www.KitGuitarsForum.com

OK, this is my first guitar....

Walnut, Spruce top, etc....

I soaked the sides for a couple of hours before bending. But the waist bend wanted to "tear out", ie, the grain would not bend on the inside like it ought. I then bent a couple of pieces of walnut, only sprayed the wood with water, before bending. Bent really well....

So... what did I learn? Bend samples first. Too much water may be a bad thing. But, above all. test first!


Dave

No need to soak , we could have told you that . It isn't so much the water that makes them bend it is the heat . The water is more an anti scorch agent to help the wood bend before the cells harden

wood choice is the hardest part to learn . Good wood will bend well and learning the heat that works the best for the different woods will come with time and patience .

Someone said (here or at another forum) that we spend a lot of time and energy to get the water out of the wood, so it's kind of counterproductive to introduce a lot back in by soaking. Of course, I've seen where experienced luthiers have done just that, re-introduced the water.
But I'm with John, use enough to prevent scorching.
Bob

Hot steam quickly distributes heat through the wood. It only takes a little water on the surface of the wood to generate the needed steam. Too much water, as you get with soaking, can cause distortion problems, and isn't necessary.

True the less water the bender Cedar bends very well some woods like Mahogany , Paduck and Maple need more heat . The amount of water used is slight . I actually spray paper with the water that keeps the steam heating the wood.
Too much water is very problematic . Steam bending is also an old way to bend larger pieces but on Maple and Mahogany can cause the wood to continue bending as the cells loose moisture . My best advice is to keep a log on the woods you bend . Highly figured woods have their own set of problems.