Bubinga nightmare to bend...

[Rob the luthier]

After trying for almost a week to stop my bubinga ribs from warping and faceting i just gave up and fueled the fire...

[Nick]

That'll buff out.
Did you bend over a pipe/heating iron or use forms & a blanket?
Not questioning your technique Rob but a bit more info may help somebody else down the line, avoid the same problems when building with Bubinga.

[Rob the luthier]

Hi Nick i used a ibex bending iron, i bent the first rib slightly damp and in places it just rippled and bowed, the second rib i bent dry with the same effect, the wood bent fairly easy it just didnt want to stay straight, i have scratched my head all week and the only thing i can think of is that the wood may not be properly seasoned, i was told by the supplier it was 4 years dry and ive had it a year and a half, coming to think of it the back was a nightmare too, it joined okay but started to buckle when it was thicknessed, i read somewhere that bubinga can be a hit or a miss when it comes to being worked, i think i got the tough stuff lol..

[DarwinStrings]

That's a bugga Rob! if you have had it for a year and a half, provided it was sticked up to circulate air around it at those thicknesses it would be dry even if the vendor fudged that figure of 4 years.

Jim

[kiwigeo]

That'll buff out.

[kiwigeo]

That'll buff out.

Sorry Rob

[rocket]

Do you reckon Nick said that with a straight face Martin?
Rod.

[Allen]

I'm in the finishing stages of a tenor uke with some very figured Bubinga. It has fought me from the get go. I bent by hand because my heating blanket has died, but I did manage to get it to hold the very tight bends on my tenor form.

Certainly not a wood that I'd recommend anyone that isn't very confident in their bending and building skills attempt to work with.

[Rob the luthier]

The wood bent well and did stay in shape, in fact nearly zero spring back, the grain wasnt figured either, i cant explain it really just a weird bloody wood lol, the ribs where thicknessed to around 2.2mm... I think i will stick to Indian rosewood...

[Allen]

I'm also finishing up a concert uke out of mahogany. Broke 3 sets trying to get a workable pair. And I'd never broke a set of sides before. Fuel for the pizza oven.

Sometimes the wood just doesn't want to be an instrument me thinks.

[kiwigeo]

The wood bent well and did stay in shape, in fact nearly zero spring back, the grain wasnt figured either, i cant explain it really just a weird bloody wood lol, the ribs where thicknessed to around 2.2mm... I think i will stick to Indian rosewood...

Don't lose faith Rob. My latest build has Tasmanian Blackwood sides and bending those was a pain in the proverbial.

[Rob the luthier]

I think i will make a few guitars out this small lump of mahogany, if i break the ribs i should have a wee bit spare to make mor lol...

[nnickusa]

If that's the size of your linings, I hate to see how big the bloody Git is. Google Simon Guitar, Bundaberg, qld to see a pretty big one.

Sorry, don't know how to do more than one thing at a time on the computer

[Rob the luthier]

If that's the size of your linings, I hate to see how big the bloody Git is. Google Simon Guitar, Bundaberg, qld to see a pretty big one.

Sorry, don't know how to do more than one thing at a time on the computer

Lol Nick if that was a guitar lining the eventual guitar would be bigger than the small town i live in haha...

[Kim]

Folks I've moved this thread from our gallery forum created to showcase completed instruments into the build forum were it is likely to attract more discussion.

That'll buff out.

Sorry Rob but Nick's smart arse comment was pretty bloody hilarious.

As to your problem with the bubinga it is difficult to say. However I will say that bending some types of wood on a pipe can be more demanding than finding the right bowl of porridge at Mr & Mrs Bears house.

Too cold is no good, too hot is no good and even just right is no good if your too slow getting her done. Too long at heat will dry wood out to the point where it becomes increasingly brittle. Having the iron too hot will scorch but worse of all is having it too cool as the wood keeps drying but never reaches that point where it will give, and the more you work it the less chance there is that it will ever get there.

Not saying that this 'is' what happened to you because each stick can be different. But if you haven't considered it then it's certainly food for thought because it seems to me that the balancing act between temperature, moisture, support and time is always the key no matter what the species.

Cheers

Kim

[Rob the luthier]

Totally agree Kim, i also did try to buff it out as mentioned but that didnt work either , the wood bent lovely like Indian rosewood, the heat seemed just right, everything was good apart from the sides warping up, i guess wood is wood and it will do as it pleases, lol im gonna build a side bending machine

[Nick]

Wood being wood with internal grain structures e.t.c it sounds like you were just unfortunate to get some pieces of unco-operative stuff, but obviously Bubinga is one of those timbers that doesn't always play well! a post we can all learn something from.Thanks for posting your experiences Rob and I hope it finally became useful and burnt well and threw out plenty of BTU's

[Rob the luthier]

Wood being wood with internal grain structures e.t.c it sounds like you were just unfortunate to get some pieces of unco-operative stuff, but obviously Bubinga is one of those timbers that doesn't always play well! a post we can all learn something from.Thanks for posting your experiences Rob and I hope it finally became useful and burnt well and threw out plenty of BTU's

Cheers Nick but i couldnt burn it, im Scottish and to tight to burn it haha, im actually ordering another set of bubinga from a company in Spain called Madinter, it is cheap as chips at only £19.00 per set, i have my mind set on trying this stuff again to see the diference, i will keep you all posted on how this stuff works out... Oh and i nearly forgot that i examined the broken bubinga sides and in parts it looked like the ribs where 2 laminated peices joined together which where coming apart in parts ...very strange i have never seen this before, funny old stuff wood