Official Luthiers Forum!

Thanks to many OLFers for their help in putting this system together.

I finally have bent sides without scorch marks as with the previous torch and pipe system.
As you can see, I still don’t use a bender but drape the short heat pad over the pipe. This seems to work infinitely cleaner and with more control but still can feel and watch the wood during the bend. I bent all my side parts, ready for assembly in well under an hour.
That’s fast, for me. No fuss, no mess, no burns and no fried wood.
Thanks again guys!

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

Wade--hard to argue with success, isn't it?

Where did you get the short blanket??

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Nice setup wade! And ditto Steve's question.

I bought a heating blanket directly from Omega, and you can get almost any size you might need: Flexible Silicone Rubber Fiberglass Insulated Heaters

Looks good Wade...I can't wait to see the next Mandolele!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Thanks guys,
Ya , when something works well, it is a great thing.
I got this blanket from LMI.
Tom, Thanks for the link. I figured I would get a full size sooner or later. I used a 1000 watt dimmer in case I upgrade.
I can see why you guys go with the Fox system. I do have to build molds for the more complex or tight bends anyway.
For those of you out there still using a torch, this is a nice alternative and does not have to cost too much if you D.I.Y.

Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

I don't mean to hijack this thread but a quick question ...

Tom (or anyone else),
I have been pricing these Omega blankets on their web page & was about ready to order one but wasn't sure of the quality compared to the pricier ones out there or even what wattage to order. Any tips or comments about these? Thanks,
Skip

Skip, I have 2 different types of Omega blankets. The first one I bought was 2.5 watts per sq inch. It gets hot enough but IMO doesn't get there fast enough. This allows the wood to dry out a little, making bending a little more unpredictable.

After watching John Mayes' videos I ordered 2 more blankets. This time I got the 5 watt psi ones. These puppies will heat up to 300 degrees very quickly. Haven't had a problem bending stuff since I go the 5 watt blankets.

Hope this is the kind of info you wanted. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Skip, I bought the 36" x 6" x 5 watt blanket, based on recommendations from a similar thread in another forum, a couple of years ago. I bought that size to build full size guitars. So far all I have built are smaller instruments like ukuleles and I am still bending over a hot pipe. The only thing I've actually used the blanket for so far is to flatten a warped rosewood fingerboard blank.

I don't know for sure, but I seem to recall the statement being made in that thread (or a similar one) that the heating blankets you buy from the luthier supply companies are made by either Watlow or Omega and are basically all the same quality. TomS38662.4636805556

TomS& Dave R.,

Thanks for the valuable info. & yes Dave, that wattage clarification was exactly what I needed. I think the 6" x 30" should suffice for me as it will fit my existing "light bulb" bender's dimensions a little better. Again, the folks on this forum have helped solve another nagging problem. Man, what a great resource to enjoy and, in some small way, contribute to!

Skip

Skip,
As it turns out, I would have asked the same question so you didn't hijack this thred at all. In fact, Thanks.
Tom,
Have you built a 4, double corse steel string, 20 inch scale, Uke-like instrument?

Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

Wade, would that be a Tiple? No I have not built one, yet. But I've been looking at them with interest. I've even bid on a few on eBay (to see what they are like) but can't get one in my budget yet.

EDIT - whoops, I just realized you are talking about 8 strings, where a Tiple normally has 10, right? Anyway, no I have not built an instrument like that. At some point I want to try an 8 string uke (taropatch) though.
TomS38662.6431134259

[QUOTE=TomS] Skip, I bought the 36" x 6" x 5 watt blanket, based on
recommendations from a similar thread in another forum, a couple of
years ago. I bought that size to build full size guitars. So far all I have
built are smaller instruments like ukuleles and I am still bending over a
hot pipe. The only thing I've actually used the blanket for so far is to
flatten a warped rosewood fingerboard blank.

I don't know for sure, but I seem to recall the statement being made in
that thread (or a similar one) that the heating blankets you buy from the
luthier supply companies are made by either Watlow or Omega and are
basically all the same quality. [/QUOTE]

I use my full size blankets to bend uke sides in my full size guitar side
bender. Just make a platform that raises the bending mold up to near the
top so the side springs can rotate down all the way.... works great for
me..

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Tom,
Thanks for the source. (The Omega address.)

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

[QUOTE=John Mayes]
I use my full size blankets to bend uke sides in my full size guitar side
bender. Just make a platform that raises the bending mold up to near the
top so the side springs can rotate down all the way.... works great for
me..[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tip John. I may try that some time. Right now I'm purposely bending on the hot pipe to improve my skills. I'd like to be able to build some one-off models with out having to make a mold every time. Still a newbie here, I bent sides for my fourth uke (concert size) last night.TomS38663.3925462963