The most commonly used version of this is called Duco Cement and is widely used for building models and other similar applications. Inlays are typically thin and delicate, but need a very strong attachment to the … Many builders use this epoxy for filling wood pores prior to finishing to speed up the process and get a glassy and filled surface. Wonderful information for anyone working with wood or plastic. thanks. Very easy to mix with a forgiving 1:1 ratio. It can be very toxic, have a strong odor, and can damage any nitrocellulose finish. Excellent article…thank you! Trade Names: Gorilla Glue, Tightbond Polyurethane. I trace around these areas with an exacto knife and scrape the poly paint off to get a full footprint gluing. Binding is all there but loose. The implications of this are awesome..it means you can use it in situations where the wood will be exposed to water and heat…hmmm , bring anything to mind? Future repairs may be made impossible with gorilla glue as it is difficult/impossible to remove once cured. 4. Then you can use hide glue if you are OK (and the glue joints are tight enough) with that or just use Original Tightbond which is a little more forgiving. Learn More Here. Trade Names: Zap, Zap-A-Gap, Satellite City, Superglue. Please advise! Fish glue is closely related to hide glue but is usually made from the air bladders of certain fish. Maybe you never really thought about it much or just used whatever adhesive was recommended in your instructional lutherie book or course, which is a great place to start – I know I started out that way. There are many other brands of CA glue so you can use whatever kind you find works the best for you, this happens to be my CA of choice. You can think about your bridge on the top, and your bridge plate inside the guitar, directly under it, as two slices of bread in a spruce sandwich. Posted by Tom Bills | Education, Luthiers Guide Series, Technique | 10. Gluing on the bridge is one of the most common jobs for a guitar maker/repairperson. After the bridge is glued the whole top of the bridge will need to be sanded to have a consistent finish. It has a 2 hour pot life and a full cure in 24hrs at room temperature. Trade Names: Hide Glue (Milligan & Higgons), Norland High Tack Fish Glue. Do you know how to fit cauls around the braces and bridge plate, and have the appropriate clamps? I found that by carefully choosing the best possible adhesives specifically suited for each part of the guitar, I could improve both the structural/functional properties of my guitars AND noticeably improve the sound of my guitars at the same time! I do have a question I hope you might have a recommendation for me. This glue bonds stronger than wood, has a fast initial tack relatively short clamping time (as little as 1 hour), nontoxic, and water cleanup. If you could answer a question I would be so appreciative. Wipe the surface with a microfiber cloth to remove any glue bits before you proceed. It has a thin viscosity to enable it to soak into the wood deeper and create a very strong joint. The resulting film is somewhat flexible but very hard, perfect for many guitar making applications. At our shop, we use it in dozens of ways, but unless you understand its properties and know how to handle it safely, you can wind up in trouble in a matter of seconds. Dimensions: 15' Body:20' Item Attributes Brand: Yamaha Model: FG-110 MPN: N/A UPC: N/A Used. Wood glue is certainly strong enough, but the bridge and neck joints benefit from the creep resistance of hide glue. It is important to check the glue joint between the bridge and top to ensure there are no gaps. Bridges are usually glued on with either hide glue, or white glue. Hi Jack, fixing a head stock is tricky because it is an inherent weak spot in the design of a guitar. Super glue plays an important role in many types of guitar repair. But your article also mentioned Norland High Tack Fish Glue. I typically prefer titebond as the glue of choice because it has a fairly long open time, is fairly easily removed if necessary, and it is easy to apply and cleanup. This is some amazing and great sounding glue with an impressive set of features such as; zero cold creep (thermoplastic creep), easy reactivation for repairs, and superior sound transfer. A loose bridge can also shift forward and damage the finish. By tradition I mean, what other great men and women before me have tested and proved and invested their lives to learn. It is commonly used for laminating the masts of large ships and other critical structural boat building applications where strength is critical. Titebond II is not the right glue for guitar repair. If you note in the photo above, you can see where parts of the bridge were not glued to the soundboard. 2. Loved reading about different glues. Donner 6PCS Acoustic Guitar Cocobolo Bridge Pins Inlaid 3mm Abalone Dot with Guitar Pins … Like when I did a repair to one of Jimmy D’Aquisto’s guitars a few years ago. Concerned about sound transfer and hold. Thanks, Jim. I have no opinion on "vaccume clamping" as I have not tried it as yet. However, as the years went by and I built more and more guitars, I started developing a more refined sense of how each different glue was influencing the sound of each part and even the final voice of the finished guitar. Hand Split Tone Bars (A simple way to improve your next guitar). Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! Thank You So Much For This Informative Article.. What we’re going to use is superglue (cyanoacrylate). There is no such thing as curing or drying too long. I usually use the Super Bond epoxy I talked about in the guide for structural stuff like this. Trade Names: West System, Zpoxy, Superbond, Smith. The Zap line of CA glues are used for many industrial applications including guitar making and are available in several viscosities and can also be used with accelerator for an instant cure. Here is a complete set of tools for doing the most common acoustic guitar bridge repairs. I could hear the glue! I still like to clamp bridges because I believe air is essential to good glue bonding. BUT that being said, I always build a strong foundation on the tradition first. These form the basis of our palette of adhesives that we can draw from as we find just the right glue for each part of the guitar for function AND sound. Plus, the original question was about Elmer's vs. Titebond. The bridge separates from the guitar, allowing removal of all the old glue. Tom Bills has been hand crafting one of a kind custom guitars for the top players and collectors around the world since 1998. The make, model, and age of the guitar, and the temperature and humidity where it has been recently are all relevant. The yellow glue especially lends itself very well to guitar making which explains its popularity. Learn more Here. To learn more about accessing this guide and our growing luthier training library click here. The bridge will sometimes pull up from the top of your acoustic or classic guitar. 3. Tom is also the author of the guitar making book/DVD set - The Art Of Lutherie - published by Mel Bay, and has written for and been featured in may publications both in print and online as well as several television and film spots. Guitar Repair Price List & Guide April 2017 . It dries very hard and is not susceptible to thermal plastic creep like many of the modern PVA glues. 10 minute open time—5 minutes longer than traditional Titebond I dont have the money to become a member for only one article…maybe i can but just this one? Your email address will not be published. That combined with the low-humidy environment the guitar lives in (wood stove heat, northeast winter season), the top is under tremendous stress. Because of it’s thicker viscosity, this epoxy is great for applications where you don’t want the glue running out and making a mess as well as applications where gap filling is important. This glue is formulated specifically for luthiers and claims to have some great properties such as curing harder than the other types of yellow glues, easier sanding, and easier cleaning up too. Let’s talk about your bridge for a moment. But as I grew as a luthier and gained experience, I began to discover a secret that helped me improve and refine my guitars. gorilla glue is not generally used for guitar repair. Trade Names: Duco Cement, Bind-ALL Guitar Binding Glue. That's not to say that aliphatic glue (wood glue), will not work, but animal protien glues like hyde glue and fish glue have proven to have highly successful results, and personally, I use fish protien glue. Repairable, needs work, or for parts. For the strongest bond, our go-to glue for repairs and new builds is Titebond III. I still use it but only for very specific applications. Most people understand the importance of having a glue that is strong enough to hold the guitar together, and that the glue must have the right working time or cure time needed for a specific part of the guitar, I got that part. And, to keep the repair discreet, we’ll add a little pigment to colour the glue. This is the traditional glue for luthiers. Inlay Repair. excellent article! I am interested in buying this one article only.Is there an option for that? Now that I listed many of the most commonly used glues for guitar building and some of their common applications above, you may have noticed that there is a lot of overlap in the different parts of the guitar they can be used for and you might be wondering: Like so many things in the art of lutherie, there is no one best wood, or best finish, or best glue, it’s about finding which one is the best for you, your guitars, and your style of building. What is the best glue for a guitar bridge repair? If you're going to use hide glue over a previous glue job, you'd better be fairly experienced with it because it doesn't stick to old glue very well. This liquid fish glue is one of the most used on the market and offers some unique qualities such as a longer working time and fast tack. This type of glue is probably the newest of the group listed here, but they are rapidly gaining popularity due to their unique properties. The thinner version is useful for wicking into tight fitting joints, and thicker versions are useful for joints that may have small gaps or irregularities. This is one of many different types of glues designed to glue plastic bindings onto the wooden guitar body. The prices for replacing look crazy so I thought I might try and glue it. Epoxy is a good alternative to superglue (better in many cases) but I want my glue a little less viscous for this particular job. Expands to 3 times its size as it cures and penetrates deep into the wood fibers for a strong bond. With that in mind let’s start off by looking at the types of wood glue that have been successfully used by many great luthiers to build their wonderful creations that still inspire the music of guitar players and music lovers around the world. We've tested lots of glues in our shops. Using soundhole clamps and a bridge plate caul (to protect the bridge plate and spread the clamping pressure), Christine clamped the bridge in place. Resetting the bridge works best because any damage shows easily and can be repaired before replacing the bridge. BRIDGE GLUING. Be sure to use this in a well-ventilated area and take caution. I Want Your Favor To Stick My Guitar’s Bridge. Other glues are used though, so one has to be alert. Scrape any remaining glue off the top of the guitar. One unique feature is the UV dye that is added to allow for using a black light to see places where glue is still on the surface – very handy when preparing for staining and finishing. This epoxy is formulated especially for use on oily woods such as cocobolo and some ebonies. What would you recommend. The hot glue sounds a bit to difficult for me to work with so I was thinking the Titebond Hide Glue in the bottle or the Titebond Original Glue. It sets in about 2 minutes and fully cures in 12 hrs which is really great for this type of glue and can really help you get your plastic bindings installed. Bridge lifting, or completely popping off is a typical repair and I reglue a lot of bridges. First, it is my opinion that an animal protien glue should be used. Phone: (757) 582 0525Address3612 Ithaca TrailSuffolk VA 23435, Copyright © 2010-2021 Accu-Tech Guitar Repair LLC | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. Need to reglue new one and fill cavity around pin holes. This melts the glue holding the bridge to the top, allowing us to slide knives into the glue joint and lift the bridge: With the bridge removed, we can now start work on fixing the top. If the guitar is worth anything, you should probably take it to a luthier or guitar shop for repair. Starbond EM-02 Super Fast Thin, Premium Instant CA (Cyanoacrylate Adhesive) Super Glue Pl… If either slip under the bridge, you will need heat to soften the remaining glue to remove the bridge. GET 4 FREE Video Lessons From the exclusive Luthier's EDGE Video Library & More Just Enter Your Info Below To Get Started! This is one of many different types of glues designed to glue plastic bindings onto the wooden guitar body. Model: Monterey Maker: Harmony Stamp visible inside body is the 1940's double box type, Made in USA. They don’t list what type of glue it is but I am guessing it is an Aliphatic Resin based glue related to the Tightbond Original glue mentioned earlier. Glue cracked bridge $45 Shave bridge $50 . You can find some great info about hide glue, how to prepare it, and how to use it here: Using Hide Glue, Larger quantities can be purchased here Smaller amounts here. Some of the luthier glues like the ones I linked to from LMI above can also be good choice if you want to give that a try and you need some extra humidity resistance which they provide. Separation of bottom from side, I can push it back in, would need glue. I have an old Vintage Silverton 1448 and my grandson broke it by accident. Here’s the great part: The Luthier’s Guide: Adhesives for Guitar Making is included in your Luthier’s EDGE membership along with every other tutorial, video course, and more. A thin piece of paper can be used to determine the extent to which the bridge is loose. Before we get into that part let’s start by looking at the main types of adhesives for guitar making and the most commonly used glues. It cures quickly and can be made to cure instantly with the use of an accelerator spray. You want to glue your bridge … Try to fill the missing material with wood rather than any type of glue if you can. It has great working time and is crazy strong. Scrape off the excess glue on the guitar body with a chisel. Any of the glues mentioned here work well, but now that you know about these great options listed here and understand more about how they work and their strengths, you can start your journey to determining which glue is the best for YOUR guitars and YOUR building style. You can learn more about this glue or purchase it here: http://www.lmii.com/lmi-yellow-instrument-glue-fgx. Damaged bridge, needs new strings and tuning pegs. Many years ago, I put together a list like the one above and began experimenting. Cleans up with denatured alcohol, sands easily, and is claimed to be “the strongest glue on earth”. I mostly use wood bindings for my guitars so I don;t use this much, but in certain cases it’s a must have. While tightening the clamps, she again wiped away glue squeeze-out and cleared excess glue out of the bridge … It is available in several different versions designed for specific gluing purposes. Under the bridge is a glue joint that covers quite a bit of real estate—this big, strong joint is really working hard for your guitar. I need to understand that first, otherwise I’m starting over from scratch and it could take me a lifetime to get to the point where they left off, that would be crazy right? The bridge not only had a bad glue joint, but was ripping apart the cedar top. Should You Seal The Inside Of Your Guitar? As far as I can remember the only thing I didn’t use it for was doing the inlay. Animal based glues are made from the tissue, skin, and bones of animals similar to gelatin. If you’re a member of the Luthier’s EDGE you can log in to access the full guide now, or see below for more info on my Luthier’s Guide Series resource; Adhesives For Guitar Making, where I give you my personal list of go-to glues for each part of the guitar and walk you through each step I used to identify the key criteria for each glue joint, and then set up experiments to test glues and find just the perfect adhesive for each part of my guitar. Re-gluing a bridge on an acoustic guitar can be a very successful repair, especially if you go the extra mile and do a few things that might seem "excessive" to some. You’ll also receive emails with our best content to help build better guitars. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, GET 4 FREE Video Lessons From the exclusive Luthier's EDGE Video Library & More. It sets in about 2 minutes and fully cures in 12 hrs which is really great for this type of glue and can really help you get your plastic bindings installed. The job pictured here is to remove a bridge from a 1941 D-28. Now after experimenting with every glue I could find on over 100 guitars, I have a set of glues that have proven to be the optimum choices for each individual application based on structural properties, cure time, AND the way that they affect and help to shape the final voice of my guitars. Application of Glue. Epoxy is a two-part adhesive resin that is available in hundreds of different variations for temperature ranges, strengths, and viscosities. Acoustic Guitar Bridge Repair Tool Kit. Any dried glue still left on the top of your guitar or the bottom of the bridge will create an uneven surface to glue your bridge back on. *Included With Your Luthier’s EDGE membership, KISS Your Guitar Inlay (The Secret To Better Inlay Design), 1 Simple Trick To Take Your Guitar Inlay To The Next Level. Required fields are marked *. One of the most fascinating things about this glue to me is the fact that while most glues cure as the moisture content is removed (while it dries), the polyurethane glues cure with the addition of the water content…the water content actually causes the reaction that cures the glue. West epoxy is a thin viscosity and works well for laminating and even treating wood to strengthen it and prevent cracks. Never just fill a crack with glue and assume it will be OK. West epoxy resin can be mixed with the 105 or 205 hardeners for a slow or fast cure time. These glues can be sold in a granular form that needs to be mixed and heated or liquid form ready for use out of the bottle. April 2017 Page 2 Bench Rate Services or repairs which do not have a fixed rate will be billed at the bench rate of $72 per hour ($1.20 per minute) with a minimum charge of $15. Neglecting a loose bridge can create more damage if it breaks free and tears fibers from the top. Hi Jack just wondering what you would recommend for glueing a neck to a solid body like a Gibson sg Thanks Joe R. This might be a little controversial, but a trick I learned from my mentors a long time ago was to use a special kind of epoxy called Super Bond made by Fiberglass Coatings down in Florida. Because of its superior hardness it can improve the sound of a guitar when used to glue the braces to the face of a guitar, however it does have some drawbacks such as the fact that it requires preparation in the form of mixing heating and holding it at a constant specific temperature to preserve its strength and usability. It’s pretty amazing stuff and I use for lots of parts of the guitar. Trade Names: Tightbond Original, Elmers, LMI FGX. The Luthier’s Guide To Tape For Guitar Making, Dust Collection – The Ultimate Luthier’s Guide. I use hot hide glue, too, whenever I can. Hot hide glue or simply “hide glue” has been famous for being the luthiers choice in both guitars and violin family instruments for centuries. After sanding the contact surfaces to create a clean bonding surface, the bridge is glued and clamped onto the guitar top for 24 hours. Re-gluing a bridge on an acoustic guitar can be a very successful repair, especially if you go the extra mile and do a few things that might seem "excessive" to some. Probably the most commonly used type of wood glue in the world, the PVA family of glues which includes white glue and the closely related (though with much better characteristics than standard PVA) Aliphatic Resin glue (yellow glue). Read more in the captions below the photos... You can detect a lifting bridge with a fine feeler guage or business card, by checking for a small gap along the backside of the bridge. Regluing and Clamping an Acoustic Guitar Bridge Once I am sure that the bridge is well mated to the top, it is ready to be glued into position. Hide glue also has a very short working time usually less than one minute in most environments to position the pieces together before the glue sets. If you're satisfied with the trial run, you're ready to glue the bridge to the … If you want to attempt a do-it-yourself job, check inside the guitar to see if the bridge plate is still there - a block of wood under the soundboard where the bridge … Title: Yamaha Acoustic Guitar FG-110 FOR REPAIR Up for auction is this Yamaha Acoustic Guitar, FG-110 (See photos) Damaged, for repair. If you’ve read my guitar making book or any of my lutherie articles, you might already know that I’m a fan of pushing the envelope. At that temperature, the glue that holds the bridge may start to fail, and the bridge will become noticeably loose from the top: Regluing loose bridges is standard fare for most guitar repair shops, and it's usually successful, resulting in a healthy guitar. Use a chisel or razor blade to gently remove it. Each viscosity is good for different applications; The thin penetrating viscosity cures in tight joints in 1-5 seconds to form a strong bond and can wick into the tightest spaces of pre-assembled joints. Gently scrape the surface where the bridge was previously glued to get rid of the residue. Removed a bridge and part, a good chunk of the sound board came out around the bridge support(first time inexperience). Both of these glues are forgiving to the repairman who is careful. As luthier’s we have the privilege of accessing the wealth of knowledge left to us as an inheritance to use as our starting point. Learn more Here. Here is a list of acoustic guitar bridge repair tools that you will need to do most repairs on your acoustic guitar. The guitar was strung with medium gauge strings, so this increased tension was not helping things. What Kind Of Glue can I Use For Proper Adhesion? This epoxy is designed for this purpose and has some features that make it work very well such as forgiving mix ratios, easy sanding, clear color, and a 3hr cure time. From there we can explore and endeavor to add our own unique chapter to the living chronicle of the guitar as it evolves and grows with us collectively. Obviously it must be done for every new guitar, and frequently is done as a repair on existing guitars. It’s often used for laminating veneers, gluing parts where avoiding water in the glue joint (from water based or water curing glues) is beneficial, pore filling, and more. Guitar has scuffs and scratches. A damp rag wipes it away. The ‘best’ would be animal protein glue. Bind-ALL Guitar Binding Glue. Hope that helps! Super Bond is a thixotropic epoxy paste that has unbelievable strength. We have a cork board that we’ve cut a bridge shaped hole into, so we set that on the guitar to protect the top, and then heat the bridge with a 75 watt lamp. It can be thickened using thickening powders and can be easily dispensed in the proper ratios using the special pumps designed for each container size (a huge time saver). Mixing pigment into glue to match the bridge colour. Hey Jim, The key is going to be making sure your new filler piece (and then bridge) is a very good tight fit. But at the end of the day it is really more about getting a great fitting joint, that is the key step to a good sounding and stable glue joint. It is the Bahco 625 scraper, and is perfectly sized for this job. When cured cyanoacrylate is essentially a plastic and in many cases can have a bond stronger than wood. The techniques are essentially the same in any case. This glue is possibly the most used of all the glues and for a very long time it was the main glue I used to build my guitars. This glue is a water activated polyurethane that is heat resistant and when cured is 100% waterproof. It’s main purpose in guitar making is gluing plastic binding to the guitar body and other parts. Also stamped inside is 4848 H1327 and UV-S2S (oval stamp). I had to use this glue so that I could use the same type of binding material that Jimmy used when he built the guitar originally, so it is an important part of the luthiers pallet to have on hand for specific purposes. Removing all of the old glue is essential and I use the best scraper in my opinion to do this job. You can view and learn more about his guitars by visiting his website: tbguitars.com. The medium cures a bit slower and works well for joints with some small gaps and that require longer assembly times. I remember when I was studying with Boaz Elkayam he told me how to make fish glue, but I never tried it mainly because where I live is about as far away from an ocean as possible. For centuries animal based glues were all they had to use, but don’t feel too bad for the luthiers of old, it’s amazing stuff and still widely regarded as the best for many different applications. It has a wonderful sound to it (yes each type of glue gives a different sound characteristic to the joint – as if you needed more things to factor in! If you change your mind, you can unsubscribe anytime. Commonly known as super glue, cyanoacrylate has quickly become one of the most popular adhesives for woodworkers in many different fields. Just Enter Your Email Below To Get Started! Your email address will not be published. It shines in its great gap filling ability, control over curing time, and in many cases its ability to bind well to oily woods. Considering the amount of tension the strings cause, usually about 160 pounds and more, its a wonder they stay on as long as they do...1`. I score light grain lines in the soundboard and also crosshatch on the bridge bottom with a dremel and a small saw blade. Vintage Acoustic Archtop Guitar. If not done correctly glue can run onto the top of the guitar, damaging the finish. Let’s spend some time exploring super glue and ways to use it effectively in common projects. It needs Reglueing. Type of Glue: Cyanoacrylate . Last, whatever the glue instructions say about curing/drying time, ignore it and double the time. These qualities (which can vary by actual brand of glue) can include; good working time, quick set, short clamping time, easy clean up, resistance to cold creep (aka thermoplastic creep), and more. WARNING: This will be initially very ugly. Have you ever reglued a guitar bridge? If there is evidence that the bridge is loose it should be inspected and repaired if necessary. The head split around the tuning pegs and I would like your opinion as to what the best glue to use. Peghead repairs and bridge reglues demand a strong bond. The repair would be ugly and probably won’t hold. Here is how I do it. The bridge must then be carefully removed and reglued or replaced. 5. The link and more info on Super Bond epoxy is up above in the luthier glue article. The glue line is extremely thin and crystalline / brittle. After you remove the bridge, there will probably be some glue residue stuck to the guitar body. This glue is not recommended for installing wooden bindings but for plastics only. This epoxy is used by boat builders worldwide and is one of the industry standards for quality and dependability. First, it is my opinion that an animal protien glue should be used. But a bridge is one place where you sometimes can't because of missing wood fibers.