Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm getting ready to bend my first set of sides for my challenge build. The back and sides are Panama RW (d. tuc.). I have the Ibex bending iron, and a stainless steel bending aid. Should I try and bend dry, wet towel around the iron, or spritz the sides before hitting the iron? I'm going to sand the sides down to .075"-.080" to try and help myself out a bit. BTW, the sides are fairly quartered as well.

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Brad

Panama RW is a joy to bend in my experience. It is easy to bend, doesn't readily kink or warp and holds it's shape very well after bent. Just give it a moderate spritzing in the area where you want to bend and start working it slowly. Do a light spritz after each hit on the iron. I like my iron at about 350 degrees but temp can vary based on your technique. I use a cheap laser temp gun to monitor temp on my blow torched bender. You will likely get some scorching but don't sweat, it will sand out. .070-.080" seems a bit thin. I would take it to .085". I have never used a bending aid and don't see the need, or the wet towel (?). Try not to over think it...bending sides is best learned through experience...just do it and see what works for you. Adjust your technique when you make mistakes. Practice a lot on scrap before you start on the real sides. Panama RW is a good choice for a first bend, you should be fine. Good luck!

Thanks Gil! You've given me a small burst of courage to get on the sides and get them bent for my build.

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Brad

No problem. Also, as soon as you get the side bent to your liking you should put it into some kind of a form to hold it's shape. If you are working with a mold you can just put it in the mold. If not you will have to come up with something...I just sandwich the sides between several bricks stood upright. Works great. Leave them be until you are ready to put the body together.

If you are profiling your sides before bending, you can practice with the off cuts. Then you know exactly how the wood will react.

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