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Brian Nystrom
 
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Default how do you bend wood into the boat shape?

wrote:

I recall seeing plans for a steamer that was basically a long piece of
copper pipe connected to a tea kettle. It was probably in a strip canoe
book. I'll look around and see if I can find it again.


My first steam generator was a tea kettle on a hot plate. It had several
downsides: limited water capacity, modest steam production, it was too
easily kicked over and it could pose a fire hazard if the kettle ran dry
(don't ask me how I know this).

These days, I use a Wagner wallpaper steamer. It holds a gallon,
produces lots of steam, runs for over an hour on one fill, has an
overheat shutoff and the self contained unit (the size of a car battery)
can be positioned well away from the steam box where it's less prone to
be knocked around (it has an 11' hose). It's fine for steaming the parts
I use in kayaks, but something larger would be needed for parts for
bigger boats that require extended steaming times.