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Hi Guys,

You all that bend with a blanket... the standard kit comes with 2 slats. The blanket is outside on top of the "bending sandwich". There appears to be LOTS O pressure on the spring cawls. Is there any danger of hurting the blanket as you bend these things? I saw a YouTube with a guy that added a third slat outside the blanket. Comments? Thanks.

Dave

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God, Family, Carreer

Dave,

The standard set up works great! Whatever pressure there is seems to have no ill effect. I have a bending set up from Blues Creek and that is the way to go. Bending sides has become a no brainer.

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http://www.booneguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Boone-guitar-builder/488208541257210

Thanks Stephen,

That's the bender I have and getting ready to do my first "machine bend". Do you set up like John suggests in the instructions, bend both ends, then screw down the center?

Dave

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God, Family, Carreer

http://bluescreekguitars.com/tutorial10.php
this link is the set up I use on the bender. I bend about 300 sets a year and I know this technique works well. There are more than one way to do this. In the 10 years I am bending with the machine I have used up one blanket , and that was a proto type. I am using 2 machines and Paul Reed Smith guitars us now using 4 of mine. I am interested in hearing how anyone else gravitated to another bending method.
I will be giving a class at the upcoming ASIA symposium , I hope to see you there June 10th to the 14th,

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I will be there on the 12th. I have 2 sets of African Mahogany that I am preparing so I can bend after John's class .

Glenn

I use 6" wide aluminum flashing I got at Home Depot to protect the blanket from the bender pressure, I got a few scuff marks the 1st time I used it. The roll of aluminum is relatively cheap, and each piece lasts for quite a few bends.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

What Fred didn't won't hurt.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I've used the blankets on the outside for hundreds of my own and thousands of others. It will wear the blankets eventually, but at a pace that most of us work it won't be for years and years. You can rotate the top blanket too to extended the life.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

In my limited experience I've used the blanket on the inside but am still learning and refining techniques. Has anyone done any experimentation to determine the advantage of putting the blanket on the outside or is this just another of those personal preference things? I would like to try this if it seems to provide some advantage.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I guess (and I'm really guessing here as I have not used a side bender yet !!!) it depends a bit on your mold and bending form. If you want a rim with a perfect fit and as little internal stress as possible, the 1/16" thickness of the blanket does make a difference. Your whole rim would essentially be 1/8" wider if you put the blanket on the inside vs. the outside.

Maybe I'm wrong - if so, then please somebody jump in and correct me...

Christian

The problem with the heat on the bottom , is you can run a higher risk of scorch . It also brings into play compensation of the pattern with a variable that you don't need. The blanket also will not form to the pattern like steel so you cannot expect the best results in repeatability of your bend. I know some people will attest 2 blankets are better than one Etc. The truth is , there are many different wattage blankets out there. We at Blues Creek use a 5 watts per inch design . This will get hot quickly and can handle the thermal load. light wattage can stutter and won't be able to keep up an lose a bit of heat when you start your bending. Also as long as the heat gets to the wood , it will bend.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I can't answer hardly any of the questions but I'll add. I built my own bender but I got my blanket, slats and controller from John( bluescreek) because I knew it would be a proven combination.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

Thanks for the replys everybody!

I'll quit asking questions and just do it. Got some brown paper today and plan on bending Tuesday.

Dave

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God, Family, Carreer

Hey Dave,

In answer to you query I just follow John's instructions as written and have had zero problems. I do the same thing to bend the bindings as well. Robbie Obrien has a tips du jour on bending the bindings and perhaps the sides as well. Make sure you clamp your bending machine to the bench! I forgot last time and was chasing the thing around for a minute until I ran over to get a clamp.

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http://www.booneguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Boone-guitar-builder/488208541257210

Makes sense. I use a 5W/in blanket so I'll try putting the blanket on top of the slat next time.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"