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I basically use Todd Stocks method of wetting paper and surrounding the sides with it in the sandwich to get my moisture.
I'm planning on using Super-Soft 2 for the 1st time and wondered if I can still use the wet paper sandwich after soaking the sides with Super-Soft 2 and letting it dry for 12 hours?
Thanks,
Bill

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Formerly know as Mandodiddle.

Yes. I've had problems attempting bending with SS2 and insufficient water

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

stopped using ss went with windex with amonia D
cheaper and doesn't water stain

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Sorry, John.... I had to.....


https://www.fortressofdoors.com/content ... windex.gif


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I've used Windex and SS2 and in both cases use water.

John Hall, do you soak the sides overnight in Windex or just sprites and bend right away with it?

My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Had to ask!

just spray when I bend

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Last time bending , I used TS's wetting method but used Windex D in the tray instead of water and very light spritz of windex on the side, tight waist J200 shape, Bocote (I've had splitting problems with it before). Worked great, no stain, no springback.

Yes... use water. Just control the amount with how damp the paper is when assembling the sandwich. We don't spray water directly on the wood - its much easier to wet the paper and control the amount of water there.

Ammonia is a good wood softener, and used by industry in bending. But adding another component to bulk up the surface cells on very thin pieces of stock - usually glycol esters - adds resistance to surface fiber collapse. The effect is a little like using sand in a piece of tubing that will see a tight bend. Rosewoods, straight-grained mahogany, and most other standard kit woods don't require much help to bend, but curly anigre (more silica than wood), high figure mahogany, and some of the less common woods like curly ash need every bit of encouragement possible to bend and stay bent without fiber collapse.

We use a chip brush to apply SSII, so about 3/4 to 1 ounce does both sides and bindings. With SSII cost at about $0.40 per guitar, and half of our instruments going out the door with a cutaway and high figure, tough-to-bend woods, we've stick with it and save ourselves the cost of the occasional unsavageable side when working tight bends in tough stuff.

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We have become a civilization that elevates idiots, prostitutes, and clowns. Am I still to defend it? Yes, for its principles. Yes, for what it was. Yes, for what it still may be.

-Mark Helprin, The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story (A Novel)

This is the first I've heard of using Windex with Ammonia in lieu of Super Soft. Nice to know that there's a cheaper alternative. However, I wonder if the ammonia in Windex would react with the tannins in certain woods, especially white oak. Then again maybe ammonia only darkens oak through the fuming process used by Stickley and his contemporaries. Anyone have experience with Windex for bending oak?

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michael propsom
www.propsomguitars.com

Yesterday I gave windex with ammonia a try on a lacewood side with a fairly tight (3/4”=r) Venetian cutaway. There was also a pair of ebony bindings in the sandwich. They bent very easily. FWI the side was .082” thick as were the bindings.

Thanks for the tip, John

M

I've built a few guitars with Lancewood and it bent like butter so that might not be a great example for bending sauce's so to speak. I used Windex too but I always let it soak. Then used it to sprites.

as you can see there are many ways to be successful at bending so find the technique that works for you
Soaking I have found can cause me warping. 80% of bending success is wood selection
New vids will be happening next week and bending Ukes and using this technique will be one of the new vids

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it