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I have a big bottle of the Super Soft 2 and I use it on nasty commercial veneers but I was wondering how you guys use it for bending sides.
Thanks,
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Yep, I do. I give the sides a light spray of SS2 (all over) a couple of minutes before I put them into the bending machine (which is a temperature controlled Fox style jig using heating blankets).

HTH,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

I used super soft II on my last set of sides. They were a highly figured Mahogany of some sort. I let it dry overnight though. Had good results and I was bending on a bending iron. No breaking or chipping.

Hadn't thought of just going straight to the bending though.....

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

Link...I've been using SS2 for over 2 years now on many bends. I lightly spray it and allow to dry and set for a minimum of 12 hours. I then use my normal method of wrapping in craft paper and lightly spritzing with distilled water before initiating the bend in a Fox bender.

Good luck!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Yep it takes time for the SS2 to plastisize the cells. I spray on, wrap individualy in kraft paper allow to dry 24-36 hours as stated on bottel then bend as normal. it would seem to me that to spray it on and cook right away defeats the way it works by cooking the glycol off before it has had a chance to do its work

I had good luck (i.e. it worked) bending ebony bindings on a Fox type bender with a blanket using SS2. I sprayed them on both sides then let them dry overnight.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

So the main ingredient is glycol? Eet ees just sum soap?

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

One of the suppliers of SS2 sells it for use on veneers. They say use a light spray and let it dry as long as overnight. If a light spray works on veneers what about sides that are much thicker? It would seem that they might need more than one spritz, perhaps several so that there is enough SS2 to really penetrate. I have tried it that way on very curly maple and it certainly seemed to help avoid breaking on tight bends.

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GEO
perpetual beginner

The questions regarding length of time to allow the SS2 to do it's work based on wood thickness sorta begs the question:
What if the side was left to soak overnight (or whatever) in a tray filled with SS2?
I'm sure this will be construed as overkill but bending highly figured maple in a 1" radius is difficult at best.
Nelson Palen

Thanks guys,
Seems to be the consensus to let it soak at least over night. I have some figured Mahohany that I will bend soon and after that some Chakte Viga or Paela or Mexican Pernambuco (It has at least 3 names) that is really figured and looks pretty dicey to bend. I will be using the Super Soft for sure.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

I spray real good and wrap it in wax paper to keep it from evaporating for 24 hrs.Then i let it dry for 24hrs. Then i spray with distilled water and bend as normal.Has worked good that way and hasn't stained the wood.If you spray ss then bend before it dries, it can stain some woods.

I spray enough to wet the wood but not drip off. For sides in the .09-.07 range this is all that is needed to get the required affect. You would not want to submerge your wood in a pan filled with SS2 because SS2 is glycol based it adsorbs atmospheric moisture quickly so re use would be with a moisture contaminated product, and there is the possibility of the pan if metal causing chimecal staining

Has anyone been able to consistently bend tight cutaways (1" radius) in high figure maple with SS2?
Thanks
Nelson Palen

My SJ and MJ cutaways are 1 1/4" horns with 1 1/2" return bends and I have no problem with Maple using SS2