Official Luthiers Forum!

...and getting them a little too "done".

So now I know why they call it BLACK walnut.

Arnie, If you got some black spots, that is normal for walnut and it should scrape or sand off real easy.

Thanks Mark. I probably won't be using the practice set for anything, but that's certainly good to know.

The second set of sides went much better. I think I had the pipe a little "warm" the first time. It was a practice set, and didn't have the curl that the second set had.

I'm not sure if this is "accepted" technique, but the burning seemed to be minimized as long as I did this:

As soon as I felt the wood start feeling pliable, I would take it off the pipe and hold the bend with both hands until it cooled down. I also modified the pipe to make an oblong shape instead of a perfectly round shape. All in all, a little better this time.

I just bent my first set and did close to the same thing. Once I had the piece bent to where I wanted it I would keep it warm and over bend it just a tad, took it off, blew on it to cool it down and it usually springed back to about where I wanted it.

Have any pics?

I'll try and post some today. Do you want pics of the BBQ, or pics of the passable set?

When useing a pipe, i put a damp rag between the pipe and wood and it seems to work alot better without the scorching problem.Just keep the rag spritzed while doing it.

Thanks Mark. Sounds sensible. I'll try that next time.

Here's my second attempt - all gussied up.



The first set, aka "Cajun Blackened Walnut", is in the background.

Edit to add: What a mess! But it's got the "lived in" look.