Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, I broke down and bought a blanket from John at Blues Creek, and tried it out yesterday and today. I bent some VERY curly white oak (from BobC) to an OM shape (first time for anything other than a dread). On the first side I had a little bit of cracking in the high figure, but it will be OK. On the second side, I took off another .001 or so, spritzed it twice, made sure it was hot enough, and it bent very well. Still in the bender, but I didn't hear anything snap. .   So you guys are certainly right that it is easier and much faster than light bulbs. Just don't forget the gloves.

Thanks a lot, John, I'll be back.







Ron (an OLD and WISER man)

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Better a convert than a prevert, I always say!

Welcome to the fold, Ron!

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
_________________
http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Agreed who heartedly. I broke two sets of maple and one set of Imbuia using my old bender and bulbs. The blanket rocks.

Ron's only a bluegrass prevert, likes to fondle banjo's

Bob C's the zoot pimp though.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"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

hahhhahh, too funny guys..

So, how much DOES a blanket cost?


Uh....only asking...because....

I sleep with a blanket every night.
                  James

_________________
James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Sam, John Hall in the US sells them along with a 220V (I'm pretty sure he has them in 220V anyway) for about 165 including a control switch.

Check out his site here.

This pays for itself the very first time you wreck a nice set of sides (learn from my mistakes) and have to replace them.

Of course using a blanket is not fool proof but it sure gives consistent heat to the wood unlike bulbs.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"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

Back off, get your own sandwich

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"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

ron,
i'm with you on the miracles of the blanket. not only did i get the blanket from john, i also got a lot of free advice. amazing service!!
i did snap one set while learning, but a bit more free advice from john and i've now succesfully bent sapele and wenge. both beautiful woods that are known to cause some bending trouble.
i'm sold on the blanket and john hall.
by the way ron, even though 95% of the blanket bending pictures we see have the blanket between the slats, i went with john's advice and left the blanket as the last layer of the sandwich. worked like a charm as did his idea of bending the lower, then upper bout, and finally the waist. again, that's not how most of the advice out there goes, but it worked beautifully.
phil

ours is set same as Hesh with exception we use bakers parchment and not foil. Since most are archtop, use maple and almost never any discoloration or burn.

darn no edit button, but add to last we only use the two cauls and the center caul for bends.

I also use John's method for bending but also use a .010 slat over the blanket. I don't think it makes any difference in bending but do it for 2 reasons.
1. It prevents the spring loaded cauls from abrading the blanket and eventually wearing thru to the wires
2.The cauls slide much easier over the steel slat.

Of course I good be all wet too.

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

I just did slat-wood-blanket-slat. What's wrong with that, huh?????    Pervert, eh? I'll show you perversion.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Perversion at it's finest!!












Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

BTW, not all the blankets out there are the same.

I have one from LMII which is smooth and one which came originally from John Hall (I bought it second-hand), which has raised wires.
Both work very well, but the Hall blanket definitely raises more concerns in me about abrasion and ability to slide under the cauls. I use a 'modified Doolin' method of bending- tension on the slats, waist last.

John

[QUOTE=Rod True] Sam, John Hall in the US sells them along with a 220V (I'm pretty sure he has them in 220V anyway) for about 165 including a control switch.

Check out his site here.

This pays for itself the very first time you wreck a nice set of sides (learn from my mistakes) and have to replace them.

Of course using a blanket is not fool proof but it sure gives consistent heat to the wood unlike bulbs.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that. I'll book mark his site and start working on my husband....

[QUOTE=Rod True]

Ron's only a bluegrass prevert[/QUOTE]

PREVERT? Is that like, the first step to becoming a pervert?

Seriously though,

Ron, congrats on the new blanket!

Nothing like the FEEL of a new tool!

Robert

_________________
Everything has beauty, But, not everyone see's it!

Ron (an OLD and WISER man)[/QUOTE]

_________________
Say what you do, Do what you say.

I have to say this made my morning. After I cleaned all the coffee I spit onto the screen after reading I was a pervert and I had my wife read this , I am afraid you guys may know me too well.
   Thank you for all the kind words as we do try to treat each and evry customer as we want to be treated.
Have a great Easter
I think it may be from the lacquer
john hall

[QUOTE=Dave Rickard] Ron (an OLD and WISER man)[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]
I read this again and it didn't come out like I was thinking. Ron is a wise man. You need to know his last name to understand what I was laughing at. Okay I'll shut up and go back to work. Sorry about that

_________________
Say what you do, Do what you say.

[QUOTE=tippie53]   I have to say this made my morning. After I cleaned all the coffee I spit onto the screen after reading I was a pervert .... [snipe]
john hall [/QUOTE]

John, you might have to trust me on this, but spiting it out on the screen is much better than inadvertently snorting it while laughing. You really don't want the details, but it did involve soda, Billy T and Hesh. Enough said I think.

_________________
Aoibeann

I know this doesn't have much to do with preversion or spite, but I couldn't help noticing when I checked out this thread: Is that James Joyce playing the banjo, or is it just me??? sorry... I went to Dublin about a month ago and his picture is everywhere.

_________________
"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.