Official Luthiers Forum! :: View topic - bending herringbone purf

Martin,

Make a form (half of your body outline) out of a piece of 3/4" plywood. Route a ledge in it the width of the purfling and twice as deep. Next, soak your purfling (both pieces) in water (I use my bathtub) for about 10 minutes. While you're waiting, take some binding tape and cut it into 3" pieces and place it every 1.5" around the perimeter of the mold (solid at the waist) from the bottom of the mold, leaving about 1/2 of the tape loose. When the soaking is done, push both pieces of purfling into the ledge at once, starting at the waist and working in both directions. Remember to point the arrows of the chevrons towards the neck end of the mold. Fold the tape over the purfling and secure to the top as you go. Be sure it's tight.

It's really very easy and the fit will be perfect as long as your mold is accurate. Good luck!

Author:	martinedwards [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:42 pm ]
Post subject:	bending herringbone purf
So a guy wants me to build him something like this, (but with a round soundhole) I've got a few strips of Stewmac's herringbone purfling and it seems stiff. will it bend OK on a pipe? advice PLEASE!!

Author:	Jimmy Caldwell [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
Martin, Make a form (half of your body outline) out of a piece of 3/4" plywood. Route a ledge in it the width of the purfling and twice as deep. Next, soak your purfling (both pieces) in water (I use my bathtub) for about 10 minutes. While you're waiting, take some binding tape and cut it into 3" pieces and place it every 1.5" around the perimeter of the mold (solid at the waist) from the bottom of the mold, leaving about 1/2 of the tape loose. When the soaking is done, push both pieces of purfling into the ledge at once, starting at the waist and working in both directions. Remember to point the arrows of the chevrons towards the neck end of the mold. Fold the tape over the purfling and secure to the top as you go. Be sure it's tight. It's really very easy and the fit will be perfect as long as your mold is accurate. Good luck!

Author:	Fred Tellier [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
My 1st guitar was a Martin 000 cutaway kit and I added herringbone trim. I bent it with help from a more experienced builder with a hot pipe and it went well. We just dampened it with a little water spray and started bending. I have heard that too much heat or water can cause the glue holding it all together to let go. Fred

Author:	KenH [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
Jimmy Caldwell wrote: Martin, Make a form (half of your body outline) out of a piece of 3/4" plywood. Route a ledge in it the width of the purfling and twice as deep. Next, soak your purfling (both pieces) in water (I use my bathtub) for about 10 minutes. While you're waiting, take some binding tape and cut it into 3" pieces and place it every 1.5" around the perimeter of the mold (solid at the waist) from the bottom of the mold, leaving about 1/2 of the tape loose. When the soaking is done, push both pieces of purfling into the ledge at once, starting at the waist and working in both directions. Remember to point the arrows of the chevrons towards the neck end of the mold. Fold the tape over the purfling and secure to the top as you go. Be sure it's tight. It's really very easy and the fit will be perfect as long as your mold is accurate. Good luck! Someone on this forum posted a method similar to this a while back that I have used several times with outstanding results. The only differences were to use a piece of PVC pipe filled with boiling water for softening the purfling and then use a piece of heavy cardboard marked with the pattern and the purfling held down with push pins. The purfling only needs about 20 to 30 seconds of the boiling water treatment to soften it. If you go too long, it will fall apart.

Author:	Terence Kennedy [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
Here's one more way: http://kennedyguitars.com/_Kennedy_Guit ... gbone.html TJK

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Author:	Colin S [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:25 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
Martin, I'm a great believer in using the lowest form of technology that will get the job done (except in my professional life where I'd be lost without my Cray) I've use rope prfling a few times on soundholes with some success without ever using water etc to soften the purfling. The secret to me is not to be in too much hurry, so cut some channels in scrap larger than your rosette and cold bend the prfling into the channel, leave to take a set a few days and then bend it into a slightly smaller channel, until your ready for it to go into the finished size channel. I did try the wet method and steam etc but found more trouble with delamination than I wanted. Here's a rope one (I tend not to like herringbone really) that I did early November which might one day end up on a guitar if I can get back to my workshop. This is a classical size 83mm soundhole. By the way I have found that the stuff from David Dyke is easier to bend than from SM. Colin Attachment: 002 (2).jpg

Author:	Dave White [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
Martin, So your friend wants a Stefan Sobell guitar-bouzouki - good taste

Author:	JJ Donohue [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:39 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
I've used the Terry Kennedy method successfully. The hair dryer really helps and it remembers its new form every time.

Author:	Howard Klepper [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
Speaking of low tech secrets, it works out pretty well to just break it into the channel, cold and dry. A small ball peen hammer is helpful.

Author:	Laurent Brondel [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 4:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
Yet another way is to separate it in half with an cloth iron and a razor blade. The halves will conform to pretty much anything.

Author:	WaddyThomson [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 4:46 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
I bend mine on the pipe. Just wet the inside surface and go slow. If it starts to de-laminate, I just put a clothes pin on the spot till it cools. But, I didn't have much problem with de-lamination. Attachment: P1010464 (Large).JPG Attachment: P1010466 (Large).JPG Attachment: P1010476 (Large).JPG

Author:	cyrguitars [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
On my first acoustic I had LMII prebend my sides for me, but I puzzled for a while over how to bend the purflings (herringbone) and bindings (curly maple). I mentioned my dilemma to my wife, and she suggested a curling iron. So I went to Walmart and bought a $7 curling iron and it worked just fine. I clamped the handle of the iron in a vise, and used a damp towel to dampen the section of purfling l was working on (6 or 8 inches at a time). Now I have a Fox-style bending machine, and I've used that to bend the bindings and purflings too. --Steve

Author:	ChuckH [ Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
That stuff melts like butter on a hot pipe. You won't have any problems. Just spritz it with water.

Author:	jfrench [ Sat Jan 31, 2009 10:16 am ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
For rosettes, I just wet herringbone a bit before putting it into the channel. Never broken one. For purfling I use my side bender to prebend. Works well enough. But I've got to say that Jimmy Caldwell's method sound like a great idea and I am going to try that.

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Author:	Arnt Rian [ Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:44 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: bending herringbone purf
Howard Klepper wrote: Speaking of low tech secrets, it works out pretty well to just break it into the channel, cold and dry. A small ball peen hammer is helpful. I have used this method as well, and it works fine if you are careful.