February 18, 2011

The cutaway ram has been installed on the new uke side bender, and I’m ready to test some bending.

110218benderwithram

I have koa sides which I errantly tried to bend in the full sized bender, which cracked and burned and did not accept a full bend which I will run through this new bender to check.

110218firstbend

I will test some new theories, practice the steps, make amends, then check the results before bending some virgin side plates.

110218lastbend

After the initial bending, I will let cool, then reheat again, then let cool before releasing from the mold.