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Hi guys,
This is my first time bending bloodwood and the binding came out perfect!! But yesterday I was trying to bent some bloodwood for my heastock binding on the bending iron and the bloodwood kept on snapping! I tryed misting it, even soaked it but it ended up breaking! It starts to bend slowly and then....snap!
Any tips?

Thanks

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Two things you might try.
1) when I tried to bind in Padauk once I resorted to actually boiling the binding pieces for my headstock. Worked pretty well. Took them from the boiling water straight to the pipe.
2) get a strap of metal similar to one used in the Fox bender and cut it to a managable size. Hold this over the piece of wood to be bend and apply pressure on it rather than on the wood itself. The backer will help prevent breakage.
Hope that helps. Paul

Great tip there Paul, Thanks, i might need it soon also!

What Paul said re using a backing slat. Also, bend hot and wait for the heat
to penetrate--you can't force it. Last, use a piece with as close to zero
runout as you can get; bloodwood loves to split along grain runout lines.Howard Klepper38863.5525115741

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Yep, what they all said.
I had great luck with my Bloodwood bindings like you did.
Except for the headstock...just like you said.
Snap * snap * snap * --I was running out of Bloodwood!
I was fighting a piece with lots of runout, and losing the battle. The only thing that finally helped was the backing strip and lots of heat mixed liberally with patience.
If you need a quick and cheap backer, take one of your wife's emory boards and wrap it in aluminum foil. It has enough give to bend, but is still stiff enough to support the curve. And best of luck to you!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Peter,

I use bloodwood for my bindings on a regular basis. First time I tried it, I had the same problems you did. What I did was I began paying careful attention to grain straightness and orientation. Bloodwood bends fine if the grain is straight and oriented so that you're bending with it and not against it.

I don't use slats to bend it, but I do spritz it down very well, and I take my time bending it. Since doing this, I've only snapped one binding strip, and that was because the grain had a twist to it at that spot.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

Thanks guys, I'll try boiling it and using some sort of a backing strip!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I have used veneer softener for this situation. Worked well on sharp bends
with lots of run-out in the binding.

Brook