Paul,
Thanks for the tips on the grain flow.

On whether or not steam or the lamp/oil method is better, I think it's all about getting the wood to the proper temp. Both ways will do it, IMO.

I recall bending some wood strips with steam. It worked well and quickly. There's steam and then there's STEAM. Steam can be anywhere from barely 200F to superheated. I dunno how to do superheated, but I would think it would need to be from boiling under pressure.