Cryogenicly Freezing a guitar body
- Thread starter leadlix
- Start date
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
Re: Cryogenicly Freezing a guitar body
Exposing a guitar body to extreme temperature changed will cause the wood to contract (when frozen) and expand (when thawed). If you do it before you finish the body and there is any moisture in the wood at all the guitar could easily crack . . . if you do it after applying the finish, your finish would definately show checking, and the body might still crack. It shouldn't change the tone of your guitar at all since it doesn't effect the structure of the wood that you do it to. I suggest you read here if you are looking for liquid nitrogen to do it yourself: http://www.zyra.org.uk/getliqn.htm
Exposing a guitar body to extreme temperature changed will cause the wood to contract (when frozen) and expand (when thawed). If you do it before you finish the body and there is any moisture in the wood at all the guitar could easily crack . . . if you do it after applying the finish, your finish would definately show checking, and the body might still crack. It shouldn't change the tone of your guitar at all since it doesn't effect the structure of the wood that you do it to. I suggest you read here if you are looking for liquid nitrogen to do it yourself: http://www.zyra.org.uk/getliqn.htm
Rich_S
HomeGrownToneBrewologist
Re: Cryogenicly Freezing a guitar body
Bring it over - I'm sitting in my office across from three of my employer's Air Separation Units - cranking out about 1.2 million cubic feet of nitrogen an hour. We ought to be able to scare up some liquid with which to freeze a guitar.
Of course my question is WHY?!? I thought I was up on all the whack-job snake oil guitar mods, but I must have missed this one.
Bring it over - I'm sitting in my office across from three of my employer's Air Separation Units - cranking out about 1.2 million cubic feet of nitrogen an hour. We ought to be able to scare up some liquid with which to freeze a guitar.
Of course my question is WHY?!? I thought I was up on all the whack-job snake oil guitar mods, but I must have missed this one.
Robert Delahunt
Showmasterologist
Re: Cryogenicly Freezing a guitar body
I would advise you not to do that. It's unnecessary. Crygenics isn't the magic potion that improves everything. In some industries and materials (almost always a metallic material) it works to help stress-relieve and other such metallurgical benefits, but I doubt it will have any help for wood. Wood is a totally different material than metals. I would suggest that if someone is claiming that it helps the tone of a wooden object that they're snake oil salesmen trying to earn money off of the public's ignorance.
I would advise you not to do that. It's unnecessary. Crygenics isn't the magic potion that improves everything. In some industries and materials (almost always a metallic material) it works to help stress-relieve and other such metallurgical benefits, but I doubt it will have any help for wood. Wood is a totally different material than metals. I would suggest that if someone is claiming that it helps the tone of a wooden object that they're snake oil salesmen trying to earn money off of the public's ignorance.
shredaholic
New member
Re: Cryogenicly Freezing a guitar body
If you want to improve the tone of the wood, dunk it underwater for a few months and throw some italian plums in the water...
The bacteria released by the rotting plums will eat away at the cell structure inside the wood, and change the wood in a way that kiln drying can't. The wood will become more resonant, and a bit lighter too I'd expect.
(Little tip I got off a guy called Tony)
If you want to improve the tone of the wood, dunk it underwater for a few months and throw some italian plums in the water...
The bacteria released by the rotting plums will eat away at the cell structure inside the wood, and change the wood in a way that kiln drying can't. The wood will become more resonant, and a bit lighter too I'd expect.
(Little tip I got off a guy called Tony)
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ratherdashing
Kablamminator
Re: Cryogenicly Freezing a guitar body
I'll do it. Send me your guitar.
I'll do it. Send me your guitar.
leadlix
New member
FretFire
SingedFingerologist
Re: Cryogenicly Freezing a guitar body
This is because the freezing process has beneficial effects on metal, however on wood it's pretty much unnecessary. Taken from the Callaham Guitars page:
"The Cryogentic treatment we use is a industrial process which stress relieves and modifies the molecular structure of metal to a far more uniform grain alignment. We have been using it since 1996 to increase our cutting tool life and on all our electronic components. Nearly all major manufacturing industries use this process on their tooling to increase performance of their products. Every major NASCAR team treats their engine components and parts of their electrical system for added horsepower."
This is because the freezing process has beneficial effects on metal, however on wood it's pretty much unnecessary. Taken from the Callaham Guitars page:
"The Cryogentic treatment we use is a industrial process which stress relieves and modifies the molecular structure of metal to a far more uniform grain alignment. We have been using it since 1996 to increase our cutting tool life and on all our electronic components. Nearly all major manufacturing industries use this process on their tooling to increase performance of their products. Every major NASCAR team treats their engine components and parts of their electrical system for added horsepower."