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Does any one know a source for Super Soft 2 in Canada? The one source I can find who ships to Canada from the U.S. charges a bit too much postage wise for my taste.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Hi Tom,

Yes it is expensive to bring it in from the US (like a lot of products), but it will last a very long time. I bought a gallon of SS2 a few years back and I'm sure it will be a few years before I use it up. I use it on most sides before I bend them, but it doens't take much. In regards to your other thread on the A & M softener, I've looked at it a few times but that was after I bought the SS 2. My guess is that it would also work and would cost less, especially if you go with the smaller bottle. I'd give it a try.

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Josh: Quite pricy from the States for the Super Soft 2. The postage is over twice the cost of the product. Wonder if you ever considered carrying the Super Soft 2. Most likely not enough call by your customers. Thanks for reply, if I don't hear from someone who has used the A and M product I may have to bite the bullet and import. I have never used veneer softener before but have some of the fancy Bubinga that Shane had a few years back and want to make sure I don't end up with fire wood when I go to bend it.Thanks again and take care.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Tom

I got a gallon from VeneerSupplies for $34, and shipping to Canada was $33. A lot cheaper than cracked sides in expensive wood, and as Josh said, it will last a long time.

Bob

Just bite the bullet. It's worth it. One cracked set of sides will make u wish u had not fretted about the shipping cost. I did google it for a while and could find no Canadian supplier.

Mike

What is the chemical makeup of supersoft? I can probably cook up my own in Taiwan from various chemicals..

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Tai Fu, I suppose the exact ingredients and concentrations are "trade secret" but the MSDS sheet http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/msds/supersoft-msds.pdf shows the main active ingredient at least.
I did a bit of research on it last year and the Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether is a wood plasticiser, having a temporary (2/3 days) effect before it wears off.
I tried another veneer softener (on Bubinga) with the same chemical in it, but perhaps it didn't work so effectively (or my technique was off).

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.