Misadventures in side bending

[nkwak]

Last night I was over at my friend's workshop and got to finally put my home made bending form to use with my friend's Fox bender and heating blanket. Everything worked great and it came out intact until I put it in the mold and messed with it:



The break was clean though so a little CA glue may have saved the side:

[tippie53]

this is a learning curve . Looks like things will work out . Wood is pretty fragile till you get the blocks attached

[Tony_in_NYC]

I hope you have not glued it to the mold!! Not that I ever did anything like that. Nope. Not me. I totally did not glue the neck block to the mold with some squeeze out that got between the sides and the mold. Nope. Not at all. And I didn't spend a long time with a thin piece of metal and some choice words getting it unstuck. That would have really been a bad time. Yep...I am really glad I didn't do that.

[deadedith]

Same as I didn't squeeze a new bottle of Titebond onto some kerfing and have the top of the glue blow off and spill damn near the entire contents all over the guitar sides, dripped into the Mega mold, and...well, just glad I did not do it. Happy for you too, Tony..
DaveB

[Tony_in_NYC]

Yup. Me and Dave are lucky!

[David L]

I almost did that too Tony, but luckily I smelled a rat and at the last second I was able to pop the mold open and sneak a piece of waxed paper between the mold and the rim.

David L

[nkwak]

LOL! Nope - that's quick-cured CA glue and it was set before putting it back into the mold.

FWIW it seems stable and the other side is now in the mold as well. Phew! I worked so hard on the bending forms and mold that I feel fulfilled finally putting them to use - and bending the sides is such a great experience as well, even if it was only 2nd grade mahogany.

Actually, I was worried that I'd bent two of the same sides. I doesn't appear to be the case so they're ready to be trimmed then on to the end blocks.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Neil, now I understand what your problem was.
Never never use 2nd grade mahogany. Always use at least 6th grade, and even better, wait until it is in college.

Kevin

[Tony_in_NYC]

Neil, now I understand what your problem was.
Never never use 2nd grade mahogany. Always use at least 6th grade, and even better, wait until it is in college.

Kevin

LOL
I never understood the affinity people have for immature, or 1st grade wood. It seems to me, more mature samples would work better.

[nkwak]

LOL!

OK, serious question: what do you do if you bend two of the same side? Not that I did that or anything, but if I did would be up a certain dirty brown creek?

FWIW things look OK now that both sides are in the mold, which is sitting top down and the edges are all flush with the face of the mold on that side. The waist bends also both appear to be straight, which should count for something. I'm a little confused about the taper that's supposed to be in the back, though.