I experimented on a scrap of my curly purpleheart last weekend and I'm very frustrated. I bought supersoft 2. I sprayed it on the wood, wrapped it in kraft paper and let it dry for 3 days weighted under a flat board. After 3 days the wood seemed to be completely dry. I removed the kraft paper and replaced it with fresh paper. I sprayed the paper wrapped wood with distilled water. I had ordered a new heating blanket from Blues Creek and I proceeded to bend the sample in my bender as per Hesh's instructions. My package top to bottom was steel slat, blanket, steel slat, wood wrapped in kraft paper, steel slat. The entire time to bend should have been no longer than 5 or 6 minutes. I was using the same controller as Hesh, which I set on variable with the heat control all the way up. I used a thermometer, and intended to start the waist bend when the temp reached somewhere around 240F. Very quickly I saw what looked like light smoke, even before the temp had gone up much, and I assumed that there was some initial residue on the new blanket that was burning off. I guess it may have been steam, and it stopped after a minute or so. It took a full 6 minutes for the temp to get to 240. The waist bent ok. I let everything cool down and then I was going to recook for a few minutes. When I plugged the blanket back in to recook, there was the same smoke again very quickly. At that point I decided not to bother recooking, since it was only a sample scrap I was bending. When I removed the wood from the bender, there was a lot of dark staining on the wood from the supersoft. It does sand off, but it is a pain and imagine that it would be a lot of sanding for two sides inside and out.
So here's a few questions; 1) I have only bent EI Rosewood before, which is an easier wood, and I used 3) 200 watt bulbs in the bender. The steel slats were always preheated in the bender before wetting and inserting the wood. So the wood was ready to start bending just a few minutes after inserting. With the method I tried this time, it felt like by the time the whole package was preheated, the moisture would already be gone from wood.
2)The entire package was much thicker this time, since it used to be only 2 slats with the wood between. Do you have to compensate in some way with the bending forms or waist caul? I felt like it was very difficult to bend that thick package all the way into the tight Torres waist. Can I eliminate the top slat and put the blanket between the 2 slats directly on the wood? And if yes, will the blanket get stained from the wood if the wood is not wrapped in paper?
3) Does anyone here preheat everything before inserting the wood?
I'm having 2nd thoughts about using the supersoft, due to the staining. It did not seem to make it easier to bend, although I have never bent this wood without, so I can't say for sure.
Wendy
![[uncle]](./images/smilies/surrenderflagqv6.gif "Uncle")
The other is that I think I may not have gotten the waist cranked quite all the way down. So much for my fading eyesight. At the time it looked like it was all the way down, but now, looking through the slot in the waist of the bender, there seems to be a slight gap. Is there anyway to re-wet the waist, reheat and crank it all the way down? Or is it a done deal once you bend it and set the bend? Wendy