Optimizing bender performance/lubrication

[Rich Rice]

The biggest issue in keeping your bender working as it should is lubrication. A well adjusted, properly lubricated bender will operate silently and effortlessly. This is common with all close tolerance machinery, not just string bending mechanisms.

There are so many products that claim to be "the best" for a general purpose application, but there are some considerations that are more specific with benders. These are fairly low tech mechanisms, anybody who has a bit of mechanical prowess will understand how a bender mechanism works after a casual inspection. The beauty of the mechanism is in its simplicity, and its efficiency. They really are works of art, and a properly adjusted, well maintained bender will last for decades.

Let me preface the following with an obvious statement: ANY lubrication is better than NO lubrication. That having been said, there are options available that you may not be aware of, and a couple of pitfalls that are peculiar to bender guitars...

I worked for many years as a lithographer, and had to keep million dollar printing presses operating around the clock. Some of the parts needed grease, others needed various oils, teflon, graphite, etc. Each mechanism had to be in perfect alignment, and operate properly in order for the machine to produce the highest quality product. If the press would shut itself off due to a sticking air valve in the paper feeder, it messed up the balance of all the other parts, resulting in waste of time, material, and (ultimately) money. I spent years trying to find exactly what worked for each of the mechanisms, fought with old timers, asked engineers, and read volumes on the subject. This background has helped me to form opinions that relate to any close tolerance equipment, in this case b-benders.

I had a running feud with a senior member of the team, who would disassemble the air control valves on the feeder each night, clean them, and lubricate them with oil. (How does this relate to benders? Please bear with me, it will.) He would run the press for a 12 hour shift, and then I would take it over for the next shift. The machine would be running constantly, around the clock. By the middle of my shift, the feeder would start to trip off (shut itself down), and consequently cause many incidental problems and a lack of production. The moisture in the air would get into the valve mechanisms, and the oil would get gummy, causing the valves to stick. When this hesitation occurred, the delivery of paper would be slowed, throwing the timing of the sheets being fed into the press out of synch with everything else- thus shutting the whole thing down. These particular valves were very similar to b-bender mechanisms, as they utilized bronze bushings and highly polished steel surfaces that needed to slip against each other with great precision. Any deviation would cause a malfunction.. Is this starting to ring a bell?

At any rate, eventually the aforementioned coworker retired, which gave me the opportunity to experiment with different lubricants for the valves. I tried thinner oil, same problem. I tried a heavier viscosity oil, that was worse. Grease was not too great, vaseline broke down almost immediately. Eventually, I took the whole unit apart, and used a trick we had learned from building Pinewood Derby cars in the Cub Scouts (I learned alot about that subject by being Cubmaster and father of 3 boys). I cleaned all the internal moving parts with acetone, and applied microfine powdered graphite to the moving surfaces inside the valves. The press ran for over a week with no problems at all. The dry lubricant was cleaner, stayed slick, did not gum up, and solved the problem for good.

Recently, I had a b-bender whose bearings were binding, causing erratic bending/return to pitch. Again, moisture in the air had caused the oil to get gummy, and the parts were not moving as they should. I'm hesitant to use oil around my ultra thin nitro finishes, as it can seep under the finish, and ruin the aesthetics of the guitar almost immediately. I took a lesson from my printing days, disassembled the mechanism, and polished all the bearing surfaces with some 1000 grit sandpaper, then (carefully) removed all the oil residue with acetone.

I will add that oil and powdered graphite mixed together makes a fine sticky paste, and should be avoided at all times. Mixing the two doesn't work at all.

I had some left over graphite/molybdenum lube from the Cub Scout days, and I applied the powder to the bearing surfaces in the bender. I have never before had such a free moving action, and (upon reassembly) it is smooth, silent, and slick. Since I had used this same product on the presses for years with great results, I'm convinced that it is the way to go.

I didn't use the regular graphite (like hardware store stuff), I have a stash of G/M Lube from Hodges Hobby House that was specially formulated for Pinewood Derby cars. No affiliation, this is just the best stuff available, and is slicker than teflon (or anything else I know about).

http://www.winderby.com/m20_040829.html

Manufacturers add moly to grease in order to make it more slippery, as it acts like millions of tiny ball bearings. A little dusting of G/M Lube in a clean, polished, dry bender will keep your unit in top working condition indefinitely.

[cbnutt]

thanks for the advice ! my bender should be in from brian f. next week, i better get some graphite. :):) would the hardware store stuff be ok though ??

[Rich Rice]

Originally Posted by cbnutt

thanks for the advice ! my bender should be in from brian f. next week, i better get some graphite. :):) would the hardware store stuff be ok though ??

Best to ask Brian, as it is his installation. I'm sure he goes through the entire mechanism with a magnifying glass. He does very nice work.

On any that come from me, graphite is the way to go, as that is how it will come from us. Oil is good, graphite/moly is good, regular graphite is probably ok, but it is a coarser grind and doesn't usually have the molybdenum in it... Main thing is DO NOT mix oil and graphite. It gums up, and will get sticky. One or the other is good. I like the graphite/moly lube, as it stays where you put it and lasts for a very long time.

[Silverface]

I've had PW benders for decades that needed NO lubrication - in fact Gene does not recommend lubricating them, ever.

The only thing you need is something at the saddle - triflow Teflon works best for me, but gun oil, sewing machine oil and graphite all seem fine.

But I would NEVER lube a PW. It doesn't need it.

[Rich Rice]

I respectfully disagree. Any time there is metal against metal, there is friction. Friction is the enemy. Add oxygen and humidity, oxidation will occur. These units have two spots in the mechanism that will need lubrication to maximize operating efficiency and minimize wear.


I agree there needs to be lubrication at the saddle and the nut.

[BrianF]

Rich....those bronze bushings you are pointing at in the pix...are called 'Oilite' bearings/bushings.. They are 'oil-impregnated' bronze.. NO lubrication of those parts should ever be needed, since they are self-lubricating. http://www.oilitebearings.com/

a little occasional lubrication on the saddle (as Silverface recommended) should be all that is ever needed.

[Rich Rice]

Thanks Brian, I know what they are. The last two mechanisms I received would barely turn. I worked on them for about an hour to free them up, and get them working properly. The tolerances were too close, and they were binding. Honestly, I would prefer roller bearings or needle bearings to bronze bushings anyway.. In the meantime, if your bender is sticking, hanging up, or sluggish, ya gotta do something. In the last two cases, real life wins out over theory. If it's sticking, clean it, polish it, lubricate it, and it will work properly.