straightening shafts?

[Pat B]

In the video of the Asian straightening the cane in an over, he is tempering as he straightens. Look at the color of the cane. Tempering stiffens the cane and makes it more compression strong. You do have to give it time to rehydrate before stressing it. The same with hardwood shoots, boo belly slats and heat treating bow bellies.    Pat

[JackCrafty]

The video does show the arrow-maker heating the entire shaft, and the shaft looks dark, but I wonder if he is just saving time by heating the whole arrow and straightening all bends at the same time.  I guess he could be tempering the shafts as well.

IMO, Tempering seems like it might be a good idea for some types of flimsy bamboo (?), but I have some questions about the whole idea of tempering cane or reed:

1. When heating cane (and especially reed) if the thin outer layer gets too hot, it lifts, bubbles, and peels off.  I wonder if the cane will be heated enough to be tempered without "toasting" the outer skin of the cane.  Also, I wonder if it would be more effective to just heat all the canes in an oven, at the same time, where you can control the temperature better.

2. How do you control the effect of tempering on arrow spine?  Do you let the shafts cool and rehydrate...and then check for spine?  What if the spine is too stiff?  "Oops, there goes another arrow".  Or what if the spine is too flexible?  "Darn, now I got to heat it up again and wait another day to check this shaft".  Seems like an unnecessary hassle. 

[Pat B]

Patrick, I rarely even consider spine. With cane its not that critical. The natural taper will reduce the spine by 10# and I leave my shafts long(29" for 26" draw). That extra inch above the 28" standard will decrease the spine by 5#. So right there a 50# spined arrow would shoot like a 35# spined arrow
   When I heat cane for any reason; straightening and tempering, I give them time to rehydrate. They are too brittle otherwise.
   If I am not mistaken, in Asian cultures they almost always temper their cane shafts.      Pat

[stringstretcher]

After the initail heating tempering/straightening, what is considered a good length of time to rehydrate?

[Pat B]

For straightening I like to let the shafts cool at least over night. For tempering I give them a day or 2 before I start to make arrows from them.    Pat

[GregB]

Great conversation guys on tempering pro's and con's...thanks!

Now what do yall think about sealing the finished cane arrow? I'm sure it has a certain amount of natural protection...but I've worked the nodes down and think at a minimum they should be sealed. Do yall seal cane shafts, and if so what do you use?

[TRACY]

I'm new with cane but have used both spar and tru oil to seal the shafts. I like both and both seem to stand up to lots of shooting without compromise on the finish.

Tracy

[Pat B]

I have used Tru-Oil but on most primitive shafts I use pitch varnish to seal them. I don't seal cane unless I have violated the rind like if I sand the nodes which I don't always do.     Pat.

[stringstretcher]

Pat.  Could you elaborate on how you make your pitch varnish?  And if anyone would, that uses some sort of aid in straightening their cane, could you post some pictures of it?   This is all great info.  Keep things going so we all can learn.

[Pat B]

Basically all I do is dissolve pine pitch in denatured alcohol and strain it. The hardened pitch works best because the volatile oils have evaporated and in the varnish, when the alcohol evaporated, the varnish dries hard. If the pitch is still sticky when you dissolve it in alcohol it will be sticky when the alcohol evaporates.
  If it is sticky, you can rub it down with fine chalk or charcoal dust to make it not so sticky and eventually it will set up hard. 
   I believe, but haven't tried it yet, that any plant resins with make varnish if done the same way. There was an article in an older PA Magazine that describes this method.
  I do most of my shaft straightening by hand but on severe bends and kinks or if the bend is close to the end of the shaft I use an arrow wrench; a piece of wood with a hole drilled in it to get better leverage. I'll post pics of the wrench a bit later.          Pat

[Pat B]

Here are a few of my arrow making tools. The wood with the hole in the end (2 different ones)  is an arrow wrench for straightening difficult crooks. I try not to use it much because it will dent the heated shaft material. This usually doesn't effect the shaft except for appearance sake.
  The wood handle with the eye bolt and cup hook is also an arrow straightener. In the last 2 pics you see an arrow groover. For cutting lightening grooves in hardwood shoots that are difficult to keep straight. It is a piece of wood with a 3/8" slot cut in it and a sheet rock screw(with a sharpened blade point) that cuts the groove in the shaft.     Pat

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[Hillbilly]

Greg, if I sand/dye the shaft (usually do) I like to seal them. Tru-oil works great.

[stringstretcher]

Thanks again Pat.  Gives me some ideas since the hardest part of my cane arrow making is straightening.  I guess it comes from 40 plus years in field, fita, and pro shooting, I expect way more out of my arrows than I do my bow or me.  Good arrows will make anyone a better shooter.  I am learning, but only time will give me the results I want...Please to any others out there willing to share their secrets on cane arrows, jump right in.  And as always, pictures are worth a thousand words

[DanaM]

At the yardages I shoot, they don't have to be perfect. I have some arrows you wouldn't think would ever fly but they do.
I don't do 3D courses or compete(except with myself) so my need for a perfect arrow are at a mininum.

[Hillbilly]

stringstretcher, they aren't that hard to get straight with some practice. Straighten each section between the nodes individually until each one is straight, then bend the nodes to line 'em all up with each other. I like my shafts straight enough to roll across a glass-topped table without wobbling.