: I was so where you are right now! Don't start over just wet the
: wood with hot water and pinch in the areas. It will need a way
: to clamp all the way around evenly so spend a couple minutes
: cutting some blocks to pinch where you need it to. I then tied a
: rope around the forms and used a bar to twist the rope
: tight...really tight! And taped it in place. I would soak a
: towel in hot water twice a day and place it on it as well as
: spray the inside with hot water whenever I had a chance I left
: the rope clamp on for 6 days first three with water treatment
: last three to dry it out. This worked perfectly. The gap between
: the forms was a quarter to 3/8 of an inch and after every strip
: was right tight to the forms. To make sure it stayed put I put a
: staple it each strip and every couple of weeks I would just look
: to see if they were pulling out to ease my mind but none did.

: nothing to it good luck

: dave g

Wow, you are tenacious! "every couple of weeks".

Are the strips you're using northern white cedar?

Water alone does nothing. Don't confuse wet "green" wood's bending properties with dried wood.

Water is a vehicle for heat transfer. Heat is what facilitates bending.
People constantly confuse water alone, as a bending method.
It's like focusing on the finger pointing at the moon. It's about the moon, not the finger.

NWC is the most flexible wood for stripping so your applied pressure is what worked.

These kinds of problems are why I use 3/16" thick strips (much more flexible) a heat gun (bend it fast,
right where you need it, and glue it immediately) and hot glue (holds better than anything).

If you can clamp or hot glue a board spanning the area that needs to be pushed in, then you can use a wedge
to push the hull surface in. Once you have this set-up to go, apply hot glue to your station and push the wedge home.

After a few minutes remove the wedge. If that's not enough to hold it, clean out the hot glue and hot glue a block to the inside
hull surface next to the station. Now wedge, hot glue to station as before, but now screw through the station into the block.

Successful stripping is all about creative clamping, but 3/16" strips, a heat gun, and hot glue make it MUCH!!! easier.

I hate to see people struggle, it just doesn't have to be that hard.

For more tricks and tips see: http://www.laughingloon.com/shop.tips.html

Rob