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I read to soak the sides in distilled water for 15 min. Makes sense seeing that here in central Ohio my water is chock full of sand,iron and you name it. Has anyone used bottled water that you purchase to drink at the grocery store? Isn't it supposed to be filtered? I have been practicing on some walnut that I planed down and don't see any effects from the bottled water. Also, If the sides are supposed to not vibrate, is .12" too thick?
Clinton

I don't soak the wood!!!
I have a little spray bottle and that is all you need.
One bottle of water would last you for many sets of sides.
Especially if you use a bender and a heating blanket.
I thickness my sides to 0.085 to 0.09"

Andy

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Clinton, I think .12" is way to thick for the sides (and back for that matter) I think most builders try and hit a range of 0.070-0.090" depending on the wood with most around 0.080" thick.

Like Andy said, there is no need to soak the wood, all you realy need is a light misting before you bend.

I would think the bottled water you get at the store would be fine, you should be able to buy distilled water at the grocery store as well.

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To bend wood a light dampening is all you need. Soaking will cause alot of trouble. Too much water can give you warping problems and cracking as the wood is pushed through a radical cell restructure. .080 to .090 is plenty thick for sides and .100 for the back .
   heat is also critical. You want to be able to control the heat and duration. 275 to 325 will work best with most woods

I use a small spray bottle, get the wood entirely wet just before bending, wrap it in kraft paper, and go for it. I've heard that soaking can leech all of the natural oils out of the wood.

Oh, I'm using a 3" pipe and a 200 watt bulb and bent two sides with a thickness of about.10" I thought I should pratice before I start bending real sides. I purchased Kinkade's book, and it said to soak for 15 min. i told my wife to go buy me a tub, I guess she can take it back. Clinton

Yup, she can take it back and just by you a one of these



Should cost less too.

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"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

Does anyone still use a pipe to bend sides? From what I read everyone uses some sort of mold. I just liked the idea of bending by hand. Clinton

   Hand bending is great but you will spend some time and the sides will be different. A machine allows you to bend the set pretty fast and they will be pretty much the same
john

Bending on a pipe is a good skill to have, I did my first 3 or 4 on the pipe and have it as a fall back to touch up. I also still bend all my lute staves on the pipe, so it's never a wasted skill. But if the Luthiery Inquisition came to try and take my form and blanket away, as heretical, I'd barricade the door. Try and use the minimum water, just spritz.

Colin

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I still bend Custom shapes on a pipe, but my main models in a fox style bender.

Steve K bents everything I believe by Pipe

Clinton, Your woood seems awful thick. Try .080".
I highly reccomend using bottled water. I have the same situation with the minerals and stuff in our water here in NE Indiana. If you use tap water for your bending, after things dry you`ll notice that the sulphur and calcium will have soaked in. This could pose a problem down the line, especially on darker woods.
I`ve been using Ice Mountain water that comes from Wal-mart, mainly because that`s what the family has around the house. I still drink the tap water, but save that bottled stuff for bending (also for a quick swig when out in the shop).

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Here, anyway, a liter of distilled water doesn't cost stupid money, and it's completely free of trace minerals (or as close as is workable). Bottled woter isn't.

Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to keep practicing with the pipe, thin down my pieces and use a torch instead of a 200 watt bulb. I think I need more heat. I'm still mystified why the sides can't be thicker,maybe it would sound like a laminated guitar? The pipe was slow,from fear of breaking a piece. Like Colin S. said that it's still a skill that should be learned even if after I decide on a shape and build a bending form. Great advise guys!
Thanks, Clinton

[QUOTE=crich] Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to keep practicing with the pipe, thin down my pieces and use a torch instead of a 200 watt bulb. I think I need more heat. I'm still mystified why the sides can't be thicker,maybe it would sound like a laminated guitar? The pipe was slow,from fear of breaking a piece. Like Colin S. said that it's still a skill that should be learned even if after I decide on a shape and build a bending form. Great advise guys!
Thanks, Clinton [/QUOTE]

Clinton, If the back and sides didn't vibrate, it wouldn't matter what they were made of as they would then be inert. They definitely play a role er... guitar. Well, you get what I mean.

Steve   

I used a pipe like this for years and really liked it. I filled it with charcoal and it gets hot enough to bend on.
I could bend consistently and almost as fast as the heating blanket and form method.

Robbie, that thing is cool. Reminds me of my horse shoeing days and working with a coal forge banging out shoes to fit the horse. I've been hand planing wood down to size to practice, does anyone know if there is such a thing as seconds on sides to purchase? Clinton

[QUOTE=Robbie O'Brien] I used a pipe like this for years and really liked it. I filled it with charcoal and it gets hot enough to bend on.
I could bend consistently and almost as fast as the heating blanket and form method. [/QUOTE]


I sincerely hope you used it outdoors!   

I love the idea though, bend sides and cook lunch. All at the same time!

Steve