Steaming Question?????

[jchu]

I posted here about restoring a Peterborough # 4 Patent Rib last Aug. Well I got started. I've steamed and istalled three ribs. I have one glitch that happens when I bend them around the mold I made. The outside of the rib seems to work fine. The inside, at the sharpest bend will get a wrinkle or two. I'm steaming them in a 2 inch pvc pipe for about an hour.

Should I soak them first? Am I over steaming? Its like the wood has no where to go on the inside curve. They are 5/16 x 1 x 50 tongue and groove.

Any ideas? Thanks Jeff

 

[jchu]

Pulling on the wood to keep it from compressing makes sense. Will try a strip in the morning with less steam time. Thanks.

Well come to think of it, it might of been a wood selection fault. I chose real brown tight grained heartwood strips. The lighter colored strip was more flexible and didn't wrinkle.