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I am considering switching to a fox style bender. What is your "sandwich" when using this type of bender? (e.g. slat, blanket, paper, wood, paper, blanket, slat)

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From the bottom up:

Spring steel slat
wood - spritzed and wrapped in aluminum foil
aluminum flashing
heat blanket
spring steel slat

I like having the blanket on top of the wood so that it stays in contact and heats uniformly. I think some people prefer it underneath.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

from the bottom up also.
-heat blanket
-slat
-wood wrapped in paper, paper soaked in water after wrapping.
-slat

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Pretty much the same here. From the bottom up:

Spring steel slat, foil, wood, blanket, foil slat.

I no longer wrap the wood with the foil. Bending the folded foil causes it to crinkle which can leave marks in many types of wood. Instead, I use one sheet of foil cut lengthwise to make two discrete pieces or foil. No more crinkles. With oily wood, I will also use paper which again is cut lengthwise to avoid crinkling. Cutting the paper was a tip I got from this forum. I am pretty sure Todd Stock posted it, but I am not certain. It is a good tip, so thanks to whoever posted it.

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PMoMC

For the paper I use the 6" wide rolls of light-brown paper usually used by painters in the paper/masking tape dispensers. Had some left over from painting the house and turns out it works well and is convenient.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

From the bottom,
blanket, slat, paper, wood, paper, slat, blanket, slat. I cover the blue tempered shim stock slats with Al foil as well.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Slat, blanket, thermo couple, side and bindings wetted in foil, slat. I use 8 wood clothes pins to hold the assembly together during heating (the wood doesn't melt). I try to keep the blanket in direct contact with the side package. The clothes pins do a good job.

What are your target temperatures?

Cheers, Michael

From the bottom up...
Flaxseed
Mayo
Phoney balogna
Cheddar
Lettuce
Mustard
Flaxseed...

Someone had to do it....

Phew! I came this close (I-I) ! Thanks for taking the hit, Meddling!

Alex

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Wow! That's super thick. How much compensation did you have to allow for when making the bending mold?

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You have any problems with springback

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Seems like a natural for making a grilled cheese!

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

No but Off Gassing can make for a rough build !!

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A lot less springback since I went vegetarian...

No, but after a few years, bending becomes a problem

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Me too. I bent my first 10 or so on a hot pipe. When I built my Fox style bender I copied the "sandwich" from one of Todd's videos. It works so I've never tried any other combination.

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You guys forgot salt and pepper

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I always used a pipe in the past but recently got a bending unit from John Hall. I've only bent two sets with it so far using slat/wood/slat/blanket as per his videos. Fast and flawless for the mahogany and Pau Ferro that I used. I can see using the paper and foil for highly figured or lighter woods.

From the bottom

Slat/Blanket/paper/wood/paper/thermocouple/Blanket/Slat

I started using two blankets about a year ago. Working very well so far, but I've not
bent any really tough or highly figured sides yet. I like the idea of heating from both
sides. I had used foil for a while, but so far I don't see any problem without it. I wrapped
the foil over and folded the two edges together to make a sealed sleeve with the idea
of holding the water in the wood for a bit longer.

A little off topic, but don't forget SuperSoft II for the really highly figured stuff...

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

Mines is just blanket, steel slat, wet wood, steel slat, blanket with a thermo stuck in the mix. And down a home brew or 12 while watching the wood bake.
I loves me two blankets too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Not all blankets are the same. I use a 5 watt per sq inch. Wood gets hot it bends. I did modify my bending technique
Slat wet paper wood ( dampened ) wet paper blanker slate
the thermometer is under the top slat and on top of the blanket. With water in the mix you can get a steam reading not real heat so I want to know the heat of the blanket.
Some woods don't like as much water as other woods, Maple and Koa if made too wet can actually over bend. I will keep the blanket in contact with the wood and went the blankets reads 250F I bend the lower bout , I check the upper bout that things are still damp ( NOT WET) and then drive the waist cawl about 1 inch from the bottom then do the upper bout. By this time my heat is about 275 F then I finish the waist. Some woods will take more heat to set the bend than others so keep a log. I thin let the heat rise to 275 to 350 for most woods. Once I attain that temp I turn the heat back to about 200 to 230 to cook off the water and allow the wood to cool.
Mahogany and Maple , Padauck all seem to like more heat
Cocobolo will bend well at 250. Watch for soft spots. This can often lead to cupping. Also Super Soft is not a bad thing to have in your shop. As you can see by the posts , there is a common thread , wood gets hot it bends , so the key is time and heat duration. I am done bending in about 4 to 5 minutes from the time I turn on the unit.
There are many ways to do this so find the technique you are comfortable with. I will often bend my binding with the sides I am bending.

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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

What is the advantage of putting a slat in both sides of the blanket? Is it just for protection?

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Yes,
I put the upper slat over the blanket to protect the upper blanket from being
torn as I pull the bending holddowns (?) across and down the upper and lower
bouts.

_________________
Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

Bread
Ketchup and mustards
pickles
tomatoes
lettuce
mystery meat (could be beef, pork, chicken, dog, cat, rabbit, or whatever)
cheese
another mystery meat
more cheese
mayonaise
bread

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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

I like to put something between the blanket and the wood because, without it, I do get an imprint of the blanket on the side. I just use a piece of light aluminum flashing rather than a real bending slat.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu