all benefit.

[Santanasaur]

Dunno about anyone else but I've heat treated over coals a bunch of times, including using a caul. Heat from coals is really popular with eastern bowyers from what I've seen on youtube. I can't say for sure I've seen someone else use cauls over coals, but when I did it I don't remember thinking it was my idea.

Anyway, Shannon fire hardening is a great method. It works really well. Lots to love about a long deep heat treat. I just don't think there's any magic going on that makes it a different category from heat treating. I think the method is much better than the one I had. It much less fumbly and a lot easier. I won't spoil the content but I think its good. I still have my gripes with some of the marketing gimmicks, but I guess it was petty to make such a big deal about it.

[sleek]

Dunno about anyone else but I've heat treated over coals a bunch of times, including using a caul. Heat from coals is really popular with eastern bowyers from what I've seen on youtube. I can't say for sure I've seen someone else use cauls over coals, but when I did it I don't remember thinking it was my idea.

Anyway, Shannon fire hardening is a great method. It works really well. Lots to love about a long deep heat treat. I just don't think there's any magic going on that makes it a different category from heat treating. I think the method is much better than the one I had. It much less fumbly and a lot easier. I won't spoil the content but I think its good. I still have my gripes with some of the marketing gimmicks, but I guess it was petty to make such a big deal about it.

Marketing is what got them in hot water with all of us. It should be marketed as a primitive heat treating video. That would have been VERY well recieved.

[Bryce]

Don’t forget the claim that this ‘forgotten’ juju made the wood hydrophobic.

[darinputman]

Bryce that is the part of the claim that I am hoping holds true. Made a couple almost done with a third using this process. I store my bows in my shop during the heat of Alabama summers. Will see how they hold up between now and hunting season. If they do not become sluggish it will be  one more plus for the process.

[PatM]

I've always just heated the wood over coals and then immediately clamped it to the caul after.  Eliminated the potential problem of back damage.

[Bryce]

Bryce that is the part of the claim that I am hoping holds true. Made a couple almost done with a third using this process. I store my bows in my shop during the heat of Alabama summers. Will see how they hold up between now and hunting season. If they do not become sluggish it will be  one more plus for the process.

Well I hate to tell ya amigo heat treating a bow won’t make it hydrophobic no matter what. They beat way to keep moisture out is proper wood finish. And even then moisture will still enter and exist the bow but on a very very small level.

[PatM]

It actually does potentially greatly decrease susceptibility to being hygroscopic.  It's giving the impression that it makes wood waterproof that is misleading.

 With Hickory it eliminates the tendency to go back up to 12%.

[darinputman]

Bryce I put the massey finish on my hickory bows, so I know I'm good there. I have also duplicated there process as close as I can and will see what happens. I don't post a lot but have found lots of information on all the forums to be true but have also heard a lot of talk that turns out to be opinions and not experience. I understand that it will not stop moisture completely, but hoping that it will indeed slow it dramatically. This process has already helped me greatly as it allows corrections put it to hickory to stay instead of springing back and also allows a heat treat the likes of which I have never been able to do. Of course that could just be my lack of skill with my heatgun. Any help it gives to the hydrophobic side would be a big plus.

[willie]

I've always just heated the wood over coals and then immediately clamped it to the caul after.  Eliminated the potential problem of back damage.

What potential for back damage did you expect with the belly facing down to the coals?

[PatM]

 With a caul in place the reflected heat seems like a potential issue, just as it may be with a heatgun

 Do they show a caul being used over a fire in the video?  The excerpts I've seen just show them  hanging suspended or on a rack over the coals.

[BowEd]

In the past I've heat treated many hickory bows.I found out over the years that it can and does out perform other woods totally because it was heat treated.Retillered with less massed limbs but still maintaining profile.It can be an awakening experience.It does not lose any more draw weight than any other wood through the seasons on account of seasonal humidity fluctuations in my geographic location.It does get up to 70% humidity too for sustained periods of time.I do store them in an enviornment where it is generally 45 to 65 percent humidity year round.
I have and use all the essentials to properly test bows with.Chronograph and room to flight shoot.
I've said this years and years ago.It's still the same.

[willie]

just as it may be with a heatgun

it might possibly be lessened, as the coals are quite radiant also. you could chink the gap between the back and the caul with some insulation or mud to be safe.

[darinputman]

PatM it is clamped to a caul suspended over the coals.