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[murphy1570]

Hello folks,
Can anyone point me in the direction of a DIY set up that I could use to help me bend wood, I found a post on this site which referred to a couple of methods using,a steam stripper and copper pipe for a container to hold the wood which looked promising for my purpose,
it was all joined together as far as I remember with various bits and pieces of pipe and fittings to I assume feed the steam from the stripper
into the loaded tube.
Unfortunately I cannot remember which part of the site it was on, I have tried searching for it with no success, due to my lack of skill
in navigating my way around the site leading to much head scratching, and entirely my own fault !!!
I would like to ask the fellow member who posted this method a couple of questions if that is okay re the set up he used.
There were also one or two other methods outlined from other members on the same topic which may be good for bending shorter lengths of wood, using various methods including a "micro wave ! " I would need to wait till my good lady was away from the house before trying this one out, she may have something to say on the matter !!.
The ingenuity of fellow members never ceases to amaze me.
These posts were made around the middle of January this year, I thought in my wisdom I had saved them but me being me I failed miserably.
Any pointers fellow members or indeed the authors of these posts can give me would be much appreciated.


Thanks all the best, John.

[Brian60]

Steam stripper without the head, just the pipe, or as I used, my wifes floor mop steamer without the mop on All I did was cut a piece of plastic drainage tube - 38/40mm or whatever it is, to the length of my longest piece I wanted to steam. I made a wooden bung for one end with a hole in it to take the pipe from the steamer, shove the wood in the pipe and lightly bung the other end with some rag - allow steam pressure to escape rather than maybe dangerously explode the pipe with scalding steam!

Turn on and leave depending on timber thickness, for strips on hulls I found around 5-10minutes steaming was more than sufficient.

[furball]

I would need to wait till my good lady was away from the house before trying this one out, she may have something to say on the matter !!.

You've never cleaned lumps of gearbox in the dishwasher then...      
 
Lance

[derekwarner]

Whilst furball is correct, domestic kitchen dishwashing machines are great for those greasy automotive engine type pieces , they are not so good with 600 mm longs planks of cedar

Having said that, I agree with Brian60......

1. a 100 diameter x 1000mm spacer piece of PVC tubing cut off at a 15 degree angle on one end is the way to go
2. place a 2 litre best quality stainless steel boiler on the stove top
3. the 15 degree angle in the tube will allow [the tube] to gently rest against the kitchen wall
4. shoot 1 or 2 planks down from the top whilst the water is simmering [98 degrees C is fine]
5. the end of the planks will be wet but that's OK.....10 minutes of gentle steaming is a good starting point/time
6. bend the plank over the hull frames & secure with miniature brass planking nails
7. instruct/request  your good lady/partner to ensure that water is topped up as required

Naturally from the above, it is clear that for convenience  ...planking on the kitchen table is really convenient....unless you have an alternate water heating source in the garage

Good luck....just be sure the steam from the tube doesn't lift the kitchen wall paper .....otherwise you may have another task apart from steaming planks 

Derek

[Ron Rees]

Hi John,


I believe I was one of the members who posted steaming with a wallpaper stripper a little while ago.


I have an old Wickes steam stripper (£19.99) which is very good. Disconnect the hand/wall unit from the hose. As previously mentioned an assortment of wood,plastic, rubber bungs or bits of tube will enlarge the hose connecter up so it can be tightly pushed into the end of a piece of 22mm copper pipe about 1 metre long..


 This copper tube is inserted into a bit of the insulating foam tube designed for that pipe. (Very cheap). This helps to keep the temperature high and also to stop you burning yourself...it gets very hot.  Hold the tube and foam level in a workmate or onto a garden table or similar and hold it down with tape or bricks or something.  I have left the other end open so I can get strips of wood into and out of the tube.


This device will steam a length of 6mm square mahogany or similar enough for most bends after about 5 minutes. A 1metre length of 6 x 3mm hardwood strip can be tied in a knot after about 10 minutes!.


I seriously recommend that you use a pair of gloves and some long nosed pliers to handle the hot wood!!!. (Elf and Safety...common sense!)


Clamp it to a temporary former or the area on the model where you need to fix it and let it dry. It should retain its shape when cool or somewhere near it.
Try to choose straight grain wood for bending, ie wood where the grain continues along its length without going off to the side or across the width.


Using modern PVA adhesives slightly damp and warm wood can be stuck on and clamped without a problem but left overnight for the wood and the glue to dry out properly.


Hope this helps.........but fire away with any questions you have.


Cheers.........Ron


PS for bending plywood I prefer to laminate several thinner pieces around a former with the glue on and leave to dry, plywood will usually try to go back to its original shape even when steamed! Its not so easy as real wood but can be done.

[murphy1570]

Hello Ron,

Thanks very much for your reply to my question's re steaming using a wallpaper stripper, you were indeed one of the members
who posted the original article I was referring to, and is the method I am most interested in.

You have answered most of my questions Ron, I have a bit of 22m copper pipe which is just over a metre long it has been
lying around in the shed left over from a job we had done a few years ago, (don't believe in throwing things  away
as if you keep something 7 years you usually find a use for it !!).

I will get a bit of insulation at the weekend, now all I need is the wallpaper steam stripper will have a look around for a cheap one,
I see them in the Wickes catalogue at £23.00 to £30.00 rated at 2000watts, with a 4.0 litre tank, would this be similar to yours and up to the job Ron ? why do prices always go up !!

For some reason I assumed that the pipe would have to be held in a vertical position, but you have cleared that one up for me Ron,
I have a workmate to clamp it in the horizontal position you suggest, and will certainly follow your advice re the old health and safety
regards the gloves, don't fancy a visit to the local A&E and explaining how I managed to scald my hands trying to build a model
boat !! not to mention the pain.

If you could let me know Ron if the capacity of the wallpaper steam strippers I mentioned are OK, and any other tips you might have
that might be helpful I would appreciate your advice.

May I also thank the other members who replied to my original question, I still cant find the original posts on the site !!

Thanks for all your help Ron, all the best,

John.

[The Wizard]

I use an old kettle on the stove with a piece of garden hose forced onto the spout and gaffer taped on.The hose goes into a piece of plastic piping gaffer taped in place .
A piece of rag stuffed into the end of the pipe does to seal it without building up pressure.
Steam will condense in the tube and remain hot so slight slope on the tube allows it to escape without scalding you.

[roycv]

Hi all the above is good advice.
For small or thin strips hot water and something to bend on, biscuit tin, saucepans etc. A bit of heat to dry it.
Ammonia can render a piece of wood like floppy plastic!  There is a small amount of ammonia in window cleaning fluids, works well on balsa etc.
I have bent 1/8th. dowel  into a 6 inch dia circle with hot water and a couple of applications.
When looking for a shape a former made from nails and some wooden wedges works well.
regards Roy

[grendel]

as above really, my steamer is a wallpaper stripper, the hose goes in one end of a 1 1/2 " waste pipe, converter to screw cap one end, with holes in the screw cap, bung the wood in, 10 minutes after steam comes out the cap, and you are ready to go, cheap plumbing fittings. duct tape bungs tend to disintegrate when the glue gets too hot.

[ballastanksian]

Hi all the above is good advice.
For small or thin strips hot water and something to bend on, biscuit tin, saucepans etc. A bit of heat to dry it.
Ammonia can render a piece of wood like floppy plastic!  There is a small amount of ammonia in window cleaning fluids, works well on balsa etc.
I have bent 1/8th. dowel  into a 6 inch dia circle with hot water and a couple of applications.
When looking for a shape a former made from nails and some wooden wedges works well.
regards Roy

Hi Roy, when you say 'a couple of applications', do you mean applying the window cleaner to already hot water treated wood or a couple of sessions steamed in a solution of hot water and ammonia?

Your description of wibbly wood sounds interesting as it would allow complex shapes to be planked if using narrower woods for those areas.

[roycv]

Hi Ballastankian, I bent the dowel by forming it around a large glass jar with hot water, holding it in place with tape, when dry more hot water and I held it tightly against the jar to stop the wood finding its' weekest point and splintering, then taped it (electrical tape) and let it dry, it sprung a little but not much.

Some years ago I was making Basil Harley's Celia May MM1429 (very similar to the commercial model boat Sea Jay and the hull sides were 3/8. ths. inch thick and I decided to use some 7 or maybe 9 ply I had by me.  The bent part is about 3 inches deep, totalling 34 inches loa. 
I cut to shape leaving it a little longer to account for errors and I put this into a plastic tube (rain water? can't remember) and steamed it for quite a while. 
I made up a former using nails and wedges to set the wood as it dried out.  When the wood came out it was 'floppy' I was very surprised, you have about 10 seconds of this!  It went into the former and took up its new shape very quickly.
The second piece went in (the other way up!!) with the same result.

I have the boat still and the shaped wood has never moved.
I related this floppy story to a friend who used to make Greek Biremes and he said he got the same result using Ammonia, but he said to take great care doing it.
I have used the window washing fluid for thinner wood and it works well, I think there maybe a thread on this else where.
Hope this helps,
regards Roy

[Ron Rees]

Hi John,


Sorry for the delay in replying, been away for a few days.


My Wickes steamer is the same but about 10 years old, so 19.99 is now about £25.. It will raise steam for quite a time and is exactly the same as the new ones.  Don't let SWMBO know you've got it or there will be loads of Spring redecorating jobs coming up.


I have heard of the Ammonia and window fluid methods, which are used by some musical instrument makers and repairers but have not tried them myself.


There have been a couple of steamers on E.bay, so might be worth a look.  Cheers.


Ron.

[murphy1570]

Hello Ron,

T hanks again for your advice re buying a steamer, what you said about the price of one now as to some 10 years ago
is spot on, I have my eye on one similar to the one you describe in my local B&Qs reduced to £27.00, however if I
wait until Wednesday I get a further 10% over 60s discount (aye we are all getting older !!), reducing the price further
to £22.30, a wee saving but it all adds up !!.

As to keeping the steamer a secret from the SWMBO may prove a little bit harder as nothing much escapes her antenna,
still working on that one I will think of something, or the list of jobs will be longer than my arm and I have long arms !!

Don't really fancy trying the chemical methods knowing me I would probably end up poisoning myself.

Apologies for not getting back to you sooner Ron but I am still trying to get my head round the mysterious workings of
Windows 10, only been on it for a couple of weeks and it decides to update itself when it feels like it,resulting in me losing
anything I have been working on, as I can never find it again. I miss my Windows 7 I could fumble my way around that
system with some success, I am to old for all this new stuff.

Thanks again Ron all the best.

John.

 

[grendel]

shortly after picking one up at B&Q I procured a second for £2 at the local boot fair - that should guarantee it never breaks down,

[JIM WORNER]

Hi there, currently (1308 on 20 feb) there are 2 on E-bay bids under £10.  One in London and one in Barnsley.
Good hunting
Jim W

[Ron Rees]

Hi John,


Know what you mean about Windows 10. Her Ladyship bought me a new laptop for Christmas, (Wants to make sure I stay out of the way writing Model Boat articles probably!)
It was constantly stopping for an update which I hear is common with the system, after a few weeks it settled down and only does it a fraction of what it did.
I found the bits it apparently deleted, saved as untitled documents under the little icon at the bottom of the screen, looks like an old 3 and a 1/2inch cream floppy drive.


Just been making a Vac-Form mould for small club racer, loads of stripwood bending to be done and the antique stripper still works fine, water tank seems to last about 1 1/2 hours.....its still a brilliant gadget, (Not one of my original ideas unfortunately)


Cheers.........Ron.

[stringer]

hi guys
thought you might like to hear of my technique, I have built two large boats, and have planked both using strips of mahogany 1/8" thick x 1/2" wide x 36"long.
I use a flat iron with as high a temperature as possible, I soak the wood with water for a few minutes and then place the strip on a board with some pegs inserted to hold the strip while I pull the strip into the curve I require, the iron is then applied until the strip is dry, the steam produced when the iron touches the wet wood soften the strip and then holds the shape as it dries.
I find it a quick and easy method to use and the strips are dry ready for gluing
hope this gives you something to try
Regards Geoff S
   

[stringer]

hi guys
thought you might like to hear of my technique, I have built two large boats, and have planked both using strips of mahogany 1/8" thick x 1/2" wide x 36"long.
I use a flat iron with as high a temperature as possible, I soak the wood with water for a few minutes and then place the strip on a board with some pegs inserted to hold the strip while I pull the strip into the curve I require, the iron is then applied until the strip is dry, the steam produced when the iron touches the wet wood soften the strip and then holds the shape as it dries.
I find it a quick and easy method to use and the strips are dry ready for gluing
hope this gives you something to try
Regards Geoff S
 

[murphy1570]

Hello again Ron, and all you other folks that have taken the time to post some excellent advice to my question re steaming wood
to help me bend it, I have tried steaming some strips using the wall paper stripper and copper pipe method, with some limited success
I have managed to slightly burn my fingers only the once to date, despite all you folks stern warnings !!, forgetting to put a  glove
back on.


Also Ron thanks for the advice re finding what I thought were lost articles on Windows 10, I had attempted to post to you folks, under the little icon you mentioned at the bottom of the screen.


Sorry folks for taking a wee while to thank you all, the singed fingers and domestic duties, singed fingers or not which must be
attended to in order that some matromonial harmony may be maintained !!.


All the best,


John.