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At its resonant frequency!

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

All I can say is that it works and it's stupidly easy...

Yes, catalyzed polyester over rosewood sealer over a coat of well dried Waterlox on the tops...and yes again, the finish sticks like glue...and you can superglue to it...and you can clean off excess superglue with superglue solvent.

RT

I vacuum clamp it. I have the LMI model and it works great. In fact I have one going right now (which is why I'm on OLF). I can't see myself going back to regular clamps; it works like a charm every time with little to no setup needed once I have the bridge in place.

I put masking tape in the exact outline of the bridge, which is also used in protecting the finish on the rest of the guitar while I remove the bridge finish with solvent and a chisel. I have it so that the bridge sits snugly with no room to move. Apply glue, put vacuum clamp in place and walk away and post about how I glue bridges on OLF... doesn't get simpler than that.

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Richard
http://www.guitarmaker.com

Even when I was only building steel strings I always followed the practice, that a lot of classical builders use, of gluing the bridge on before finishing the top. I like to string my guitars up in the white and do any final thinning of the top in the lower bout to get the response I'm after. I don't find any real problem with French polishing the top with the bridge in place. As I use a fully bolted on neck, after I've got the top as I want it I just unbolt the neck to complete the finish.

On my lutes, well I glue the bridge on before even gluing the top onto the shell, with no access to the underside of the top once glues on, and a 0.065-0.070 top, applying too much pressure after the top is installed is asking for trouble.



Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Rick,
Thank you for saving me a lot of time. I'll be doing this from now on.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Hey guys,
How do you handle squeeze out with the vacuum clamps?
Terry

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Get hip to DeGlueGoo. It's basically an acetic acid gel that dissolves all water-based glues and makes for very easy cleanup. And to your questions about "does it work on?", the answers are "yes" if you read the part where I said water-based.

My experience with titebond is that instead of beads, you get tiny baloons. Very easy clean up with a very sharp chisel.

Aye, she's a sassy wench!

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Rick, I got to admit your method for glueing bridges is highly tempting. How long do you wait before putting strings on? And how long have you been doing that?

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

I'm slightly paranoid, so I let the glue set for three or four hours before I string them up. Been doing this for several years on acoustics, but it's been a good twelve years on our Renaissance semi-hollow guitars. Admittedly, those also have screws going into the centerblocks...belt and suspenders kind of thing...but thats a good 2,000 guitars and basses now. I've not had any acoustic bridges pop off that were done this way.

The key, though, is getting your finish schedule down to where you've got really good adhesion, and that we do.

Thanks for the info.

I'll certainly try that soon.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Terrence;
I turn off the vacuum valve & remove the clamp fixture after 8 - 10 minutes & clean up the squeeze out as quickly as I can, (a piece of spruce about 1/8" X 1/4" sharpened like a skew chisel works nicely. Start with a freshly cut bevel every time.) & then get the clamp down for another 50 minutes at least. Works for HHG & aliphatic resin glue.