My rough understanding is that the process goes something like this:
- 1 - The thicknessed plates are brought to a state of extra low humidity using a hot box
2 - The plates are removed from the hot box and quickly glued to slightly arched braces in a shallow mold (less than the typical 15- or 25-foot radii)
3 - After glue up the plates re-acclimate to the higher humidity in the shop. In so doing, they swell across the grain and take on a deeper arch that persists at normal RH levels
I'm thinking about trying it on my current build, and I have a few questions ...
- Is anyone here doing this or familiar with the process?
What are the target RH levels for the hotbox (or the giant zip-lock bag - [http://www.mimf.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=8175#p8311])?
How do you control the degree of the arch? I believe the example I saw, the same shallow mold was being used for both tops and backs, but the backs got a deeper arch.
Could this be done successfully using LMII glue instead of HHG?
What is the expected effect on tone - I wonder if there might be a more "sprung"/lively response?