Steam bending timber

[dragoncity]

Hi All,

[ of general interest ]

I recently had access to a small domestic steam cleaning unit, like a
typical vacum cleaner, which while it does not generate super heated steam
had no problem in softening a sample
of 3mm thick x 50mm wide x 300mm long 'ordinary' pine ( ie: not good modelers
timber ! ) in about 10 minutes and using 1 litre of water so that bending
around a radius of approx 50mm was done easily and without any breaking along
the grain.

As this sample was an off-cut made of laminations ( edge wise joins) it was
also an excellant test of the 4 glue joints done with "Purbond", I am happy
to report that their claim of 48 hours boil test bonding seems accurate and
no joins showed any signs of 'giving way' neither under the steam or bending.

So much nice , and cleaner, than the amonia technique !!!