Official Luthiers Forum!

Can people please tell me what material you prefer stainless steel or spring steel and why? Also what the thickness shim stock I should get? As I'm trying to locate a UK source rather than import.

Thanks

John

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

I like spring steel since it always returns to a flat shape after bending. Somewhere around 0.012" thick seems to be about right.

I've been using the spring steel slats from LMII. They are a bit thin .008". I just ordered a set of tempered stainless slats from John at Blues creek. They are 020" thick. He says they bounce back fairly well. We will see.

M

I don't use either one...........aluminum flashing 6" wide works for me.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Except for our cutaway bender which has one spring loaded .008" SS outer slat, all our slats are aluminum. Every production form is covered with aluminum as well. There seems to be a myth regarding aluminum staining lighter woods which simply has not been our experience. But I will add that I cover woods like Curly Maple with parchment (never kraft) paper just in case there is some residual resin or sap from a previous bend.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

.020 spring steel. Doesn't take a set, it's thick enough to be supportive when you use fox bender style dowel rods to connect the forms. I've been very happy with them. They will rust if you let them, though.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I Agree with Jim. I use spring steel but always use a layer of kraft paper between the wood and slat, since the slat can stain the wood otherwise.

I guess I was not clear -- the aluminum slats we use (and the are only a few, one for each bender) are for all shapes and styles, there is a waist curve location mark -- the slat takes on a bit of the profile, but so what? Its takes five seconds to flatten it out to use with the next shape. Now we are not bending one set every three or six months -- we bend sets every day. We get our aluminum from McMaster Carr. An another thing -- some "Kraft Paper" will impart an indelible red stain on light wood, that's why I mentioned the white parchment paper used for baking, its less of a fire hazard too.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

On Tom's recommendation, I tried using aluminum flashing. I've only bent one set of sides, but it worked well. A 50' roll of flashing cost me $24, so I can get 16-17 slats out of that.
Like Ken suggests, mark the waist location, and everything lines up nicely. I copied Kens waist locating/clamping idea for my side bender from his old web site. Works great! Thanks!

Alex

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

I use John Hall's stainless slats. They are pretty resilient, and return to flat for the most part.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I've been using aluminum for years, works fine for me.

Chuck

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I use aluminum flashing for both molds and slats.
Since I profile my sides, the mold is marked with the "high point" as is the foil wrapping the sides.

Bob

.010 SS shim stock from Shim in a Can. Bounces back flat after use.

Bob

So do you guys think this would do?

https://www.cromwell.co.uk/PCN4152350E

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

Something a bit different here....

I use three slats, two stainless and one spring steel. My slats came from John Hall ten years ago and are not where I am at the moment to measure thickness.

My bending stack from bottom to top consists of stainless, wood wrapped in dampened craft paper, stainless, blanket, spring steel slat on the top.

Reason being spring steel if thick enough under the bent side can cause some issues taking it out of the bender such as cracking a side because of the ferocity of the spring back of the spring steel. So I use wimpy stainless under the wood to avoid the strong spring back of spring steel and save a side or two..

The last or top slat over the blanket and it's use is a bit subjective admittedly on my part since I have no empirical data to support my current beliefs but the idea is to help contain the blanket's heat so that more of it may migrate downward into the bending stack and less will be lost as heat rises off the blanket. It's worked well for me and so far no cracked sides, ever.... knock on BRW....