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If I bent.... I mean.... If a friend of mine bent 2 two left sides, could the one be straightened out and then re-bent the other direction? It was taken out of the bending machine after bending but before being "cooked" for too long. It was only in there about 15 minutes.

It's EI RW, by the way. It's a dreadnought.

My friend is an idiot.



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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."

Not that I have ever done this.... But I have used my Wife's iron - I mean an advanced Unbending iron device - to unbend a side. Worked great.

Glenn

Did you then bend it in the opposite direction?


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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."

I think someone on this forum once showed us a link with a kind of big iron used in hotels, there was enough room to put a side in it and flatten it.

I'm also wondering how long I should wait to try to rebend it. I know that wood will tend to case-harden after being bent. Just don't know how long it takes to rehydrate again. It's raining here if that makes any difference.


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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."

I second this except for "wife's iron" You can get a cheap one at a true value or any big box hardware store for around $14.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

I've straightened and re-bent EIR, Walnut and Maple -- not sure I buy the case hardened premise not been a problem for us? But anyway, we mostly discover the error right away -- spritz it and go to work to correct the error.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I've rebent sides the opposite way before. EIR is about as forgiving as it gets. If you have a bending pipe, "unbend" it on the pipe then put it back in the bending machine. If you don't have a pipe, put it back in the slats and blanket and get it hot and work it along the edge of your bench to straighten it, then put it back in the machine.

Don't forget to bend it the correct way the 2nd time around.

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A cheap steam iron is the best tool I have found for unbending.

Bob

Thank you so much for all the replies. I have a steam iron but I think my heating blanket should do the trick. At least for initially straightening it out. If there are any bubbles or faceting still going on, I bet the steam iron would work great.


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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."

Roger that!



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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."

Yes a clothes iron and a damp rag. Just heat the high spots and when the wood starts to relax iron the whole side flat.

I've found that spritzing SuperSoft II will almost immediately take bends out without any heat applied. DAMHIKT.

Now wait a second! Why wouldn't he bend it in the opposite direction? Lol.

Yes, I've done this before. And the clothes iron worked.

Thank you Henry W. Seeley! I managed to get this thing flattened out with an iron. I have it clamped to my bench under a board. I'll try re-bending it (In the correct orientation this time) sometime tomorrow.

Thanks again for the tips everyone.


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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."

Just re-bent that side. Couldn't have gone smoother.



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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."

Just looked this back up to see how it turned out (cause I have to re-bend a side too).

Aaron can you show us some more pictures of your vise there.....? Looks like some custom mods from a typical pattern makers vise.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Let us see how yours turns out, Rod. I may need it any day!

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Waddy

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Lets see a show of hands, how many people have bent two left sides?

Oh my goodness!!

What a bunch 'a' knuckleheads---

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The Biggest Little City, Nevada
www.hammondguitars.com
I love building guitars!

I once bent a side for an OM. Not only was it bent for the wrong side, but I decided to make a cut-away body instead of regular. So I had to unbend the side, and, not only just rebend it the opposite way, but needed to bend in the cut-away shape, too.....and it was Snakewood, one of the more difficult woods to bend. I soaked it in hot water for about a half hour and was then able to get most of the original bend out with a clothes iron, enough to get the heating blanket and slats on. It rebent easily into the opposite side with the cutaway. That's my worst side bending horror story, and it ended happily

Grant

You can do anything that you put your mind to.

Happy New Year!!!

It's a good thing the stuff grows on trees!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Hmmm, I hope you corrected that mistake with the linings too

It depends on the wood.

For oily woods like EIR you could practically bend it backwards and forwards, all without heat. I bent them backwards and forwards a few times to correct a few mistakes.

For woods that requires super soft II to even bend into a Dreadnaught shape, not so much...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
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I did it once early in my career. There is a simple way to avoid it. When I lay out the pattern to profile the sides, I draw a line on the inside of both sides at the waist. This is foolproof if you lay the sides together opened like a book, and mark both at once. I hand bend using a hot pipe, and the line shows me where to start the bend for the waist, and which direction to bend it (line facing up).

I have rebent many sides to change body shape. I have been known to soak sides in the bathtub for several hours. In my experience, wood that has already been bent once is actually a little easier to bend the second time around.

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John