Bending a LP jackplate

[wesman]

Just bought a new Gibbo jackplate for my project;
however the radius is a bit larger than the side of
the body.

I’ve bent import jackplates before with no problem,
Using a tuna can & brute force,
But this brass one refuses to yield.

Any ideas on how to do this with simple hand-tools?

Thanks in advance,
Wesman

[RandomHero]

Try applying heat, and don't be afraid to break out a couple pairs of pliers. (Pad the grips with t-shirts or rags, and bend slowly and carefully...)

[vjmodman]

Sandwich the jack plate between two peices of hard none fkexiable material (like some scrap wood or two peices of plexiglass) and put a clamp on the two peices of wood and squeez it together until it bends into the shape you wan't.

I wouldn't try heat unless you really really need it. It could discolor the plate if you apply too much heat.

[ChrisK]

Find a steel pipe of the proper inside diameter. Find an adjustable oil filter wrench, (or better yet, an adjustable chain pipe wrench), a thin aluminum "sacrificial" plate and wank away.

It's gonna take some wanking.


Or, if'n it ain't finished, sand the body down to the proper radius under the plate.

[wesman]

Thanks for the replies,

What I ended up making was a concave wooden caul,
lined it with leather (a piece of old belt),
sandwiched the plate between that and and a little league bat,
striking the bat with a rubber mallet
in a rocking motion.

Gotta give it to Gibson, I aint seen a jackplate that tough in years.

Wesman