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Just curious as to the preferred setup for bending irons. I've used a heat gun and an aluminum can (first time a coffee can, the next an industrial can), but I'm looking for a more reliable setup. Not much for the side benders right now since I'm just starting out, but just looking for some thoughts. Maybe a few pictures.

I appreciate everyone's help. Thanks.

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Adam

I use a propane torch and a jointed section of pipe. Clamp the pie in a vise and place the torch underneath the pipe so that the flame is entering the pipe vertically and hitting the pipe horizontally. A loosely crumpled ball of tin foil will prevent scorching of your pants .... Keep fire extinguisher nearby... (I also made a couple of simple wooden props for clamping the pipe securely in the vise. Soak them in water for 10 minutes before using. Work fine.

+1 to exactly what Corky said... I used a 12" section of 3" OD exhaust pipe stock from a local auto shop mounted up with a few angle brackets to a piece of pine (leaving a little gap between the pipe and the board). Even with the pine and brackets, I think it cost me less than $30. If you have a propane torch and just hold the pipe in the vise, this should cost you next to nothing. (FWIW, I would probably go a little smaller than 3"... 3" is a little too big for the waist bend on some body styles...)

I bent sides for the first time ever this past Saturday and am pretty darn pleased with the results. As an aside, If you have a Harbor freight nearby, a cheap infrared thermometer will come in pretty handy to monitor the temp of the pipe.

I use a heat gun into a broken side bender someone gave me. About 1 minute of the the heat gun and the iron is hot. I've also used all sorts of metal tubes. I like aliminium because it gets hot quicker. Obviously blow torches work but I'm scared of them blowing up, quite irrational but not the sort of thing you want in the back of your mind when your concentrating on a waist.
Now though, I made a side bender that uses light bulbs for heat (plans from ultimate guitar), it's cheap and easy to make. I use the side bender for touching up and bindings etc.

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

I'm lazy by nature so I just bought one of these. I've bent several pairs of sides and some binding on it and it has worked great for me.

That sounds exactly like mine, except I use an electric charcoal starter as the heat source I agree though, 3" diameter is a little limiting. You get one shot to make tighter bends, by heating the side and then bending quickly before it cools down when the tight part loses contact with the pipe. After that, you can try to tighten things by heating from the outside of the bend, but it doesn't work very well on full width sides. Fine for bindings though.

Thanks for the replies.

I also have that irrational fear about blowing things up with a propane torch. Where were those plans for an electric bender?

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Adam

here:

http://ultimate-guitar-online.com/guita ... -jigs.html

I had a little trouble understanding some of the plans but the person at ultimate guitar was ultra helpfully and replied by email straight away.

If your interested I could take some pics of mine?

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

You could use the same plans as the bulb bender to make one to use with a heating blanket. More consistant heat, and not too expensive if you get just the blanket alone. Then you can upgrade with the thermo controller and a timer when you can afford it. I'm kinda lazy when it comes to bending. I tried my first with a bending iron (and I bought a commercial one) and quickly decided that I will put the time in making some molds and getting a heating blanket setup. Really worth it in the long run, and really consistant results as compared to a bending iron. Of course, there are those guys out there that bend better and faster on an iron than I do on a side bender.....

I plan on building one in the near future and basically it will be a 250W halogen bulb in a ceramic socket screwed to a board connected to a dimmer switch. Over that will be some stainless steel plumbing pipe on a screw flange, also screwed to the board with a spacer for some air flow. Should get way hot but you got to be careful in wiring up, especially ground, because high temperatures, wet pieces of wood and high voltages don't play together very nice

Many years ago I made a wooden pattern and then had this cast:



Solid Aluminium. I then used the glass cartridge from an old infra red heater/sunlamp. Still going 25 years later. Wouldn't swap it for any commercial made unit. Does a wide range of instruments. When the heating element eventually gives in I'll just use a Spirit lamp. Being solid means that it retains the heat for a long period.

Thanks for the help guys. You've given me good things to consider. I think, though, that I'm leaning toward the charcoal starter for now. If someday I'm able to go pro and I'm making many of the same type I'll probably pay for a good sider bender and bending iron. For now, though . . . I'm going cheap.

Thanks again.

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Adam

At first I thought there was a wood called "Iron Query"...


I use a steel pipe with a torch, but the mount is kinda weak and I have a guitar repair vise that I thought I can clamp the pipe into it to hold it, but I am concerned about burning that plastic jaw pads...

For tighter radius you have to squish the pipe somehow to turn it into an oval shape. For aluminum its easy, a vise will do it, but for the steel pipe I just pounded it with a hammer until its as squished as I want...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I use an exhaust pipe section about a foot long that i welded a piece of angle iron to that i clamp in my parrot vice when i want to bend perf for tight rosettes and such that my blanket bender can't handle. I put crumpled up tin foil in the end. When done, it can be taken out of the vice and stored out of the way. I built a wooden cradle to lay my propane torch at the correct height to the back of the pipe. The angle of the pipe is adjusted in the vice by where i clamp the angle iron bracket.

I just purchased the Standard aluminum bending pipe, 12" long, 2 7/8" OD from Luthiers' Mercantile. I do not have (and cannot get) a shop, work bench, garage, or the really cool expensive tools. I need to build something safe that I can use on the front porch or back stoop. If it has to be plugged in I will have to use the back stoop in a nice scratchy raspberry patch which is the only external electric outlet. My front porch is a 90 year old patch of flammable wood. I need a safe inexpensive design for using this bending pipe. My short term goal is bending sides for a 16" diameter lemon shaped body. Are there any recommended plans/designs I can use with this?

My first take was "Bright orange for most bends in mild steel. Light yellow for a tight bend in tool steel."

I think I posted this previously.
I think total around $75 canadian.
I think I am happier using the pipe than the bender.

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

That's an expensive pipe! Mine is about the same, except steel, and was free from the scrap bin at the Midas on Metcalf, just south of 435 (if you ever drive up this way).

As for heating, the electric charcoal starter that I use seems to be reasonably safe. The board that the pipe is mounted to never gets hot. A shutoff timer would be a smart addition, but I never leave it unattended until the pipe is cool enough to touch anyway. I used it outdoors for the first few years to verify its safety, and nowadays just screw it to the short wall in my bedroom shop. The temperature can be controlled simply by plugging and unplugging it periodically. Free pipe + $15 charcoal starter + a buck or two for L brackets/nuts/bolts/screws + a scrap of wood to mount it to, and you're off to the races. Run one of those thick orange extension cords from an outlet inside the house if you want to avoid the raspberries.

I've heard of people using ceramic heating elements as well. Might give more even heat than a charcoal starter, plus avoids the somewhat dicey step of squashing it in a vise so it will fit in the pipe.

Propane is more energy efficient (unless you use solar power ), but also more dangerous and noisy. But then again, fire isn't really that bad as long as you're paying attention to it and have an extinguisher handy.

A simple, safe, durable, cost effective pipe bender is described in detail here:

http://acousticguitarconstructionforum. ... ?f=8&t=794

Page down the thread to view info for the control box construction. We have purchased aluminum from Speedy Metals they have reasonable prices

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I made mine before I retired and had access to a welder. Large one is 6" stainless pipe with a 6" 110V cartridge heater mounted in it. The 110V is ran through a dimmer switch to control temp. Cartridge heaters are from McMaster-Carr. They are clamped to the bench and removed for easy storage. I have pics if someone can tell me how to attach them.

It's not hard to make one on your own, and there are countless ways to do it. Still, depends on your budget, and what your time is worth in sourcing parts, constructing, and refining the tool. For me the choice is pretty simple - StewMac has one that works great with the bugs already worked out, easy to use, around $200.

I don't build anymore, but my 11 year old daughter pulled it out yesterday to bend a mahogany patch for a busted up Martin side (nailed the shape on her first try). Easy peasy.



If you like making tools for sake of making tools, or if you're on a tight budget, I completely understand. If you can afford it though, and would rather make guitars than make tools, the StewMac bender is reasonably priced, works exactly as it should, and is compact and easy to store when not in use.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Twenty years ago, I went walking through a scrap yard, looking for possible bending iron parts. I found a length of 3" diameter copper pipe and sawed off the bent, mangled part of it. A plumbing contractor had the step down adapters. They and the narrower pipe are just press-fitted together. Heat source is a 300-watt light bulb wired to a rheostat. These days, I can't find bulbs like that which will fit into the pipe. When this one burns out, I'll probably switch to a charcoal starter.