Recurving

Recurving will usually significantly increase the poundage of the bow, without needing a greater drawlength. Recurving is bending the tips of the limb (or the whole limb) backwards in a curve. If this is done while the wood is wet or hot, the wood will retain the curve when relaxed, thus making the bow flex more when drawn. Recurves can be added to a bow by a variety of methods. One method is to glue extra lengths of wood onto the tips of the bow at an angle to the original stave.

The more normal method to recurve a bow is to hold the area to be recurved over a pot of boiling water for quite some time, so that the steam slowly softens the wood fibres. After a while (20 minutes or more) the wood fibres will have softened enough for the limb to be fairly flexible. Shape it to the desired shape (Usually by wrapping it around something so as to give a uniform curve) then allow it to slowly dry and cool. Ensure that both limbs are recurved to the same extent, again ensuring that the curves in both limbs match at all times. Any mismatch in the flexing of the limbs will place an increased and unbalanced strain elsewhere in the bow, possibly with fatal effects (for the bow).

Offered by Brian.