Official Luthiers Forum!

Bob Taylor has a factory tour video section. http://taylorguitars.com/video/factory-fridays/ In the side bending video he talks about how, by wrapping the sides in paper, they have eliminated the need to wet the sides and let the moisture already in the wood do the steaming. Has anyone here tried this on a fox style bender?

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

I used to wrap the sides in paper using brown masking paper or paper towels. Have since changed to wrapping tightly in aluminum foil after a light spritzing with filtered water. Seems to work great and any excess water tends to boil (squirt?) out the ends of the "sandwich" when reaching bending temperature.
Just a Kansas Farm Boy here.
Nelson

Thanks Nelson,
I've done the aluminum wrap also with good results. The part I’m particularly interested in is not spraying on additional water, but letting it cook in its own moisture. It seems to work well for Taylor.

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

Taylor's got those big, crazy, fully automated side benders, though. When I bent my sides, lightly spritzed and wrapped in foil, post-cooking, they came out bone-dry.

I wrap in aluminium foil and use very little water ,especially on Walnut and Maple, they come just as Nelsons do. Iam just a old Sussex farm boy!

Taylor's machines are actually pretty simple. They just give a consistent rate of bend, temperature and pressure. When I first learned, it was soak in a trough and has gradually gone to light spray especially on figured wood. So now it looks like there really is no reason for ANY additional moisture added in you get the other elements of bending down pat.

_________________
Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg