Re-Bending Wood?

[Blue in VT]

So I have an old Harmony guitar body that I would like to try to do something with...its an OM sized box but I would like to try to disassemble it an and make a 00 size guitar out of it. Yes I realize that this is probably an inefficient way to go about it but I'm just interested in giving it a try and coming out with a new guitar that has vintage wood throughout. So my question is this....can I disassemble this guitar and reshape/trim the sides to make a smaller body? I assume that to do this I would have to strip of the existing finish and apply some heat....and or Moisture to loosen up the wood before reshaping?

What do you think...possible....or not?

Cheers,

Blue

[Mark Riess]

Hey, Blue
I just recently re-bent some brazilian rosewood that I inherited from a 'passed-on' acquaintance. It was bent to a dreadnought shape, and I'm building my first, a short-scale concert size cutaway. It was un varnished, of course, so I s'pose you'll need to strip any finish off your sides. I had almost no experience bending wood over a hot pipe, but was able to re-bend into a venetian cutaway and the waist was in a different location also. I only spritzed the wood liberally as I bent it....no soaking, and proceeded slowly, patiently and carefully. Good luck, you can do it!
Mark

[Blue in VT]

Thanks for the encouragement Mark!!

Blue

[Tommy Kay]

I remember reading in a GAL publication about a method for un-bending sides using a plastic trash can with a lid on and a steam feed into it. Also, this may be obvious, but make sure those Harmony sides are not plywood.

[Blue in VT]

Thanks for the info Tommy....this is one of the Harmony 162s form 60's so it is all solid...actually really nice looking mahogany and spruce. I actually work at a Maritime museum that has a boat shop with a large steam box...I just wasn't sure if that was a recommended method for Tone wood.

thanks for that input!

Blue