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Can anyone recommend a good source for tempered spring steel for a fox-type bender? McMaster has 6x50x.015 for about $20 each, which isn't terrible but I was hoping I could find them for less.

Lots of places seem to carry the "Shim in a Can," but not so many seem to stock the blue tempered steel version, which they do make. I don't need stainless as I wrap my sides in aluminum foil.

I want tempered spring steel so they don't hold the shape of the bender. I've been using cheapo hardware store steel which has worked fine mostly, but it holds the shape and it's a pain lining up the side in the bender between the curved slats. The last time I bent sides, I had one buckle on me and wreck the side because of all the fidgeting around I had to do to get everything lined up (read about it here on my blog).

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Check with John at Blues Creek here on OLF
That is where I bought my bender. I know he has slats, but I don't know the
price.
Andy

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

   HI
    The $20 a piece is the price. You won't find what you need any cheaper. Spring steel is high temper metal with a high iron content. Here are the advatages and disavatages of the different slats
STAINLESS STEEL
    Well it is stainless. I use a tempered stainless but it still isn't as hard as the spring steel. The Stainless will have a tendency to take a memory stress bend. This isn't a big deal but some like the slats straight.
     I personally use the stainless on standard and spring steel on the cutaway. Storing the stainless in a coil will help to get the ripples out.
    SPRING STEEL
     This stuff is hard and will stay straight. Very strong but it will stain the wood. DON'T USE ALUMINIUM FOIL !. I see this recommended alot. The alum is sometimes reactive to resins in diffrent woods. If you use it you will get burned on day. I have seen it turn Koa Green   Mohagany Brownish grey   and maple purple.
    You can't tell when it will do it . I use KRAFT PAPER as a barrier. This is great stuff as it is wood celouse and non reactive. It is also a great water carrier when you have highly figured woods.
   I hope I helped
Good luck
john hall
Blues Creek Guitars

   

I can vouch for the koa turning green

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Funny, I've never had an issue with aluminum foil and wood, and I've bent bunches of different stuff. I too use springsteel slats - .01" though. I've never had luck using the kraft paper. The contaminated water that touches the springsteel finds it's way back in there and stains the wood too.

But I'm color blind so who knows if I've stained wood or not!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Thanks for the tips, John. Is Kraft paper the same thing as the baking paper you can get at the grocery store? Do you wrap the sides, or just layer it in with the blankets and slats?

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

if you know anyone else who needs slats the 0.010 tempered spring steel is available from enco in 25' lengths for about $85.

I too have turned Koa green using Aluminum foil. I'm sure that the baking paper would work just fine. I use a few wraps of a end roll I got from our local newspaper, works great. It seems to be the only thing our local newspaper is good for. Their spelling is worse than mine!Jim_W38651.5673611111

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Is this the same paper shown on Factory Fridays? Bob Taylor seems to have found with his equipment and using paper that they don't worry about spritzing the wood. Maybe we should all buy equipment like his . I,too, am looking for steel for a bender and this is the first time I have heard using steel without being stainless. But I guess the idea of using paper makes the difference. What is the best thickness for bending? Does anybody use the perferated metal like Mike Doolin? I liked his bender on his web site.

Don,
where did you get your .01 spring steel? I sure could use a few.
Craig

What is the best thickness for bending?

I want my kraft paper, paper thin

Craig,
I bought a roll of it from McMaster-Carr many moons ago.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I went ahead and ordered the .015. I've heard anywhere from .010 to .020, so I split the difference.

Here's the page I ordered from with the different thicknesses available. (McMaster # 9503k21)

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

anyone know a canadian source? I have tried all the Steel places with in a 6 hour drive and no one carries it.

stupid question john, where do you get that paper? and is that the paper that Taylor Guitars use?

[QUOTE=Brock Poling]
I can vouch for the koa turning green [/QUOTE]
oh, man, that would turn ME green chmood38651.9228356481

I believe Kraft paper is what they make the big paper grocery bags from.

Office Depot has it.

http://www.officedepot.com/textSearch.do?uniqueSearchFlag=tr ue&Ntt=kraft+paper&x=41&y=19

Wal-mart has craft paper,too. Probably cheaper, I`d say.

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

[QUOTE=Brock Poling]
I can vouch for the koa turning green [/QUOTE]

Koa and Black Acacia. I am with John, Craft paper.

Is kraft paper made to take the heat, or is the heat we're using not enough to be a problem? That's why I was thinking of using something along the lines of that baking paper.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

[QUOTE=letseatpaste] Is kraft paper made to take the heat, or is the heat we're using not enough to be a problem? That's why I was thinking of using something along the lines of that baking paper.[/QUOTE]

Kraft paper is fine at 300-400 dF I would be weary of bakers paper due to the parafin coating used as a release agent.

   You guys are right on the brown paper. What I like about it is that it is celouse based and I havn't had any reactions whatever.
    You will get water staining but you get that anyway and that will sand right off. I use a working temp of 270 to 350 depending on the wood and the paper is fine. You only need about 28 inches and it will do the job well.
john

Boiling point of water: 212 deg.F...

Burning point of paper: 451 deg.F (remember Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451"?