Is it possible to straigthen bone saddle blanks?

[charangohabsburg]

Not that I couldn't afford to buy straight ones. Of course I also could send them back, but I think it is not worth the hassle (but of course I'll inform the provider about the less than optimal quality - this is the first time a batch (out of five I ordered through the last couple of years) that is less than perfect, some blanks are OK and others are not-so-OK). I just hate to dispose them off if this issue could be easily fixed, and I don't need that many tie block strips as those not straight saddle blanks would yield.

Suggestions? (Others than hydrochloric acid, please).

Here a picture of the batch, for your inspiration:

[kiwigeo]

I had this happen to me with an order of blanks and its the reason I now use thick blanks.....the thicker blanks a less likely to bend and if there is any bending the blanks can be sanded back to square.

Some of those blanks look only slightly bent and will probably square up on a sanding board. The really bent ones.....you could use them for classical tie block inlays.

[Allen]

You should be able to cut in half and get 2 ukulele nuts out of each one. That's what I'd do.

[charangohabsburg]

Thanks for your suggestions.

So far I was thinking along the same lines but thought it also would be nice to straighten those buggers. Except the really bent one which I think I will run through the coffee mill and throw it on the market as rhinoceros horn powder. Then, with that money I will buy some nice timber from down under.

[Nick]

Thanks for your suggestions.

So far I was thinking along the same lines but thought it also would be nice to straighten those buggers. Except the really bent one which I think I will run through the coffee mill and throw it on the market as rhinoceros horn powder. Then, with that money I will buy some nice timber from down under.

Thought with Rhino horn, you'd be getting 'wood' from down under
Never seen bone bend like that before, would they have been processed before being "fully dry"?

[kiwigeo]

Bone benders?

[liam_fnq]

You should be able to cut in half and get 2 ukulele nuts out of each one. That's what I'd do.

Whatever. I get four.

[pavliku]

I've processed quite a bit of beef bone from it's raw state - much like wood it has a "grain". Cutting thin pieces across the grain when not fully dry, in my oppinion, would have the effect as you see above.
As for straightening.... well I have no experience doing this. The first experiment would be to boil it for a while then clamp it flat.
Paul

[Kim]

Markus,

Looking at the leg bones of old cowboys (I have a few buried around the place) and those of the force fed, antibiotic impregnated, cage crushed chickens which they pickle in salt and serve at the red dirty bird for 5 bucks a 1/4, I would be incline to smear those troublesome bent saddles with a paste made of Amoxicillin and chewing tobacco spit. I would then lock them all inside teenie weenie individual cages which, apart from having a very flat bottom, have been purposely built to be 'far' too small for them. I would then strap all those tiny little cages to the back of a saddled pye balled quarter horse carefully covering them with a Setson hat to keep them warm before yodelling 'Home on the Range' at them for a few days to see what happened....If you don't get carted away again by those over zealous white coats down at the institution, this could well be worth a try I think.

Cheers

Kim

[charangohabsburg]

Thank you Paul, I'll try that with the banana shaped one to see if something happens. That's an interesting detail about the problem occurring when cutting bones that are not fully dry. Makes sense.

[...] lock them all inside teenie weenie individual cages which, apart from having a very flat bottom, have been purposely built to be 'far' too small for them.

Hey Kim, do you want to get me into trouble with the local bone welfare organization?

Anyway, I'll go shopping for a Stetson hat this afternoon and then take some classes in yodelling.

[kiwigeo]

Introducing my new product line.....free range nuts and saddles.

[Kim]

Introducing my new product line.....free range nuts and saddles.

Switched to wearing boxers have we Marty

Cheers

Kim

[charangohabsburg]

I made some progress!

Here again the picture of the most offending (first) blank in the batch:

[...]
As for straightening.... well I have no experience doing this. The first experiment would be to boil it for a while then clamp it flat.
Paul

That is what I have done yesterday evening. This was the result after having it left clamped overnight:



A bit better, but not good enough.

Hmmm... how did the old masters bend the ivory ribs of their most exquisite lutes?
So I took the blank to the bending iron and straightened it out in three minutes!

It feels a bit like straightening a 2.5 mm thick iron wire, only that much less force has to be applied, rocking it very slowly over the greatest radius of the iron. When it looked straight, and while still hot I clamped it again for letting it cool down. The result is quite acceptable:



Is it worth the effort? I think yes - if the bugger does not get out of shape again! Time will show.

Thanks again you all,
special thanks to Paul!

Cheers,

[Kim]

Hmmm... how did the old masters bend the ivory ribs of their most exquisite lutes?
So I took the blank to the bending iron and straightened it out in three minutes!

Great to hear you've had some success there Markus but I feel confident that had the old masters had penicillin at their disposal they would have tried my suggestion first....yeeeehaaaaaarrr!!!

Kim

[pavliku]

Nicely done Markus.

[charangohabsburg]

Is it worth the effort? I think yes - if the bugger does not get out of shape again! Time will show.

Well, time showed it was not worth the effort:

[lauburu]

Interesting. I tried a similar experiment with a cow horn some years ago. Soaked it in boiling water for a few minutes to make it pliable. Inserted a turned circular plug which fitted beautifully. After some months re-asserted its old shape and forced the plug out.
Miguel

[Chopper]

Markus,
I'd stick it in a saddle slot and hold it down with string pressure and leave it there for a long time!! Bet it wont fall out either. Now which way round to place the curve?
Cheers John

[charangohabsburg]

John, I think that it is not a good idea to force a bowed saddle into a straight saddle slot because this almost always compromises the contact of the saddle to the bottom of the slot which to my understanding is one of the most important bridge details regarding sound transmission. Also, having seen that even heat bending does not permanently change the shape of bone I doubt that time would do a better job. To use the material for other things than conventional guitar saddles is the way to go, at least for me after having done the experiment described above.

Cheers,

[Nick]

To use the material for other things than conventional guitar saddles is the way to go, at least for me after having done the experiment described above.

Cheers,

Cut in half and used on ukes?

[charangohabsburg]

To use the material for other things than conventional guitar saddles is the way to go, at least for me after having done the experiment described above.

Cheers,

Cut in half and used on ukes?

Exactly. And also for charangos (2/3), or cut into thin strips for reinforcing the edges of the tie block:

[Chopper]

Hey Markus,
My post was written with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek because we seem to be going to so much trouble for such a small ticket item.
Cheers John

[charangohabsburg]

Hey Markus,
My post was written with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek because we seem to be going to so much trouble for such a small ticket item.
Cheers John

OK, I'll hammer them into the bridge slots.

Re-ordering such small items sometimes costs more time than to search another solution.

[Kim]

Hey Markus,
My post was written with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek because we seem to be going to so much trouble for such a small ticket item.
Cheers John

Small ticket item perhaps, however education shared is priceless. Having the opertunity to see the rig Markus setup to resaw the bone blank was one of those awesome ah ha!! moments for me with excitement for their potential in my own investigations. These little gifts are what bought me to forums those years ago with shovel in hand and why I'm still digging on today.

Thanks for all the nuggets Markus.

Your inquisitive mind, tenacious pursuit of the facts, fastidiousness, resourcefulness, passion and kind willingness to share, have made you pure bloody Gold to the ANZLF.

Cheers mate

Kim

[DarwinStrings]

Nice saw set up Markus. You know you could have just sharpened the ends and shoved it through your nose, then that may have lead you to working out how to compliment the bone in your nose by craftily using a router and spray gun to add some tribal facial tattoos.

Jim