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I am getting ready to bend some EIR sides. I have some EIR binding that needs bending as well. Do I do these together?

I tried to bend some binding before in my Fox Bender, but the binding kept breaking. What's the secret here?

Thanks

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Yes, bend them together, just tape the binding to the side and it should all bend nicely together.

When doing binding on its own, tape all 4 pieces together than bend.

What are you using with the fox bender, light bulbs, blanket, both maybe? Also, do you have steel slats to support the wood through the entire bend? You want to just put pressure at the waist, than bend the lower and upper bout, than the waist, this way the bend is supported the entire time as long as you are using inside and outside slats that is.

Also, make sure you have enough heat and go slow, you shouldn't have problems breaking EIR if don't right.

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I'd bend the sides seperatly. Tape the bindings and purflings together. You can use blue or green masking tape. Put them on the bender but make sure you get them hot before you start to bend. If you are using bulbs that can be more difficult, with a blanket you just have to make sure it is in good contact with the bindings. Once hot enough press them into the form slowly, making sure they stay hot. I think cold bindings are the biggest cause of failure. Oh, and use steel slats to help you bend then. This is the way I do it, not necessarily the best way...

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Joe Beaver
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You might want to wrap the bindings in aluminum foil also after wetting them. This makes sure that you don't loose all your moisture before they are fully bent. You'll probably want to cook them a couple of minutes after it's all clamped down also.

I agree with Colby...(also a darn fine cheese! )...bindings lose moisture very quickly with a heat blanket, so foil is almost a must!

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Doug - how think are the bindings you're breaking?

You can do the bindings with the sides or seperately. Just make sure your bender is hot, and go slowly. If there's a crack in the bindings you can just repair it with ca glue.

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I was breaking the bindings at the cutaway when I bent some for my first. I was using light bulbs and just wasn't getting enough heat in the right place, so I used a hot air gun to give some extra heat where it was needed. Worked nicely.

If possible I would bend them with the sides. Less likely to break them.

If you tape them together (which works for me) you can easily clean the tape residue off with a razor blade. Once bent tape them and store them in your mold till you are ready to use them. I find they hold their shape better that way.

ON reason bindiings were breaking for me a couple years back was the lack of support on the mold. If you build a mold only using the bar supports in the recommended spacing ala LMI's catalog from way back, here is what might happen. The upper bout has the tighest curve except for the waist. The waist is well supported and if you watch the mechanics of the bend, the slats and wood are pressed between three points as it goes down into the form - the waist caul, and a point on each of the upper and lower bout. If you are beding binding for say only one guitar, with an open style form (made for light bulbs originally) then most likely there is a lot of space between the support rods in the upper bout - usually only one beside the waist slot, one and the top of the upper bout, then a couple more round towards the neck block area. If you look at an OM shape, with bars spaced like this, then the curve of the upper bout takes a different route (more rounded) to that top bar than if you were to lay a ruler just on the two bars in straight line. If hte binding you are bending is a little thicker, or a tougher bending wood like wenge, and the wood is centred in the mold (ie riding/bending on the bars only, not even close the the wood form and its gently curved flow) the wood can force the slats to crease straight betweent he first two bars of the uper bout, and then it will most certainly crack or at least crease itself over the top bar of the upper bout. This happened to me a bunch of times before I figured this out. The solution - add more rods/bars between the waist and the upper most upper bout rod. Now the form takes a gentle curve right across the form, not just on the wood portion, and bindings will bend there much better. Here is a pic of the mod

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jfrench - I can't recall the thickness, but the one's I have now are from LMI and they measure at 1/4” x .080”.

I just looked that up on their site. I can make my sides the same thickness and probably have no problem taping the bindings to the sides and bend it all together.

Thanks everyone.

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Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

Or how about Mario's way if you own a heating balnket!

You'll need gloves and might even burn your fingers a bit though but he mentions on his website that it's the best way for him so far.

http://www.proulxguitars.com/buildup/images/rosettes%20and%2 0purflings/DCP03966.jpg