Author: Craig Matovich
Date: 2007-07-23 23:22
Hey Jay!
The longer soak, hot water, camphered end... all good. I place the cane in my mouth to warm it just about as long as it takes me to tie off the thread and prepare the staple and mandrel.
Also, here is another thing that helps reduce cracks and has a couple other advantages:
1) Place cane on the mandrel and staple and hold lightly with finger tips of your mandrel hand.
2) Wind two or three winds about half-way up the exposed metal portion of the staple (probably much lower on the cane than you do now)...
3) Then, increase thread tension, and with the mandrel hand turn the mandrel opposite to your direction of wind so the thread creeps up toward the staple end. Stop 1/2 to 1 wind before the staple end.
If you've marked the cane at staple end, you will see this easily, otherwise take careful note of how much metal remains once the cane finally closes.
4) Keep tension tight on the thread and observe both side openings as you go. Sides should close evenly and you can observe them easily from one position and the cane turns round and round.
Any abnormalities such as off center cane placement (sides close unevenly) or cane tilted off line (tip of blank 'wobblse' noticably as you turn the mandrel) mean stop, back off and try again.
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