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I’m having a heck of a time bending a piece of 1/8 in ebony for a backstrap overlay on a hot pipe. Any advice?
Thanks, Craig

I think bending any 1/8" thick wood is a bit of an adventure. Any chance of bending thinner pieces and laminating them together after bending?

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Peter Havriluk

Craig,
I can’t help with the bending.
I laminate sheets of Ebony veneer using dark veneer glue placed between two “molds”.
I also use this method to make durable cavity covers.
This may be worth trying in the future.

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Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Does your backstrap end at the nut or continue down the back of the neck?

If it ends at the nut in something like a volute I made a bending pipe that works pretty well. If you are doing more than one it might be worthwhile. Bending ebony a full 1/8" thick at the end of the back plate is pretty tough and even with a jig like mine will be a project, I'd go a bit thinner.



If the strap continues down the neck like this:



I use thinner veneers that bend on a pipe easier due to thickness and because the bend isn't at the end of the plate. Then glue the veneers together in a mold before gluing to the neck. Thin veneers can often be bent without heat in the mold with glue and they will hold their shape for gluing to the neck blank.

Here's a couple solid backstraps on the bench right now. They are about 1/16 or 0.060" and are much less hassle than a full 1/8th inch. Gotta be planned for ahead of time.



Hope this gives you some ideas.

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

You might be able to bend ebony that thick, but thinner pieces laminated would be a better choice.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I bent an IRW strap that thick once but it was hard, time consuming and there was some scorching to deal with. Ebony would be even harder. I find keeping them around .080 makes the experience much more enjoyable. If I wanted a thicker strap I laminate some thinner veneers between the strap and neck wood.

Thanks friends. The consensus is clear and what I probably should have planned to do.
It is indeed extending down the neck. I have bent 1/8th in mahogany with out much trouble.
I built a bending pipe much like yours Brian but couldn’t get more than a small bit at the end.
I also think that my temp was not high enough. Couldn’t get past 260-70
Thanks again, looks like veneer is in my future.

I love the look of ebony and it is a frequent choice for backstraps and binding. After several failures over the years, I’ve concluded that (1) 0.080-85” is plenty thick, (2) bending on a pipe is not impossible but almost, (3) you need lots of heat, lots and lots of heat and moisture to draw that heat into the wood, (4) my bending is now easier using Windex as a bending aid, and (5) I use my Florentine side bender, blanket and temperature controller to bend a “smiley” volute (extending down the neck is much easier, but IMHO not very attractive), (6) wood varies — some pieces simply refuse to cooperate — I once thought the difference between African and Indian ebony, but not so sure anymore as I’ve broken both.


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