Official Luthiers Forum!

I just bent a set of Myrtlewood sides and once again I messed up
Instead of using wax paper like I always do to wrap the sides before bending I grabbed a roll of paper from my wife's cooking supply (like I normally do!) and wrapped the sides and proceeded to bend....all went fine as always....UNTIL....I removed the sides from the bender and it was GREEN!!!! how is that possible I asked? Well, it was not wax paper, but some sort of silicone coated parchement paper my wife uses for baking!! It looks exactly the same.... but left a nice green on my side....
Now I'm afraid the sides won't match the color of the back!

Any suggestions?

TIApeterm38796.6961342593

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

Bummer... will it sand off?

You bend your sides wrapped in wax paper? Doesn't that melt the wax on the paper and create a mess?

I have not heard of this before.

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

I've always used aluminum foil...never had a problem with staining or anything. Some folks have good luck with parchment paper, but I tried it and didn't like it.

Sorry about the Green....perhaps you want to use this for an Irish Bazouki?

_________________
"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 wonder if it is the same issue we often have with Koa and Black Acacia?. The heat will turn the resin in the wood a light green at the outer surfaces, giving a green cast to the wood. This sands off. I have not used myrtelwood or CA. Laurel as sometimes called but I would not be surprised if this is the issue. If it is a very light green but not a coating over the wood, but rather a casted tint on the wood. This would be my guess. If so don't panic it will sand just fine.

Oh and if I am correct it would not have mattered if you used craft paper, foil or wax paper. it is the heat reacting with the resin not the paper. About one in three sets of Black Acacia I have bent has done this and maybe 1 in 5 Koa. It is just something about the resin in the wood.
MichaelP38796.7335648148

Peter, could you tell us more about the wax paper, no mess as Brock said?

Thanks for the info Michael, I was looking at a set of Koa and it's expensive, if it turns a hew of green tint, I won't panic. I am also curious about Wax paper, at 300 -310 I would think it would melt and put a wax coating over the wood, maybe not, look forward to hearing more about it.

Mike
White Oak, Texas

[QUOTE=Don Williams]
Sorry about the Green....perhaps you want to use this for an Irish Bazouki?

[/QUOTE]

An Irish Bouzouki called Myrtle? Fair Play to ya, Don

By the way if you bend using waxed paper does that mean all the hairs come off the sides too?Dave White38796.7421296296

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

I have never used wax paper. I use craft paper and aluminum foil. I like the foil better after working with the craftpaper a while now. but some wood will react to foil and stain or so I have heard. I have never had any issue except with the acacia i.e. Koa and Black acacia. But that was not the foil because it has happend with craft paper as well. I don't think that the wax paper would burn but would worry with the parifin coating impregnating to the wood. I could see that being a pain to deal with.

I have used regular kitchen wax paper on at least 10 sets of sides and always comes out perfect...I use the stuff you buy at the grocery store. Aluminum foil its been knowned to stain certain woods and now I guess parchment paper does the same!

The wax does not melt....instead the steam from the wood keeps it from sticking or staining....IT WORKS GREAT! the only problem is the parchment paper looks the same as wax paper...thus my mistake!

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

Well you could always follow the same procedure and bake the back in the oven. Your back would then color match your sides. Its not a problem if it is a theme.

Philip

_________________
aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

Thanks Peter, I will have to give this a try

Mike
White Oak, Texas

Yes, thanks Peter, very interesting info, do you use a blanket, bulbs or both with wax paper? ?

Peter,
Let me know if I can help. I carry Myrtlewood and might be able to match your back at a good price. Can't guarantee it though, since Myrtle color is all over the board.

Peter,

As stated above, the green cast is probably just a reaction of the resins in the wood to the heat and will sand off.

What really scares me is that this papaer is SILICONE impregnated. If this was transfered to the wood you may have some serious problems come finish time.

Anyone have any suggestions if this proves to be the case?

Cecil

Cecil, maybe silicone will sand off after all, i hope as you say that someone has an answer on that matter too. Maybe Robbie has it or Michael Payne?Serge Poirier38797.3716666667

Serge, silicone is a nasty critter. It will migrates through a concrete wall (exaggeration ) it is possible to sand out silicone but sometimes it gets to deep. I have heard it will eventually evaporate but I stay way away from it. If there is anything that will cut it and clean it out I am unaware. The real problem with silicone is getting something to adherer over it.MichaelP38797.3909606481

Would shellac stick to sillicone? If that won't then probably nothing will...

_________________
I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Mineral spirits and other solvents will remove some of the silicone. A shellac or vinyl wash coat will seal off the wood so your lacquer or whatever finish hopefull won't be affected.

depends on the contamination. some say clean with minerial spirits and seal with shellac works. but I can't say as I have avoided it like the pleage

Maybe you could bake your back set with the same paper around it so it has the same green look?

I'll try to sand it off and hopefully it works....as of right now I am getting ready to glue on the kerfing, then I will close the box....if the green hue does not sand of completely I'll donate the box for someone's project guitar .

I use wax paper and a heating blanket on my sides. personally I like wax paper better than craft paper because the wax help hold in more moisture.

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

Good point there Peter, do you have spring steel slats also or just the blanket over wax paper and wood ?

Serge, I do one steel slat, the wood in wax paper, another slat and then the heating blanket on top.

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

Thanks a million Peter, one more last question on this if you don't mind, not to hi-jack this thread but how thin are your slats please? The reason i'm asking is that the last slat on top of the wood probably has to be very thin to well transfer the heat?

Serge, it does not matter how thin the slat is any slat thin enough to use in a bender will work. Remember....metal is an excellent conductor, so the heat will go through pretty much any size. The only difference is the thicker the slat the longer it will retain the heat!
I got my slats from John Hall at Blues Creek a while back....sorry can't remember the exact thickness!

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