verhoevenc Posted September 22, 2006 Report Share Posted September 22, 2006 Hey, I was thinking about getting into an archtop soon (probably a select pine/plain maple home depot style one for practise before making a nice one) and therefore obviously need a bending iron. I don't have room for, or the tools to make a fancy side pending jig like some of you guys have, and I kinda wanna learn the traditional way too... SO, getting to it, does anyone have a bending iron that they no longer use and would be willing to drop on me for a good price (I can't stomach paying the prices stewmac and lmii charge for a piece of metal that gets hot). Thanks, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 blowtorch and a piece of scaffold pipe is the way to go. I doubt anyone whose moved to a bender will want to sell their iron - they're still usefull for touching up bends, and doing tight cutaways, of for designs which you don't want to make a mold for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 (edited) Get yerself one of them 'lectric irons for startin' a charcoal grill. $8 Get ya some 2" diameter plumbin' pipe with an end cap and a flange for screwin' it to a base. About $10. Jam one into the other, fill the pipe with sand, jam a bunch of tin foil in the end to hold the sand in. Clamp it to the bench with a couple o' squares of ceramic tile underneath. Might want a dimmer switch to control the heat. Maybe $5. I used it once on my mando sides. Took awhile to heat up, but worked OK....after I scraped the tape off the pipe. Next day, I started saving up for the heating blankets. But I'll probably use it again. Edited September 23, 2006 by erikbojerik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 I think that covers the bending pipe. Now I am going to tell you to save yourself a lot of trouble. Make a mold, and while you are at it stick a couple extra boards on the stack and make sides for a bender. You will save yourself time and trouble by just making a side bender. It is pretty easy, and you can use it to bend binding if you use wood binding. Plus.... you will have a bender for your acoustic that you know you want to build. Either way keep it simple and have fun with it Chris. I think you are going to have a lot of fun building your Archtop. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted September 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Oh, the issue isn't the building of the bender system... it's the last of space for it in my dorm I'm packed as it is. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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