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| Pipe bending http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=26598 |
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| Author: | Jeff Struck [ Wed Mar 17, 2010 4:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Pipe bending |
Hey everyone, I'm new here and new to guitar building, I've made an electric guitar body (still needs electronics) and I made a guitar neck from scratch for a body my son found in the garbage (it turned out pretty good) Ok now to the point... I want to start building acoustic guitars and just set up my pipe bender today. I bent some scrap wood and would like some input, bending went pretty good but I got a lot of burn, is this ok?, should I just sand it out? Any advise would be great... Jeff PS how do I post pics? |
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| Author: | Mark Maquillan [ Wed Mar 17, 2010 7:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Pipe bending |
A recent post had a tip about using a wet paper towel over the pipe and rewet it as necessary. I am going to try tis for the next set of wood Im going to bend with a pipe. |
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| Author: | John A [ Wed Mar 17, 2010 7:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Pipe bending |
Try the wet paper towel...but please pay attention to what you are doing - paper catches fire easily. DO NOT leave your pipe unattended ! I unplug mine and leave it on the concrete floor when done and since it is in my garage, I check on it every 5 to 10 minutes till it cools down. I wet the paper towels down with water after removing them from the pipe so they do not continue to burn. |
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| Author: | JohnAbercrombie [ Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Pipe bending |
Jeff- What kind of wood were you bending? How thin was it? (very important) Did you wet it/ soak it/ spray it before or during bending? How hot was your iron? I like to have the iron hot enough so that a few drops of water 'dance around' on the pipe. If they just sit there- too cool. If they just go 'Pfffft' and evaporate immediately-too hot. A wet rag or wet paper towel to get some steam into play is a good idea with most woods. Very 'curly' woods can kinda 'fall apart' if they get wet. Scorching/burning is not a good thing, though some oily woods (like IRW) just get a bit of burnt resin on the surface which can be scraped off easily. You are on the right track- using scrap. It takes a while to get a bit of 'feel' for it and even then can be tricky/frustrating. Also, practice bending a 'shape' like a guitar waist and bout - getting the curves and the 'straights' to flow together without kinks and overbending is not easy some times. Also, straightening out a piece and re-bending it can be a challenge. Cheers John |
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| Author: | Jeff Struck [ Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:18 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Pipe bending |
Thanks for the input everyone, JohnAbercrombie, Wood was red oak, it was 5/4 x .090 (for test and practice) that I just dipped in water (couldn't find my spray bottle). I did get some good bends. I'm guessing my pipe was too hot, the water just went 'Pfffft'. I'll be trying again soon with the wood a little wider and a wet towel. Thanks again, Jeff |
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| Author: | JohnAbercrombie [ Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:39 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Pipe bending |
Jeff- Sounds like you are on the right track with your practice. You do get to 'feel' when the wood 'lets go' and bends with heat. Using a backing strap of sheet metal or aluminum flashing will help prevent 'blow-outs' on the outside of tight bends. Cheers John |
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