I surely appreciate the veteran input. I have a nice 3" thick-wall aluminum pipe with the "charcoal starter" element. I have to use the whole word---the hump on a 5 string banjo(sorry
) neck has two bends in a partial "S" and the radius for each is 3/4" to 1", thus the mention of small diameter iron pipe. I referenced "black" iron because galvanize gives off bad vapors when heated. I'll be heating with my aircraft O/A torch at Acet rich; maybe my Dillon with "propane" style accessory tip. I don't like to do it, but I now and then bring the portable cylinder set inside for single jobs. I don't even own a typical propane torch. A buddy wants my aluminum setup and I am thinking of going "commercial" with whoever sells the teardrop profile electric bending iron.I am going to go with bending in normal fashion and with the SS II which I ordered. In fact the binding at full thickness came close to doing both bends before the cracking started-as you would expect it was the change of direction that did the deed.
I have had a woeful loss of competence in binding lately. I have been doing battle with Ivoroid-using most every glue known to modern man, pre-scraping the gluing side, relieving the inner lower edge. This is on the edge of an ebony board from First Quality. I have used "self-glue," Weld-On, three kinds of CA and my binding joint is fragile. I am going back to Weld-On and 24 hours wrapped in surgical tubing-the Ivoroid is from a single order-I'm used to it just sticking on quite quickly and adhering stubbornly(you know, you discover a gap and want to spread things a bit and the stuff won't move). Thus, I am going to the curly maple with purfling, TiteBond Original and the tubing- a nice curly neck so the binding will look great. A hard way to get to a good place. Mike T.