Veneer softener

cathouse willy

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Veneer softener,do you use it Do you buy the commercial stuff eg. Super Soft2 or do you make your own? Have you had any issues with binding or finishing when using it? Lots of questions I know. The commercial product is hard to find and very expensive in Canada so I'm interested in hearing recipes and results for home made softener also.
Thanks
Bill
 
Veneer softener,do you use it Do you buy the commercial stuff eg. Super Soft2 or do you make your own? Have you had any issues with binding or finishing when using it? Lots of questions I know. The commercial product is hard to find and very expensive in Canada so I'm interested in hearing recipes and results for home made softener also.
Thanks
Bill

I bent thousands of guitar sides in a rebuilt Fox bender. Exotic, expensive sets were spritzed with SuperSoft2, just to be safe. Less expensive sets were bent with water. These days I use water for everything. I don't like the feel of SS2 on my hands.
 
I use it for most things now, especially on figured things like The Tree.
Ive been using it even on straight grained stuff just to make life easier.

seen here
 
I broke down and imported some. It works better than fabric softener. I figured I spent enough on wood and tools the extra $$ for the SSII is not going to break me. I have not noticed a problem with glue or finish, mind you I give the sides a swipe with sandpaper afterwards. The fabric softener does work some. I used to mix it with water about 1:1, brush it on and wrap with cellophane and let it sit for a few hours. Rinse it off and wipe dry. Never noticed a problem but the guitar does smell scented for a while.
 
Thanks for the replies, I checked the shipping cost for a quart of SS2 and found it was $52 us for $17 worth of product. Not happening. An internet search came up with a recipe for a homemade softener.

4 parts distilled water
2 parts glycerin
1 part denatured alcohol.
Has anyone tried something like this?
 
Last edited:
I found this one...Almost the same.
• 4 parts water
• 1 part alcohol
• 2 part glycerine
• 2 parts resin glue
 
So I made a test using this recipe

4 parts distilled water
2 parts glycerin
1 part denatured alcohol.

I applied it to a leftover piece of black walnut with some gnarly grain using the instructions for Super Soft. After drying it was noticeably more supple and easier to bend. I put a few coats of shellac on it with good results so it's safe for a shellac finish anyway. I'm going to try it on the next set of sides.
 
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