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Todd -
Your job will be MUCH easier if you leave the bent cutaway side in the
bender overnight before removal!

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Here`s a photo of the Fox bender I built. I shall be using it with a heat blanket even though I`ve built in provision for light bulbs. I will be using this for the first time sometime this year. A question I`d like answered is, when you`ve bent a cutaway side how much does the steel slats retain the bend ? Does this make using the slats again for another bend difficult ? I`ll be using the slats provided by LMI.

Bob, if you are using spring steel slats they will straighten out just fine. If you use stainless steel there will be a permanent bend in the slats. At least that what heppened to me.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Bob, I've bent three sets (including cutaway) so far in a bender very similar to yours, using bulbs only (see recent thread) & .018SS slats. I just straighten the slats over the edge of a table to re-use.

Todd, I made little coat hanger clips (like big "staples") that I insert between the slats (other end into a hole drilled in the mold) before unclamping. This keeps the inside slat in place to prevent damage to the side during unclamping/removal. As well as leaving it overnight before removing, I find "re-cooking" after a 2-3 hr wait from initial bend helps set the bend.

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Dave
Milton, ON

I built a pair of D-hole Maccaferri-style guitars a few years back, and I almost got bit by the same bug. What worked for me was this: before removing everything from the bender, I loosened the cutaway press enough that I could push a piece of leather thong between the wood and the lower slat at the deepest point of the cutaway, and I tied it to the eyebolts tight enough to hold the lower slat in the form. That way I was able to remove the cutaway press, get the top slat off, remove the side, and I took the lower slat out last. Not elegant, but it worked ...

- Rick Jones
Rochester Hills, Michigan

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Rick Jones
Rochester Hills, MI
http://home.comcast.net/~rajones19

Hey Dave, welcome to the forum! We can never have too many Stewarts.

Thanks Donovan

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Dave
Milton, ON