Hi Tom. The simple answer is no. I hardly ever go back. What is great is that i no longer see the growth in my skill, i actually feel it in terms of confidence. When i started i was always very critical of the level of my workmanship, now i know that its just a journey. I have also become a fan of Mr Musk whose mantra is there is nothing wrong with failure, just learn something and don’t do it twice. Also, as i have progressed in the hobby, i have met some amazing skilled model builders who all seemed to have travelled the same road. So again, i never look back but am well aware of where i have come from.

@@kevinkenny5122 Failure is absolutely the best teacher if handled correctly! I was a Boy Scout leader for a few years, and one of the things they pushed during leader training was letting the boys fail (as long as it was safe) because they learn quickly what NOT to do! Even the most accomplished of modelers most likely got their start with popsicle sticks and cardboard, but it’s all part of the journey, as you say!

Hi Thijs Maybe maybe not. My understanding of the process. What causes the bending to take place is when the lignin in the wood reaches the right temperature and relaxes allowing the wood to take on a new shape. Wetting the wood does nothing to affect the temperature of the lignum, it may result in steam being formed but certainly will not affect the temperature of the lignin.

The European Journal of wood and wood products has an extensive article on the characteristics of wood. Ill reference the article if you want ro read it but it is very technical and way beyond my understanding. The key takeaway from our prospective is “ The temperature of saturated steam at atmospheric pressure, about 100 °C or boiling or nearly boiling water, is generally sufficient to plastify wood for bending. In this condition, the viscosity of the lignin decreases, which makes connections between the cellulose micro- and macrofibrils (Angelski 2014). If the raw material has a 20-25% moisture content, no additional moisture is needed, even for severe bends (Peck 1957). Technically these methods belong to the hydrothermal treatment. If thermal treatment is used, water or steam has no impact on the raw material. This method is implemented by contact of hot metal surfaces (Angelski 2014). In another method, high frequency heating is used (Sandberg and Johansson 2005). The high-frequency microwave heating of wood is also used for plasticization (Ibach 2010; Gašparík and Gaff 2013). A longer plasticizing time increases the amount of microwave energy delivered to wood, on the other hand, the higher amount of energy also causes a higher moisture loss. Therefore, a suitable plasticizing time should be chosen (Gašparík and Gaff 2013).” The bottom line is once wood gets to a moisture content of 20-25% adding more water in the form of steam or spray makes little or no difference. Most dried wood has a moisture content of between 12-15% so wetting wood adds little additional moisture. If you are interested here is the link. link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00107-020-01637-3

@@kevinkenny5122 I see. So if you're just using heat then moisture has no affect. Your method of course required molds for all the pieces but seems better for achieving shape while the violin bender machine is more versatile but less efficient. Also I believe violin sides are quite thick and have less acute bends to them than the bends your model achieves which might explain the difference. Anyway, thank you for your replies. Cheers, Thijs.