John Miller 4 Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 I am aware of the use of ammonia to aid the bending of balsa. Is it possible to use this when bending hardwood. I need to bend a 2mm square length of walnut into a 50mm rad curve. I have only one shot at this, will it work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 What about "Bending wood"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Miller 4 Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 Peter I do not understand, I have clearly asked if the ammonia 'trick' works on hardwood in the same way it works for balsa.I have no experience of this and hope that someone out there has Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Miller 4 Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 For some reason this post seems to have dropped out of the system. I am therefore resurecting it in the hope that I may get the answer I am looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-YRUS Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Think you need another site. Isnt that Bonsai? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Miller 4 Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 Just to let you all know this is model related, though not model aircraft. I have undertaken a project for The National Trust which is a diorama. I thought with the range of skills that the members of this forum display I might get the help I needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Sorry, I came across this thread with NO POST!? So I asked the poster the question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 There's something very odd with this thread. If I'm not logged in, I can only see a few posts. If I log in, I can see a whole load more including the OP. off out for a meal now though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Isn't Bending Wood just off the A5 near Shrewsbury? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastFlyer Smyth Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 No Dave, The original poster made a typo, It should read "Ben Dingwood" you know, that bloke in Eastenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Seems OK now. The answer to your question John is,...generally yes it will help. But obviously hardwood will be somewhat harder to bend. I think it will also depend on the exact nature of the hardwood. Some have quite a lot of natural oil in them which renders them semi-water resistant. I have not worked with walnut so I can't comment. Have you searched say Practical Woodworking - do they have a forum? You might get better advice on this particular issue there. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eamonn Fahey Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Like Peter, I can't see the OP's post. Is there a secret society? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Mmm, odd. OK let me check something. back in Mo BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 OK - how's that> Can everyone see the OP now? Please let me know - but not if you are a Mod! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eamonn Fahey Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 I can see all posts now. Thanks BEB for electing me to the society, nudge, nudge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie sawyer Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 LoL me either..... there's gremlins on here I offfff!!!!!! On the subject of bending wood I seen a program on bending wood and the guy used a 2 inch peace of tube just like a down pipe of the wall on your house that connects to your guttering. He put a kettle at the bottom and sat the plastic tube over the spout. He then tilted it to a 45 deg angle and leant it against the wall. He then plugged the bottom with a rag, dropped his wood into the tube....plugged the top with a rag and saturated the tube with steam. He said it was trial and error and you had to keep checking the wood for flex every couple of minutes... The video was about making Canadian canoes using cedar Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 OK thanks for letting me know - a switch was accidentally set that meant that only Mods could see JM4's posts. So the thread looked fine to Chris and I! Silly switch and far too easy to accidentally nudged without meaning to! And the first thing we know is when this happens. Fortunately its quite rare. Anyway - normal service is resumed! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-YRUS Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Ah now it all makes sense. Could not understand why Peter would need to ask. I am a plumber so have an advantage and made a tube from an off cut of copper tube. You need a spacer to keep your plank from the water and a pressure relief hole otherwise its potentially a disaster waiting to happen. boil the water and steam your plank. As for walnut I think it might be too brittle. Another way is to ease it around a preheated bar but best effect may be a mix of the two. Alternatively bend several veneers and glue together around a former as you make wing tips etc. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 AH! Now I can see it all. The last suggestion of thin laminated strips would probably be the best. A possible source would be somewhere that caters for marketry enthusiasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plummet Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Use a wallpaper steamer as a source for the steam. How long is the strip (wood that is)? I had success using a wet kitchen paper wrapped round balsa wood in a microwave oven. Plummet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Kerfing the wood might work - cutting many sawcuts halfway through the wood then bending and if necessary filling in the sawcuts with epoxy. Try a waste piece first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 2mm x 2mm?Soak in hot water for 30mins. Boil the kettle. Steam liberally and bend away. Did this all the time as a a luthier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Stevo's advice seems good - perhaps you could explain further Stevo? Do you bend it further than required so it can spring back a little? Do you use a much longer length than needed to obtain leverage? Do you clamp until cold? Multiple heatings and bending or just once? etc, etc ---this might be useful for aeromodellers too. However if you want to laminate then SLEC sell thin Walnut sheet which might be useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Fledermaus Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 John, I used to make Shaker Style Furniture particularly Slat Back chairs and Rocking Chairs to earn a crust. I used mainly Hard Maple which is particularly difficult to bend without steam, I put together a steamer to bend the slats which consisted of an insulated metal tube ( a plastic drain pipe is not good because the heat will distort it totally ) connected to a wallpaper steamer. The tube was mounted horizontally with a wooden bung at each end, one drilled to take the pipe from the steamer, the other with a drain hole to take the condensate away and to act as a vent. This worked very well indeed despite it's Heath Robinson appearance. The slats, which were 6mm thick, were placed four at a time in the tube with spacers in between, and steamed for 2 to 3 hours after which they were removed very quickly - not giving them a chance to cool down, and clamped in a former overnight Once removed from the former, there would be some spring back, but it would still leave me with a nicely curved set of slats for the back of my chairs. Edited By Colin Ashman on 19/09/2014 11:38:21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 OK Keith here goes I take it we are not bending 2" Oak so it is a little simpler! When I did my Be2c wing and and tail, I did laminate, but all strips were steam bent. I bent 6mm x 1.5mm Cyparis. I soaked them overnight, and made up a steam chamber. Jigs were made first, exactly to size. the chamber was a length of plastic drain pipe fed from a Wickes wallpaper stripper. Steamed them for 20 mins, and QUICKLY got them out of the chamber, and wrapped them around the template. They were oversize by around 8", but the way to do this is to hold it against the template - you WONT have time to clamp it-and force it around inch by inch. If you have steamed it correctly it will go round and not crack - trust me. Then, clamp it in place and leave overnight. When I removed them from the clamp, yes they did spring out, but I held them with a little masking tape so they wouldn't. After 3 months I removed the tape and inspected them for just that - that had not moved. For smaller strips, like our 2mm x2mm, I would soak and use a kettle and bend around a former. I have done this with Walnut, spruce and Mahogany for guitar work. Again, the trick is not to grab each end for leverage (you won't need leverage!) but to hold one end on the former and gently but FIRMLY and QUICKLY tease it round - and clamp in place. Also the more even and straight the grain is, the better and less likely to crack. I've not used Ammonia, but many have. It will have two effects 1) it will bleach the wood and may upset the bonding between layers, and 2) it will clear your sinuses better than an airline. But, for our uses as small scale/balsa/mahogany/walnut I would steam every time. If our original poster is in any doubt please let me know and I'll do it for you . Steve J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.