Ahh, That Old Chestnut... bending wood binding!

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Super72bb
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:30 pm

Ahh, That Old Chestnut... bending wood binding!

Post by Super72bb »

Hi all,

I am trying to bend some ebony binding. I don’t have a bending machine nor a hot iron. I am prepared to make jigs if needed of the body contour but was hoping for a bit of advice on how to approach this. I have read everything from using ammonia to using my wife’s curling iron. Has anyone had a tried and tested method (if there is such a thing) for getting consistent results with limited destruction?

I can appreciate this has been discussed before so if anyone could even direct me to a thread on the topic that would be great.

Cheers
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Ahh, That Old Chestnut... bending wood binding!

Post by MaineGeezer »

You've picked a wood that is difficult to bend.
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
Danl8
Posts: 733
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:50 am
Location: Chadds Ford, PA

Re: Ahh, That Old Chestnut... bending wood binding!

Post by Danl8 »

I did a lot of bending with a 3 inch copper pipe and a torch. Maine geezer is right ebony is a challenge if not done right. Get the heat up to 325-350, spritz the ebony and support the ebony with a flexible steel backing. And more importantly practice with some scrap such as maple, before doing ebony. I now use John Hall’s bender system and with proper setup, ebony bends easily. For one of my current parlor sized guitars I used ebony bent freehand on an electric pipe that properly heated bent easily without fractures.
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Ahh, That Old Chestnut... bending wood binding!

Post by MaineGeezer »

Something I did when bending binding that helped. I cut a channel in a piece of particle board that was the curve I wanted and wide and deep enough to hold the binding. That gave me a pattern to follow and something to hold the binding in the proper shapewhile it cooled off.
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
glasalle1
Posts: 190
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:02 pm

Re: Ahh, That Old Chestnut... bending wood binding!

Post by glasalle1 »

My only advice is buy extra binding just in case. Ebony has been the only binding material I have broken. I think I tried to bend too thick.

Glenn.
Super72bb
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:30 pm

Re: Ahh, That Old Chestnut... bending wood binding!

Post by Super72bb »

Thanks for the help, i’ll Give it a good go and see how it turns out. Thanks again.
Kevin Sjostrand
Posts: 3712
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:06 pm
Location: Visalia, CA

Re: Ahh, That Old Chestnut... bending wood binding!

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Too thick can cause you grief. I had issues bending Bloodwood bindings breaking a few until I thinned them down from .080" to .065", this was on a pipe, then they bent without issue. You may consider this.
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