Spring steel question

[Allen Ughoc]

Getting ready to bend my first set of sides for a tenor. I built a Fox-style bender for ukes, the steel that I use for guitars are too big. I'm thinking on placing a McMaster-Carr order for shim stock sized at 6"w x 0.10" x 25"l. Am I on the right track? I plan on using the longer heating blanket.
Thanks for any help.

[Michael Lewis]

.010"? .10" will be difficult to bend. I found that .012" to be pretty useful but a bit floppy. .020" is getting to be on the stiff side, and .015" is a good compromise of stiffness and flexibility. The standard size for shim stock is 6"W X 50" or 100" L, though you can get it in wider widths.

Shim stock is available in varying degrees of hardness from dead soft to full hard. I choose the full hard or half hard because I want the stainless to spring a bit and form the shapes and afterward return to a generally useful straight shape so it conforms to the new unbent side to start the bending process. The dead soft metal takes the shape and keeps it, which makes it more difficult to deal with when starting the bending process.

[Allen Ughoc]

.010"? .10" will be difficult to bend. I found that .012" to be pretty useful but a bit floppy. .020" is getting to be on the stiff side, and .015" is a good compromise of stiffness and flexibility. The standard size for shim stock is 6"W X 50" or 100" L, though you can get it in wider widths.

Shim stock is available in varying degrees of hardness from dead soft to full hard. I choose the full hard or half hard because I want the stainless to spring a bit and form the shapes and afterward return to a generally useful straight shape so it conforms to the new unbent side to start the bending process. The dead soft metal takes the shape and keeps it, which makes it more difficult to deal with when starting the bending process.

Thanks Michael, sorry for the typo, I meant .010". Appreciate your help.

[Bryan Bear]

Michael, do you find that the 0.015 full hard stainless steel shim stock returns to "a generally useful straight shape" even after bending a tight venetian cutaway?

[Allen Ughoc]

.015" looks like the size I'll order. McMaster-Carr has the 6"x25" 1095 full hard temper priced at 15.92 ea, so not too bad.

[Bryan Bear]

Allen, Do you usually use a slat on the top and the bottom? It might be cheaper to order a 50" section and cut it down. . .

[Allen Ughoc]

Allen, Do you usually use a slat on the top and the bottom? It might be cheaper to order a 50" section and cut it down. . .

Both top and bottom, and at 22.33 for 50" looks like a much better deal. Thanks Bryan!

[Michael Lewis]

A 25" slat will get you one or two bends at most, why not get longer material and do the whole side at once? I got the 100" rolls of .012 and .020", and cut a couple slats from each roll, the rest of the material has come in very handy over the years for cutting smaller pieces for specific requirements.

The .012" material springs back most of the way but still takes a bit of set in the cutaway process. Thicker material will take more set. I use .012" for the underside slat and the .020 for the outside slat. The thing you have to look out for is the slats trying to straighten out when you release them after a bend. The outside one is no problem but the one underneath can straighten out under the cutaway and brake it if you are not careful. So you have to restrain it until you can free the newly bent side.

[Bryan Bear]

Allen is making ukes, thus the shorter slats. . .

[Michael Lewis]

(slaps forehead!)

[Allen Ughoc]

Finally placed an order to McMaster-Carr. Went with the 6x50x.012.
Thanks for the input gentlemen, nice to be moving forward.

[Allen Ughoc]

First sides bent, the .012 worked nicely, thanks again for your help!

[Bryan Bear]

Good to hear! We expect pictures when it is finished!