Bending With SuperSoft 2
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 9:39 am
Had some email traffic re: bending with SuperSoft 2, so to amp the content, thought it would be good to kick another discussion. What I've seen over the last decade re: SS2:
- SuperSoft 2 (aka, SS2) works by penetrating the wood and essentially 'puffing up' the cells of the wood to prevent cell collapse...this is a lot like filling a piece of tubing with sand or shot prior to bending, and also has the benefit of effectively softening (reducing stiffness) on a temporary basis. Because the effect is dependent on absorption of the SS2, some resinous woods like the rosewoods and denser woods like the ebonies take longer to show effects.
- There is no other product on the market besides SS2 that has both the favorable effect on bending and little/no post-bend issues. Other veneer softeners lack some key ingredient, so after having tried both commercial and home-brew bending/softening solutions, I stick with SS2.
- In terms of results, SS2 reduces ripples and other bending defects in figured woods, and especially on rift-sawn and flat-sawn ring porous stock like ash and oak, while for rosewoods and other easy bending woods, SS2 has little or no benefit. For full-bodied shapes like a dread without cutaway, I'll seldom use SS2 unless the wood is highly figured and one of the known 'hard bending' woods like curly anigre. For tighter waists and for Venetian cuts, I'll treat most woods except the rosewoods and macasser ebony. I also see reduced issues while pipe-bending with SS2, although technique will always be more of an assist there than chemistry.
- In terms of technique, I spray to wet with SS2, stand vertically over a drip pan, and allow to dry...SS2 will cause extractives to run, so bending while still wet risks driving color into purflings on bindings and reduces effectiveness of the SS2 in terms of preventing bending defects. I see no real advantage to wrapping in paper and cauls to dry, as even with rift-y curly ash, there is little movement as things dry.
- The other good reason to allow the SS2 to fully dry is that any tape markers used for bending (I use them in the waist to register the side) will not stick to wet or damp sides.
- Full effect is seen at as little as 4 hours on woods like curly mahogany, but I usually wait 12 prior to bending. Because SS2 evaporates over time, I bend within 24 hours, and always dry the wood (when bending with a side bender) until fully dry (30-40 minutes at 240-250 F seems to work for most stuff) to drive any remaining SS2 components from the wood.
- Some folks have noted that SS2 + paper makes for a big mess, which is exactly why the direction to allow the SS2 to fully dry is a very good idea. (FWIW, I don't wet any wood prior to bending in the Fox bender, preferring to control the amount of moisture present by using brown butcher paper or white butcher paper on very light woods like holly, as the moisture reservoir). This works to my advantage when bending easily-stained woods like maple or holly because the solvents in the SS2 are absent from the surface, and the water added by the wet or damp paper is not enough to see any rewetting and staining. On the pipe, the usual wetting is so brief and so quickly heated to vapor that there is no more risk of staining or marking beyond what is usually seen when using the technique.
- I use a layer of foil to isolate the damp paper/wood/damp paper package from the bending slats, so can use spring steel slats that better support tight cutaways in highly figured stuff. I have also found that using an envelope versus individual sheets of paper and foil adds drying time and is more likely to show additional surface marking as the paper or foil pulls and bunches at the wrapped edges. Effective drying is especially important with SS2 and for woods like mahogany - drying to bone dry avoids spring-back over time.
- Light sanding will remove any surface marking, and staining will be minimized by allowing SS2 to dry and avoiding too much water in the bending package
In summary - let it dry before bending; do not over-wet the wood; let the bending package fully dry after the bend.
Yes - I can bend on either pipe or in bender without and get good results with difficult woods, but SS2 reduces the risk with figured woods and know hard-bending timbers, so I use it. YMMV.
- SuperSoft 2 (aka, SS2) works by penetrating the wood and essentially 'puffing up' the cells of the wood to prevent cell collapse...this is a lot like filling a piece of tubing with sand or shot prior to bending, and also has the benefit of effectively softening (reducing stiffness) on a temporary basis. Because the effect is dependent on absorption of the SS2, some resinous woods like the rosewoods and denser woods like the ebonies take longer to show effects.
- There is no other product on the market besides SS2 that has both the favorable effect on bending and little/no post-bend issues. Other veneer softeners lack some key ingredient, so after having tried both commercial and home-brew bending/softening solutions, I stick with SS2.
- In terms of results, SS2 reduces ripples and other bending defects in figured woods, and especially on rift-sawn and flat-sawn ring porous stock like ash and oak, while for rosewoods and other easy bending woods, SS2 has little or no benefit. For full-bodied shapes like a dread without cutaway, I'll seldom use SS2 unless the wood is highly figured and one of the known 'hard bending' woods like curly anigre. For tighter waists and for Venetian cuts, I'll treat most woods except the rosewoods and macasser ebony. I also see reduced issues while pipe-bending with SS2, although technique will always be more of an assist there than chemistry.
- In terms of technique, I spray to wet with SS2, stand vertically over a drip pan, and allow to dry...SS2 will cause extractives to run, so bending while still wet risks driving color into purflings on bindings and reduces effectiveness of the SS2 in terms of preventing bending defects. I see no real advantage to wrapping in paper and cauls to dry, as even with rift-y curly ash, there is little movement as things dry.
- The other good reason to allow the SS2 to fully dry is that any tape markers used for bending (I use them in the waist to register the side) will not stick to wet or damp sides.
- Full effect is seen at as little as 4 hours on woods like curly mahogany, but I usually wait 12 prior to bending. Because SS2 evaporates over time, I bend within 24 hours, and always dry the wood (when bending with a side bender) until fully dry (30-40 minutes at 240-250 F seems to work for most stuff) to drive any remaining SS2 components from the wood.
- Some folks have noted that SS2 + paper makes for a big mess, which is exactly why the direction to allow the SS2 to fully dry is a very good idea. (FWIW, I don't wet any wood prior to bending in the Fox bender, preferring to control the amount of moisture present by using brown butcher paper or white butcher paper on very light woods like holly, as the moisture reservoir). This works to my advantage when bending easily-stained woods like maple or holly because the solvents in the SS2 are absent from the surface, and the water added by the wet or damp paper is not enough to see any rewetting and staining. On the pipe, the usual wetting is so brief and so quickly heated to vapor that there is no more risk of staining or marking beyond what is usually seen when using the technique.
- I use a layer of foil to isolate the damp paper/wood/damp paper package from the bending slats, so can use spring steel slats that better support tight cutaways in highly figured stuff. I have also found that using an envelope versus individual sheets of paper and foil adds drying time and is more likely to show additional surface marking as the paper or foil pulls and bunches at the wrapped edges. Effective drying is especially important with SS2 and for woods like mahogany - drying to bone dry avoids spring-back over time.
- Light sanding will remove any surface marking, and staining will be minimized by allowing SS2 to dry and avoiding too much water in the bending package
In summary - let it dry before bending; do not over-wet the wood; let the bending package fully dry after the bend.
Yes - I can bend on either pipe or in bender without and get good results with difficult woods, but SS2 reduces the risk with figured woods and know hard-bending timbers, so I use it. YMMV.
Good to see you here.