Official Luthiers Forum!

so im thinking ahead and reading around the forums that bubinga is a troublesome wood for bending. i decided to use it for a dread which will make the bending easier and use cherry for my SJ. but the question is super soft good investment or just something else to worry about? i read of staining and bleaching problems. has anyone experienced these with bubinga? and does anyone know the cheapest source for this stuff?

Paul,
it may discolor Bubing a bit making it a bit lighter. I would use it since Bubinga can be stubborn to bend. My advise would be to soak the sides and heat them with a clothes iron prior to joining and thicknessing to have matching color.

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I too have a bubinga set and am worried about bending. Peter, do you mean spray with supersoft first then soak?

I meant get a good amount of Supersoft on them.

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

SSII will not stain the wood if it has air dryed prior to bending. Most staining comes from bending prior to allowing the SII to dry. the heat reacts with the glycol causing staining and or leaching in some woods. The ideal way to use SSII is to spray the wood both sides liberally and place kraft paper around each piece of wood and allow to air dry for a day minimum or 3 days is better. The affect of the SSII lasts up to 10 days but the glycol will evaporate out long before the fiber return to their original stiffness. Once again it is the heat reaction of the glycol that causes the staining. there is no bleach in SSII so if you allow it to air dry befor bending ther should be no color loss.

cool not planning on rushing through this anyway so letting it sit for a night or a couple days is np. thanks for the tips. anyone buying this stuff from a specific place? looking like 12-15 bucks a bottle not a bad price just making sure there isnt some cheaper source before i order some. and can you get it in a regular store somewhere?

Michael Payne maybe right is his assessment but I am giving you advise from previous experience. Both a set of Koa and a set of "the Tree" mahogany got substancially lighter in color.
If you want to let it dry and not do the backs go for it but don't be surprised when the color of the sides is lighter than the back....

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

so if i end up seeing lighter color then i will have to wipe down my back with it and let it dry over night to bleach the back int he same way as i did the sides. but i like my real dark redish born bubinga! oh well guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do thanks guys

Paul,
you will have some cut-offs from the back, so why don't you just try the SuperSoft on those to see whether the treatment will bleach the bubinga or not...
Just take a 0.5" x 20" strip, apply SuperSoft, let it dry, put it in the bender, and see what happens
Christian

i like the way you think sir. now why didnt i think of that

I have used SSII on everything from Maple to Rosewood and most things in between. I will say that It may romve some of the color caused by oxidation but I have never had bleach out color that did not re-oxidize back to the original state. But i also must say I have never used it on Koa or bubinga! There is not anything in it that should belach color out but I guess there is always the chance of a chemical reaction in some woods. I have use it on Narra, Mahogany, Cocobolo, and other Red colored woods with no issue.

I see no reason to use it in Rosewood, mahogany or Cocobolo....

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I agree they are all easy to bend but none the less I have used it on them