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I have been charged with bending some old mahogany sides that are super brittle perpendicular to the grain... it snaps in two easily when pressed like this:


Any advice for bending on a fox bender? I'm thinking high heat, very little water, and go very slow but if anyone has some tricks up their sleeve I'm all ears...

Adding SS2?

Does that look a bit like run-out to anyone else?

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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.

sometime it just doesn't want to be a guitar.
I would use
slat wet paper wood ( treated with SS@) wet paper blanket then top slat.

start bending at 275 on the lower bout. then upper then waist checking to be sure the wood is damp. then take to 350 F . Once the temp is reached turn off and let cool . I may cycle a 2nd time to 250 to get the water out.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I/m bending old walnut bindings now sand to .065, I soak the bindings for at least 1 hr, 3hrs for bloodwood and proceed with john /s instructions above

The way that is breaking I don't think you going to have much luck.
How about laminating it with qs Hog on the inside? Might just work.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
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1109 Military Rd.
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(716) 874-1498

That's going to need to be very thin, maybe even less than the .065" recommended.
I've gone down to a little less than .06" with bloodwood, but that's much denser than mahogany.
John's instructions probably have the best chance of working.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I am starting to think this might be the only way... a couple of .05" laminations. Oh well I'll try it at .08" first and see how it goes. It's a dread so the curves aren't too severe... wish me luck folks

Good luck James. Take it slow

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

That's exactly why I adopted the "flatsawn-to-quartersawn" approach (discussed in another thread) to cutting my linings -- it eliminates runout, and consequently, breakage during bending.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

Ken, would u please link that thread here?

Oh well, didn't work. This wood just has zero strength... I thinned to .08", sprayed w/ supersoft II, then bent really hot and slow the next day, so hot I thought it would char the wood. Failures were just in a couple of spots but being mahogany it sticks out like a sore thumb. To think... all the crazy tight cutaways I've bent with no problems but I couldn't even pull off a dreadnought shape with this stuff. :Sadface.

If you have more, try going to .04 and doing double sides?

hot and slow is not what you want. you should be done bending in 4 minutes.
be sure you have moisture .

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Just chuck it.