Some cocobolo guidance!

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sadlad87

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I am rather new to the building scene and am in the process of building a few tenors using cocobolo. I realize that it is suggested to remove the oils with acetone before gluing the joints. What about the bending of the sides? I am using a heat blanket, within a sandwich of steel (kind of a standard approach). Should I rub the oils out with acetone before bending, spray with water, use foil, heat at a certain level, etc...?

I would appreciate the guidance. I have some pretty nice looking sets and wouldn't want to crack them in the process.

Best
Steve
 
The best advice I can give you is to make sure you have plenty of sanding belts on hand! Use the coarsest grit you can get away with and take it easy.
Cocobolo bends well. No need to treat it in any way before bending. The heat will bring the oils to the surface anyway and turn it all kinds of weird colors. Wipe any surface that will need to be glued immediately before gluing, don't wait 10 minutes. Wipe until there's no color on your rag. Do the same thing before applying any finish. Cocobolo is a beautiful wood but it's not my favorite to work with. Good luck.
 
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I find that 120 is about as coarse as I can sand Cocobolo, beyond that the belts clog very quickly. I work with a lot of Cocobolo. Did not have any problem with reactions at first, but after a few years working with it often, started getting a rash that would last sometimes a week or more. Different Cocobolos are better or worse for this. Now I am very careful about dust from Cocobolo, as well as any wood, and generally shower/ change clothes immediately after being exposed to Coco dust. No problems anymore.

Acetone before gluing, as well as breaking any glaze that might be left from the machining process. Also Acetone before finishing. Cocobolo does not play friendly with all finishes...
 
We're having a rush on cocobolo guitars just now. Bends great, but I always use SuperSoft2 just in case. Smells good at first, but I'm getting sick of it. Breathing the dust gives me a bad headache, and one of the other guys gets bad eye irritation from it. I've started wearing a mask even when sets are being sanded in the adjoining room. Never have used acetone so far, and no problems have developed. Finishing with catalyzed urethane has presented no problems.
Two wood suppliers have mentioned that the Chinese are buying all the cocobolo they can find, and one of them has had his life threatened if he attempts buy any more of "their" wood. Frankly, I'd be happy to stop working with it due to the allergies, its that evil.
 
jcalkin said:
Two wood suppliers have mentioned that the Chinese are buying all the cocobolo they can find, and one of them has had his life threatened if he attempts buy any more of "their" wood.
Click to expand...

Curious. Lately the Chinese have been buying all the koa they can get their hands on as well.
I've pretty much stopped using cocobolo even as bindings, fret boards, etc for all the same reasons. Toxicity is sneaky. It can lie dormant for a long time before it hits you.
 
Also, Guatamalan Cocobolo was CITES listed in 2008 ( I believe), Panamanian Cocobolo was CITES listed just this past Fall. My suppliers also talk about the Chinese buying everything, making it difficult to obtain in the US. I think the writing is on the wall that all Cocobolo will be CITES listed in the relatively near future. The situation is not likely to get any better.

'Two types of people..... those that are allergic to Cocobolo, and those who do not know it yet....'
 
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Thank you all for your response. Your responses confirm my reaction when I first had the boards in my hands. - A very complicated complexion! You can tell the oil is just waiting to be released. I will continue to wear my dust mask, get a few extra rolls for my drum sander and wipe frantically right after I bend. I'm happy to roll my sleeves up, not be wasteful and hopefully enjoy the process. But, it seems its best not to purchase any additional sets.

Thank you all for your comments!

Steve
 
Definitely wear a respirator. You can get lung inflammation from inhaling cocobolo dust- a really nasty pneumonitis.

Also for some reason, cocobolo dust can act as a sensitiser so as you work with it, it is sensitising you to other woods. The famous example is someone who works with cocobolo and develops an allergy to cocobolo and bocote.

I've found that a quick bath in fabric softener tends to make it more workable from an allergy point of view- as the various proteins are denatured.

hope that helps!

If you'd like a little more information, I do have a profile for cocobolo here: on another site

Warmest regards
Terence
www.guitarbench.com
 
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Chris_H said:
Also, Guatamalan Cocobolo was CITES listed in 2008 ( I believe), Panamanian Cocobolo was CITES listed just this past Fall...'
Click to expand...

True, true.

The important point here is that if it's listed for any country, anywhere, it needs permits. Even if it was cut elsewhere, it has to be shown that it was either not cut in those two countries, or if it was, it was cut in accordance with local restrictions.

Without permit copies, you can only buy it within the borders of your country, and it could never leave without being subject to seizure.

It grows where we build, and is not listed in CITES there, but because other countries have it listed, it's now outside our practical use.
 
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maclay said:
Chuck is right on with his suggestions. I would also suggest that you wear a respirator while you work with it. Many people have allergic reactions to the dust.
Click to expand...

I strongly agree. I developed a sensitivity to cocobolo and it's not a fun experience.

It does bend very easily and keeps the bend with almost no springback. I've never had any problems keeping it glued without acetone. The acetone will leach a lot of the oil out but it does take away some of the color.
 
And do you know why the Chinese have no wood? In the industrial revolution they cut down 85% of their trees... They are gobbling up every stick in the world, doesn't matter what it is!
 
Hi Pete,

They did indeed- during the bad times, due to lack of food and fuel, many trees where felled. Some folks were using the bark for soup stock.

Incidentally, tru oil and cocobolo, happy bedfellow do not make. Sigh. I found that out the hard way!

Terence
www.guitarbench.com
 
Two people in Panama were killed the other day when a local tribe tried to stop illegal loggers from cutting down cocobolo for the Chinese market. The tribe set fire to the loggers' equipment, then shots were fired. One person was killed from each side, and many more were wounded.
 
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