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Working with Wenge
https://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=41388		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Working with Wenge
So Newbie here is starting #3 and #4 and the latter will be a Wenge bouzouki. I have a few questions but first let me reassure the 'forum police' that I spent an hour researching these questions on the net but can only find sketchy info. :). Thanks in advance for your input...and perhaps this string can become something of a resource for others interested in this tonewood that Somogyi speaks so highly of (http://www.esomogyi.com/blog.html#wenge).

-side thickness for bending?
-use/non-use of water for bending (using iron...you know, doin' it old school...aka " can't afford a bending rig")
-temp?
-any glueing issues to be aware of? Oily?
-any other helpful info?

Cheers.
Doug
Author:  DannyV [ Fri Sep 13, 2013 10:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Working with Wenge
Good one Doug. Wenge is simply beautiful and the pieces I have tapped have gong like tap tone. The next Brazilian rosewood no doubt. ;)

I have yet, but will soon, use it for back and sides. Bindings and purfs bent like butter. The usual thickness should be fine. A spritz of water worked well for me at med-high temp.

It glues with no issues. The pores are so huge I think it would double the gluing surface.

Be prepared to do some serious pore filling and be careful not to fall in one. :lol: It's pretty slivery wood so be careful with that also..

Keep us posted on the progress. I really like Wenge and am looking foreword to doing one myself. I have some great stuff from the lumber yard that's going to something nice.

Cheers,
Danny
Author:  Joel M [ Fri Sep 13, 2013 11:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Working with Wenge
Wenge is a great tonewood, one of my favorites was a 00 wenge, lutz combo. It had great projection while still achieving a complex tone with clear note separation. I hope to build another in the future as I believe it has some great possibilities.

I do use it a lot for binding as I like the look you are able to achieve. It is near black and looks elegant yet still has a woody organic appearance. The pores are a bit of a pain to deal with though and require extra attention come finish time.

As far a thickness goes I would go .080 or perhaps even thinner. It is a bit of a brute to bend at times, but with the right thickness and enough heat (high heat is good) it will bend without much trouble. You could also try super soft if you have any trouble.

One factor I have noticed, and this is against conventional wisdom... You dont necessarily want perfectly quatersawn wood. All the examples I have seen of qautered wenge are some what brittle and spilt along the grain easily. I found that slightly rift sawn pieces help with this brittleness. With that being said once the back it properly seasoned, braced, and built into a box the issue might not be a problem.

Joel.
Author:  Kent Chasson [ Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Working with Wenge
I go .075-.080". It takes a lot of heat and often a few cycles to set the bend in Wenge. It springs back like nothing else. Fortunately, it can take a lot of heat without scorching. I do one or two cycles in the bender and plan on a lot of touch up on a pipe.
Author:  Chris Ensor [ Sat Sep 14, 2013 9:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Working with Wenge
The stuff glues pretty easily but will show a black line if you use CA to join it. I had this happen with starbond to be exact.

The splinters- which there are a lot of- go septic if not removed quickly. So keep tweezers and band aids close by. That being said, it makes great guitars!
Author:  munen [ Sat Sep 14, 2013 10:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Working with Wenge
I´ve used twice on classicals. From my experiences It can dull the plane blade. It takes rather high temperature and time to become flexible on the iron.
Be careful with titebond or any clear colour glue getting deep inside the pores because they will show like whitish spots when finishing, and those are tough to clean once dry.
I had that happening on the first one. For the second one I put masking tape on sides where the binding channels are routed. I routed the channels thru the tape, glued them and then removed the tape leaving a clean looking wengue.
And have fun pore filling! ;)
Author:  meddlingfool [ Sat Sep 14, 2013 11:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Working with Wenge
I have only used it once for back and sides, but it's standard as binding on my expensive brand. Love it. No issues with spring back personally, but I have a Blues Creek bend it machine.

Yes, those splinters. Yes, the tendency to split stem to stern along the grain lines. That's the reason I don't use it more often as I don't use side braces....
Author:  dzsmith [ Sat Sep 14, 2013 12:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Working with Wenge
Doug,
I can't wait to see some photos.
I love the appearance of Wenge, especially when used with Bubinga.
I remember seeing a bass made from it, and it was as heavy as an anchor.
I've made some small carved boxes with it and found when power sanding, let it cool down for a bit or the heat will soften the glue.
Photos please!
Dan
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