Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello and Happy Holidays. I searched the forum and read comments from very experienced luthiers. I want to use curly maple with bottom black/white purfling glued on(LMII) to bind the dreaded 5 String B---o and the 5th string hump. It appears that this stuff, Super Soft II, works-thanks Todd, Bob C., JJ---will it loosen the purfling glue joint? Thanks for further thoughts-I will thin to .070 and will then scrape to .060 after install. Regards Mike T.

I've never had a glue joint compromised from using SS2. In addition to using it on sides for 4 years now, I often use it on curly maple or other highly figured bindings both with and without purfs. They bend like butter in the Fox bender. Use reduced heat and keep from burning.

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

JJ-is the heat necessary? Does it soften enough to cold bend, anchored with binding tape and surgical tubing-gluing to the ebony fretboard with TiteBond? Thanks again. Mike T.

Mike...I never tried it cold. I always bend bindings in the Fox.

Let us know how it works!

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I wouldn`t risk it.There`s probably a pretty good chance that it will break.But I`ve never tried it ,so who Knows? I`m just saying why risk it unless you don`t have any way to bend it?
James

_________________
James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I have some scraps to try-the source event for this question. If needed I'll stick a torch in a piece of plain black 1" pipe. Thanks, Mike

i think you are going to be looking for a copper pipe or aluminum. copper is a much better conductor so less energy needed to heat it up to the same temp as one of the same size and thickness in aluminum. not too sure what the plain black 1" pipe is you are referring too. and 1 inch is a little small would help in bending a cutaway but i think the standard is around 3" pipe.

Try a curling iron. They come in various sizes.

_________________
Aoibeann

Paul,

I would imagine that copper would be the best choice if we were only interested in heating the pipe. Problem is we need to maintain even heat in the iron to give best control of the tool. The fact copper is such a good conductor probably makes it a poor choice for a bending iron as i would imagine wet wood would suck the heat right out of the pipe as soon as it came into contact. Much better to have a much slower conductor such as thick alloy or steel i think but i must agree that 1" would be too small to be of much use.

Cheers

Kim

Your binding would have to be very thin for SSII to soften enough not to require heat to bend. SSII does soften difficult woods enough to male them less of a risk but nowhere near enough to free fom them at binding or rim thickness .008" thick yes, .09" no way.

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.