MIMF

regarding neck steaming/removing:

I've used at least two different espresso machine steamer and both seam to put out a lot of water along with the steam. a lot of water I'd rather not have on or in the guitar if it can be helped.

Do any of you use a particular brand machine that seems to create a good amount of steam without excess water? (I understand the two are tied together...somewhat).

I also wondered about adding some type of water collector but still just brainstorming that. any thought would help.

thanks
Doug.

I saw an article a long while back by Dan Erlewine that showed how he uses a glass bottle with a rubber stopper with two inlets, and connected that in his steam line between the coffee maker and the needle. This collected the water and gave him a much "drier" steam.
Maybe if you dropped him an email, he might do a Stew-Mac email shop tricks segment on that.

Review the gas laws (from high school physics) and you'll find that, as steam cools, it condenses into water. The steam generated by whatever method cools as it travels through a hose and that is the source of the water at the nozzle. By first getting, and then keeping the hose hot, water at the nozzle is minimized. I let my espresso machine shoot steam through the hose for quite a while before starting to use it, so the hose is hot. Using some sort of insulated hose helps too (it can be as simple as one small hose inside of a larger one).
Anyway, one source of steam is as good as another, and it is the hose that must be looked to in order to avoid undue water at the nozzle.

thanks those are all great points.

I'll follow up if I come up with anything that helps...

I agree John. I never did try Dan's system but instead just do as you do, and let things warm up and then it stops spitting water.

One thing I found to help reduce moisture damage is to stick the hose from a shop vac in the sound hole if steam (condensation) is escaping inside the instrument. Otherwise it can cause considerable swelling and or delamination of glue joints.

I placed a brass splitter valve in my hose line just after it comes out of the espresso maker. This gives me one steaqm path for the needle and another line for 'blow-off'. I adjusted the 'blow-off' valve so that the bulk of the steam exits harmlessly into a towel, and only a soft puff emits from the needle which is inserted into the neck. Does not solve all the blushing problems, but helps greatly. It eliminates steam blowing out from under the f-board extension, or into the guitar body.
Frank Ford is now using a commercial steam machine that was designed for a dry cleaner. I believe it controls the intensity of the steam. You can see it on his website. Tom