Side Bending Heat Source Ideas?

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

They require skill.

Touche!!

[Jim.S]

Fan of the LMI blanket here. I don't use a controller. Just on for 1.5 min then off and bend, then on for 1 min once the sides are in shape.

Jim

[arie]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

They require skill.

just don't place one under your smoke alarm and you'll be fine.

[Alan Carruth]

Back about twenty years ago my students all found side bending to be the most difficult part of making a guitar. They'd try to bend too cool and get cracks, or over heat and get corners and scorches, usually with flat spots in between. It was very hard to bend a side without twisting it, owing to the fact that. as with most irons, one end was hotter than the other. They'd spend a month of weekly class time getting the sides more or less to shape. Then came the bindings...My partner and I finally put together some Sloan-type molds and bought a couple of blankets. These days bending is the easy part.

I agree with arie that a good bending iron is a necessary tool in most shops. There are times when you will need one of some sort, particularly if you're making cutaways. But for a beginner a heat blanket is a great investment: it's one of the first things I'd buy that plugs in, right up there with a router.

BTW, I got one of the illustrated benders some years ago, and got a lot of use out of it. Last year it fell apart. The bolts holding the casting to the base kept getting loose, and eventually they just pulled through. Although there's a blanket of some sort of heat blocking material between the casting and the wood of the base the bolts just go right through the wood, and the nuts bear directly on wood. The bolts got hot enough to char the wood, and eventually it had no strength left.

I note that the new model I got comes with a placard that specifically forbid use on the high temperature setting for more than a few minutes. You don't really need it for bending, although without it the ting takes a long time to heat up.

I was able to get a few extra months of use out of the old iron by lining the access holes for tightening the bolts with some aluminum tube. Then the heater burned out... As I say, I had it for a long time, and the students and I used it a lot, so I guess it doesn't owe me anything. Just something to keep an eye on.

[printer2]

Made my own heat blanket. Don't advise it, I just had the stuff to do it with. Too much work. The business side is smooth.



Needed to touch up a bend that decided to spring back a little. Used my heat gun and a piece of pipe. Leave a little bit of gap between the nozzle and pipe otherwise the plastic guard on the heat gun will melt (guess how I know). Worked well

[viento]

I did mine with a heatgun and a piece of oval stainless steel tube clamped into a vice. The smaller aluminium tube on the left was made for narrow curves.

[MrBing]

This post is now 6 years old but I wonder the best place to purchase a side bending blanket. The once I have seen from LMI, StewMac, Blues Creek are around $160. I see Keenovo heat blankets for $100. Anyone know or have any experience with the less expensive blankets?

[packinshed]

Originally Posted by MrBing

This post is now 6 years old but I wonder the best place to purchase a side bending blanket. The once I have seen from LMI, StewMac, Blues Creek are around $160. I see Keenovo heat blankets for $100. Anyone know or have any experience with the less expensive blankets?

I just ordered one from Keenovo should be here by mid August. It comes with a temp controller, not digital but a dial one. Will see how it works. I see Digital controllers for about 25 to 30 dollars from Hong Kong rather than 150 to 200 dollars on this side of the pond. Might order one of those if the manual contoller is to hard to keep the temp constant.

[viento]

Hi, I´d be interested in your order concerning price, shipping time and if it´s worth buying.

[packinshed]

Originally Posted by viento

Hi, I´d be interested in your order concerning price, shipping time and if it´s worth buying.

Price was $116.00 Canadian with free shipping and it comes with a dial type controller. I also ordered a PID Digital controller separately for $24.00. Hopefully all works as planned.

Jim

[packinshed]

Been awhile . I got my Heat blanket 120V 1200 watts. also the temperature controller. It didn't take this long to get, I have had them for awhile now but just got everything hooked up. Haven't bent any sides yet but the blanket and controller work perfectly. I also got the welding shop where I work to weld together some steel I had cut out for an open faced bending machine. I have it mounted to the wall and I can slide the sides and blanket in from the side. I will take some pics this week and put them up. I think it will be easier to load and unload. Not my idea, I saw something like this on a website somewhere one day I was searching DIY benders. It is similar to the setup of the LMI bending machine but thats not where I saw it.

Jim

[packinshed]

Been awhile since I got the heat blanket. Got some sides bent (Rosewood) turned out perfect. The Blanket is very fast to heat up and with the PID controller keeps the temp where I need it no problem.
How do yo post pictures

Jim

[printer2]

You go to the Reply to Thread page and above the text box you will see a line of icons. You want to click on the one with what looks to be a pair of mountains against a yellow sky with a UFO. You post the link to the pictures on a site like Photobucket into the popup window.