Hair Dryer heat on high. Length of time, distance from wood

[rudybob]

My hair dryer gets hot. Not as hot as an iron. I have held the iron on bass strakes and they aren't burning. 

My thought is I can hold the hair dryer as close as feasible and blast it for quite awhile and no "harm" done.

These planks don't have any moisture content left to speak of so I can't see shrinkage being an issue. Am I wrong.

My house is and has been running at 15-20%  humidity.

 

How long and from what distance should I blow heat the strake? Is it the same for all strake areas or based on curve needed?

 

 

[Gregory]

How long?  If you are plank bending, I would do it until visible moisture disappears, then an extra minute or so... 

Distance? A couple of inches or so..

 

Just make sure you let it cool down before unclamping.  If it springs back after unclamping, do it again and let it cool longer.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Gregory

[mtaylor]

Drop the planks into some water for a bit.  Water helps the heat transfer into the wood.   I usually soak for about 15 minutes or so, and then hit the heat.  I'm using a heat gun and not a hair dryer so you may need to run the dryer for a bit.   It's probable that if you're spring back, then you're not heating it long enough.  And don't forget the soak as it's needed to transfer the heat.

[rudybob]

I'm laughin' here. Not at you guys but at me taking things so literally. 

I have read guys plank bending methodologies, so many, but pretty similar. I think I have tried most to a small degree and settled on dry heat. 

Initially I didn't think dry heat meant no water but I did read what I thought was guys eschewing water all together so that's what I have been doing. Bending is slow that way. I tried putting water on the planks while in situ but...I don't know how good that is so I even quit that. 

 

So DRY HEAT means heat it until it dries? Did that too. I am going back to it for some of my bends. Problem for me is the two direction bend. Get it set one way then when I wet it for the other way...BYE Bye bend. I laughed at myself for that one too

 

Why am I laughing now? When I was a kid my Dad said I have to eat dry cereal. I waited until he left and asked Mom if I couldn't put milk on it. She laughed until she cried.  Me, Mr Literal

[glbarlow]

Speaking of literal. This is a feel thing and it isn’t hard, just practice it some. 
 

I use a travel iron for bending (right on the wood of course) and just recently added a small crafters hot air device, not a hot air gun, for twisting. I use NO water, sometimes I may wet my finger and rub it over the wood. Just heat the wood, slowly bend it, hold it with clamps. I don’t bother letting it cool completely, it may spring back some or not. I can bend a blank in about a minute start to finish, a plank with two bends and a twist may take 3-4 minutes. If I don’t bend enough or bend it too much I just do it again.  How long depends on the wood and the amount of bend. Again it’s a feel thing, it comes with practice. Read too many options here and there’s a danger of becoming  paralyzed. I show my (actually Chuck’s) method in my current and previous two build logs. 

Edited March 19, 2022 by glbarlow

[mtaylor]

As with most things in ship modeling, there's a lot of ways to do ti.  The catch is, you have to find the way that works best for you and your materials.  Methods can vary just based on the thickness and width of a plank.  There is no "one size fits all".

[jdbondy]

Since I am in the midst of doing this right now on my model, I thought I would describe my individual situation. 

 

I am using thin (3/32") strips of Castello boxwood for my current planking project. I soak them for 10 minutes, then wipe off the excess. I then hold it in the heat from the hair dryer with my hands, which helps me judge if I am too close or too far. I watch the moisture evaporate off the wood, then test fit the plank. Then I still have time to go back to the hair dryer for some more bending force and heat if it is needed. This has been enough for my situation to get the plank close enough to where it can be glued in place...after I leave it to dry overnight so I am not gluing down a swollen plank.

[Nirvana]

When I built the MS longboat, I used dry planks "per Chuck's method) with a heat gun to form them.
Yes, it is extremely hot air for your fingers but not for the wood. Worked like a charm.

[allanyed]

This of course does not apply to dry bending, but if soaking first, distilled water is a good idea.  I have noted slight color changes (staining) from tap water on a few occasions, especially if it is a thicker piece that needs a longer soak.   The water around the world varies so this may or may not be an issue everywhere and might have more to do with the type of wood than the water.  A wide variety of chemicals are added to drinking water to remove various contaminants.  Among them are alum, iron salts, chlorine, fluorides, and others.   Just sayin'  

Allan

[Gregory]

I use one of these, and it is a lot more ergonomic than a hair dryer IMO.  Much smaller airflow pattern.

 

Mini Heat Gun