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| How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? http://www-.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=46593 |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Sun Nov 01, 2015 5:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
Just baked some tops, heated to between 90/100 deg. C, left for an hour, switched off and left them to cool overnight in the ventilated (3/4" holes top and bottom) heat box before I take them out and stickering them in the morning. So how long do you think I should leave leave them, in a controlled environment like my guitar workshop, before building with them? Is 3 weeks good? |
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| Author: | meddlingfool [ Sun Nov 01, 2015 5:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
3 weeks would be good I'm sure, probably less. Weigh them accurately. When they stop taking on water after the dehydration process, they have reached equilibrium with your shop RH (controlled, one assumes) and are good to go. |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Sun Nov 01, 2015 5:48 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
Thanks Ed, I'll be doing that anyway, just wondered if there might be any other things that may come into play. For example, I've heard it mentioned that baking tops not only removes most of the moisture, but crystallizes the resins. And it must be quite shock to give a piece of wood a blast of heat like that! Got to do the same to some brace-wood as well. |
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| Author: | meddlingfool [ Sun Nov 01, 2015 6:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
The only real difference I've noticed is that cooked tops are preshrunk, so are less liable to crack in the future through RH swings. Measuring density and stiffness etc, the changes are so minute as to be just as likely to measuring errors as changes to the wood. |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:06 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
meddlingfool wrote: The only real difference I've noticed is that cooked tops are preshrunk, so are less liable to crack in the future through RH swings. Measuring density and stiffness etc, the changes are so minute as to be just as likely to measuring errors as changes to the wood. The preshrunk is what I'm going for, got some of this past years adi harvest I want to build with soon which is starting to cool now I did notice that the trial run with some lutz dried out/crystallized (?) a small pitch pocket outside the pattern rather nicely. An hour at those sort of temperature won't have left much turpentine in it. |
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| Author: | Hesh [ Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:50 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
I would bake at 200F for an hour with a slow cool down and then set the tops aside for two weeks before building with them. Can't say that I have any data either about results since none of mine either pre-bake days or post-bake days has cracked.... yet. |
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| Author: | printer2 [ Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
I baked some wood and at the end used a spray bottle and sprayed some water on the inside of the oven. Instant steam and I let them sit like that for a while. I figure it gives the wood a head start at absorbing some moisture when at temperature. |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
printer2 wrote: I baked some wood and at the end used a spray bottle and sprayed some water on the inside of the oven. Instant steam and I let them sit like that for a while. I figure it gives the wood a head start at absorbing some moisture when at temperature.  Eeeeek!!Sure guess it would, but I'm not in that much of a hurry. |
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| Author: | printer2 [ Mon Nov 02, 2015 5:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
How else do you learn things? 
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| Author: | Bob Shanklin [ Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
I use 3 of these for baking tops Attachment: Baking clamp.jpg then load in the oven at 200F for 2 hours. Attachment: LOADED BAKING CLAMPS.jpg Brian Burns has done a lot of study on the baking subject and has found a significant increase in stiffness of baked tops. I find that the tops re-acclimate in 2 days time, and stop re-absorbing moisture in your climate controlled shop. I wish my oven worked in convection mode below 300F. ![[headinwall]](./images/smilies/headbangwalluf8.gif "Mad") Bob |
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| Author: | Hesh [ Tue Nov 03, 2015 7:31 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
I microwave my tops.....  First I have to cut them into quarters though so that they fit on the turntable..... I'm still waiting for someone to post that one of their clients is complaining that the guitar that they bought from you smells like bacon....
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| Author: | Colin North [ Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:11 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
Hesh wrote: I microwave my tops..... First I have to cut them into quarters though so that they fit on the turntable..... I'm still waiting for someone to post that one of their clients is complaining that the guitar that they bought from you smells like bacon....  Actually. I know of someone who microwaves their tops in a commercial sized microwave.... |
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| Author: | kencierp [ Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:29 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
Thin wood takes just a few hours to acclimate -- so I agree with Burns |
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| Author: | Grant Goltz [ Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
Bob Shanklin wrote: I wish my oven worked in convection mode below 300F. Bob So then, why not do them at 300F? Won't hurt them Grant |
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| Author: | Bob Shanklin [ Thu Nov 05, 2015 9:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should I leave tops to stabilize after baking? |
True enuf, Grant. Bob |
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