@Ric

How do you know your wood bent well due to the ammonia? There are other factors such as the wood type, grain, heat, size, moisture, soak time, experience etc ... seems to me it could have just as easily been any of those reasons. Without a lot of experimentation I don't see how you can say the ammonia was key.

Years ago I researched the idea of using an ammonia soak because there seemed to be a fair amount of "wood steaming lore" about it ... the same was true for fabric softener. Other than actual cases of commercial operations that used pressurized anhydrous ammonia for bending wood ... I didn't find a single case regarding use of household ammonia where it could be clearly said that it was the magic ingredient.

So ... I'm skeptical.

Ken Blanton

: fill it up with household ammonia (sold in the laundry aisle).
: Leave them to soak for a few days. The ammonia does something to
: the lignins or whatever makes wood stiff.