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3 out of 4 cracked right across the curl in the upper bout. Seems like I've seen these repaired before? Sadly, I broke three and only have two more that match to replace them. Any suggestions? Can they be glued and used or should I just order and wait?

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

unless it's barely cracked (meaning just starting to flake away) it's better to get more. But more importantly you need to find out why they broke so history won't repeat itself...bindings get expensive!

How you bending them?

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Wes,
check your PM inbox. I have plenty of CM binding if it meets your needs. Will be happy to send you some if wanted.

Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Yeah, sadly I guess that's the right answer. Was just thinking I had seen a repair once.

John, they are cracked pretty good. They close right up and I'm sure could be glued, but I'm not too confident they'd survive the rebend (first bend didn't take too good, upper bout only). These were bookmatched and taped together in a Fox bender - bulbs and blanket method. I think it was just a simple case of moving too fast for the upper bout, the rest came off without a hitch.

One thing is I should've thicknessed them a little more before bending. They bent at .095" when I just need .075". Next set I'll go a little closer to final thickness. Live and learn, right? This was my first set of "store bought" bindings (Rich's swap meet "tan maple"), as I've ripped my own before, so I was concerned about a color match. However, after Mike's generous offer, I remembered that I had a plank of curly maple in the shop I'd forgot about. Checked and it's barely long enough for an OM and the color matches just fine. I'll just have to bend very carefully, the plank is just barely long enough.

Mike, I appreciate the offer, friend! Here's pics of the culprit.

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

i find that most curly wood has this problem.
The deeper the curl the more lickly they are to break when bending.

on my mad rose/alpine guitar i used curly mahogany and i broke a bout 5 bindings.
the run out with the curl is so excesive with some types of curl it make bending a real pain.
i also tend to bend my bindings by hand which makes it even worse.

I allways warn people buying curly bindings that this may be a problem.

Joel.

Wes my friend I broke a number of curly maple bindings when using an iron and bending for a cutaway. Thinning them to .070 did the trick for me but man was it frustrating not to mention this was when, as previously mentioned, I backed into the hot pipe while in my boxer shorts......... Now I am bending with the Fox bender and have not had a problem since. Nothing to back into either.....

bending bindings in your boxers hesh

that asking for trouble your got off lightly with a scorched rear end.

it could have been alot worse

Joel.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Wes,
Shoot me a PM with your shipping address, I can drop a handful in the mail. We are heading out of town Friday morning, but it shouldn't be a problem to drop them off after work today.

Rich

Hey, Rich. I sure appreciate the offer. Always a pleasure doing business with folks like yourself. You didn't break 'em, though! Hee, hee....no problem. I'll try to rip some more out of this plank and see how they turn out.

Just to be absolutely clear to all who may read this (I'm sure most wouldn't misread it, but want to be sure), I dropped Rich's name as the supplier but that in no way is a sign of any disappointment in his service or products. Rich is a stand up guy that always offers good stuff and, as his response here shows, is an ace at customer service. And I will deifintely do business with him again.

OK? OK....

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Wes give Super SoftII a go. I find it really helpfull on curly woods

Thanks, Michael. I hear y'all talk about it, but haven't tried it.

I'll have to Google a source. Any recommendations?

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Reminds me of darned ebony bindings I tried to bend. At rosewood settings (if I may use the term for pipe bending) they broke like glass - tried two. Then for the 3rd I dialed the heat to the max and it seemed to work but all of the sudden it came apart, no snap no crack it simply came apart like molten plastic

And then I scraped the ebony binding plan and reached for the good old Indian rosewood not that I appreciated doing more purfling

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Build log

Hesh,I believe that`s called HOT PANTS.I actually completely broke some Koa bindings on a cut-away,And just glued them back together and kept on going.I can`t even find where they broke now that the guitar is done.
James W B

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

James, I had the same experience with my BRW bindings on my first. Broke right in half, and I didn't have any back-ups, so I glued it back together and kept pumping. It is visible, but looks like a grain irregularity in the binding.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

That`s what I`m talkin` about Waddy.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Wes, here are two suppliers I've used. When I purchased it, I went through Veneer Supplies. Joe Woodworker has some interesting stuff on his website. Worth looking at.


http://www.veneersupplies.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=softener
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=6792

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Aoibeann