Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi -

Does anyone have a Stew Mac bending iron they don't use anymore ? The one with the variable switch - or the Ibex bending iron - ?

I have looked into making one - which is pretty simple, but I like the professional and finished look. The light bulb or torch methods look like they could be a hazard as well, and I have small kids in the house. If no has one for sale then I will build a light bulb iron.


Thanks!

John

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It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

If you're not comfortable with the propane torch approach (don't blame you, although I feel pretty comfortable with fire extinguisher and bucket of water handy), I think you can also make one with the mounted pipe and electric charcoal starter approach) I think there are some threads on that here somewhere.

Frankly, my electric bending iron crapped out so quickly that I simply haven't bought a replacement element for it. I like the propane torch approach.

I bought a charcoal lighter yesterday and returned it today - Somehow I was not confident that some water may not creep in an electrocute me. I am all for making tools - but this one I may skip out on.
I am considering, if no one has one for sale, to make one out of some Corian and a ceramic light bulb socket. The tube would be galvanized steel vent tube, like what you would find in a fireplace vent. What about the fumes from the cooking galvanized steel ?

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It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

John-
I used a propane torch and pipe bender 'back in the day'..works fine.
I'm not sure that a light bulb would put out enough heat for hand bending, though I have used a bulb-type Fox bender.
I'd recommend getting the heaviest pipe you can find that you can still bend into an oval shape (if that's what you want). You want the iron to store enough heat to keep the temperature reasonably constant. Vent pipe may not do it. Fire it up outdoors to burn off the mill oil and plating, etc...

The electric home-made irons work fine- I took a building course where everybody used those for bending and they were holding up fine and nobody had been electrocuted (as far as we were told).

That said, I have a commercial iron...but don't use it much since I have a heating blanket and a home-built 'bending machine'.

Cheers
John

The electric iron can be a hazard too if you forget to turn them off....Mike

This is where i got mine as I haven't seen it any cheaper new.
http://www.pilgrimsprojects.biz/bend.html

John-
(First, I retract my comment about the light bulb not getting hot enough- lots of info on the web (e.g. MIMF) about successful bulb irons.)

All of the home-built benders I've seen are a bit below industrial electric safety standards, so if you are worried about that, perhaps it would be best to spring for a commercial unit or use a propane-fired iron.
If you are worried about water intrusion, I'd think the light bulb would be less safe than the electric element in the charcoal lighter.
Another possibility is a big soldering iron if you can find one cheap.

You can also hand-bend with a heating blanket, but at that point a Fox-type bender makes a lot of sense.


Also, you should definitely re-think the Corian which is plastic and melts quite easily.
http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/products/corian/faq.html
"Is Corian® heat-resistant?
We do not recommend placing a hot pot directly on Corian®. Although Corian® remains stable and undamaged in temperatures up to 212ºF (100ºC), high heat or flame will damage your surface. In most cases, this damage can be repaired. To protect your Corian® from heat damage, always use a hot pad or a trivet with rubber feet when using hot pots, or heat-generating appliances like electric skillets or electric cooking pots."

Plywood with aluminum foil covering can resist a surprising amount of heat, but I'd keep a close eye on things anyway.

Cheers
John

Chris-
Good tip! Thanks.
At $35 less than LMII, they should be flying off the shelves!

There are also 'cello' irons on eBay ($50-70) but I have no idea of the quality/shipping costs, etc.
The IBEX is a good tool.

John

This is one I made 9 years ago. It uses a 300 watt incandescent bulb (still the original bulb). I also have a much smaller one with a halogen bulb that I use for cut-aways. Works great. A little more work than it needed to be as the are very simple to make using bulbs, charcoal lighter etc. Mine is a piece of 4" pipe that I heated and made into a teardrop shape.

My first was a piece of galvanized pipe (not worried about the gasses, we don't get them hot enough) and a propane torch. I finally broke down and got an Ibex like Chris'. I've dealt with the folks at Pilgram's Projects of and on for several years. Nice people to work with.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Steve,

If your bender worked ok, then why would you buy the Ibex ? That is what I am wondering - should I just buy the Ibex rather than spend $30.00 or a little more making my own ?

_________________
It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

I like the shape of the pipe on the Ibex, kind of like an airplane wing but mostly convenience and wanted to get the open propane flame out of the shop.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

If you are itching to start you can always go low budget.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

I like the lamp

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"