Ebony binding

[Robert Kroon]

I'm trying to bind an acoustic guitar with ebony binding and finding it near to impossible to bend it using my side bender.
Has anybody had this problem?

[Bob Hammond]

Hi Robert, I don't recall having any particular problem with ebony, but recently I needed to make grenadillo binding for an odd-shaped guitar. I broke a number of pieces until I did this:

So I traced the body onto a piece of 3/4" MDF and then cut the shape out. I made cauls for the waist, with allowance for the thickness of the binding. I soaked the grenadillo for about 10-15 minutes in hot water, and then used a a heat gun with a copper pipe extension and a clothes Iron to work the wood so that it would conform the to the shape. It was necessary to mist it down occasionally, because the iron wouldn't generate steam if it was not horizontal. I clamped the strips at the waist with the caul, and at either end with 3-way clamps, and let them sit overnight.

Of course, try an experiment first.

[Robert Kroon]

That sounds very close to the way i do it except i do it free hand at a very very slow rate. To be honest i'm amazed that it
breaks the way it does. Its like feels like i'm bending graphite or something.

[Mike Hammond]

I think with ebony it depends on the individual tree. I've used a lot of ebony bindings, its my favorite. Some of the binding snaps regardless of how you work it, another batch (probably a different tree) will bend like butter. Order up some more and try again.

Mikey

[Bob Gramann]

It probably depends on runout in the wood which you cannot see. In ebony, You can't even see the grain direction. First, make sure that the binding is no thicker than it has to be. I thin my ebony even more for the tight curves (when it bends, some of the thickness comes back), and I use scarf joints (across the face of the binding) so that I can cut off a broken piece and keep going with another. A well-fitted scarf joint in dark wood is practically invisible. In ebony it is invisible. Oh, and I work on a pipe and use a metal back band for the tight bends.

[Ron Belanger]

My ebony binding is about .060 in. thick and I have no problems bending it in a side bender. I put wet paper on each side and bend at 300 to 350 degrees. It will occasionally crack, but it is easy to repair with black CA or epoxy.

[Chuck Tweedy]

I second Ron's advise. 1/16" thick and just repair it when it breaks.
I think it is a combination of the tree and runout as has been stated. I have a rather large stick of ebony that I've made several sets of binding off. It has all bent well, so this stick is a keeper for binding.

[Michael Lewis]

You can always cut the binding thinner and use layers to make the thickness. Either way there will be some waste but with the layers there is a lot less frustration.

Just plain CA is great for crack repairs in ebony because it get hard. The black CA I have had experience with doesn't get very hard.

[Robert Kroon]

ok..

So i slept on it a night. I sanded the binding. Then masked the top with waxy masking tape and put a wet piece of towel on my iron..works like a charm.

[Brad Heinzen]

Yeah, ebony can be tough. Some pieces have wicked runout, and they can break easily. When it's relatively straight-grained, it's no problem. I don't even try to do it on the bender anymore. I just mill them on the thin side (1.8mm), and bend them by hand on the bending iron.