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I am about to try wood binding for the first time. I am unclear about the type of glue to use and the open time and if I use binding tape like plastic. I know it needs to be prebent. Thanks

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I use titebond. I also glue all my purflings and bindings in separate steps. I use tape to hold everything in place. I try to make sure that the bindings are as good a fit as possible so that they give little trouble during the glue up. There is not much open time so I rehearse a lot.

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I used to use Titebond. Then I discovered CA.
It is a couple extra steps because you should seal the channels with shellac or sanding sealer. Plus you'll want to get big bottles of CA. 4oz at a time makes a big difference form the .180oz bottles you get at a hardware store.

I really enjoy how fast the process goes with the CA compared to the yellow glue.

I use hide glue, so there ya go!
I apply the glue with a little brush, and do a few inches at a time. Daub some glue, do some tape. Repeat.
I've used every kind of tape, but the brown is my favorite. Because it is a bit pricy, I only use it for binding.

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And I like fish glue. It gives me the most open time to get things clamped and little dab of water with a syringe softens a gap if I find it too late. I'll give HHG a try as soon as I get around to replacing my heat gun. I like the easy cleanup.

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

I also use Titebond. The bending is key to making your life easy. It's got to be real close. I bend all the bindings then tape them on usually over night. I bend using water so I like them to dry while in place. The next day if they are not perfect I will touch them up on the hot pipe. Then I glue one binding in place at a time, so that's 4 sessions. I use strong masking tape or regular tape doubled up. Tape it real tight. Then I will rope it off for good measure. If you do rope the bindings then make sure you have all your bindings taped in place, or at least the top ones, because roping can actually dent in the edge of a soft spruce top.

Good on ya, Bill!

Agree especially with the comment that the fit needs to be very, very tight prior to gluing. Gaps won't close with tape if they aren't very close prior to gluing. For me this means that I need to be willing to do a bit of spot bending at the waist to ensure a very close fit.

I also use the brown binding tape from LMI - expensive but great for that process.

I've also learned that it requires really precise binding ledge cutting. I've been a bit sloppy in the past, reasoning that if the ledge is a bit shallow, then I'll be able to sand or scrape off the excess - bad idea, not only because it's unlikely that the excess will be uniformly consistent around the guitar (hence a fat binding here, thin one there - no good) but it also means that the binding is a bit fatter than it needs to be while bending, binding and taping. If the fit isn't perfect, it's very hard to muscle that binding into the waist - hence more gaps.

I've cycled through several glues in binding with wood bindings, and I think I've come full circle, meaning I won't be using CA again. My own feeling is that I'm better off using a glue that will draw the binding together tighter as it dries. I think LMI, HHG and fish glue probably all meet this criteria. CA didn't work so well for me on my last - little gaps remained little gaps, and visible. With HHG or LMI, at least the glue causes the binding to swell a bit as it absorbs the glue - then if it's taped snug, it seems to get even tighter when it dries. YMMV.

You've got to work quickly with HHG and keep the binding, and ledge warm while you're working, but it's doable if you use a hair dryer, and bind short sections at a time. I haven't used it, but fish glue is suposed to have the benefits of HHG, while not requiring the heat, and having a longer open time. I think I'll try it next time.

Titebond extend thinned a little with water, this gives me a little more time to get the tape on. I also clamp the binding in the waist and cutaway after applying the tape to make sure it is tight in the channel. I check for fit at the waist before starting, the the radius there needs to be right, the rest of the binding will pull into place but the waist won't. I find that I need to apply the binding right after bending.

Fred

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I moved from using Titebond to HHG for the reason that it is much less a rush, time-wise, with the result that I'm actually done faster.
I don't use applied heat, only the good hot glue, thin, working 2 inches at a time, 2 or 3 tape strips.
That said, my shop is about 80-90 degrees.

I find that if the binding and purfling is sized "dry" to exactly fill the channels, inside corners chamfered, there will be, after gluing, a very slight overhang to scrape, top and side.
I try to alternate the "pull" on the tape, one strip pulling toward the top, next strip pulling down to the sides.

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So far, I've tried Titebond and CA. For the moment, I prefer gluing smaller lengths of around 5' with Titebond. I still want to give hot hide glue and fish glue a try.

David, in passing, mentioned chamfering the inside corners on the binding, but I will mention it again for the OP because it may be overlooked. I think I picked this tip up from John Hall, and I think it's a good one. I found chamfering, i.e., cutting away, the inside edge of the binding, the edge that will lay closest to the, ideally, 90 degree angle of the binding ledge, really helps to avoid potential problems with the angle of the binding ledge. You can quickly do this by running the length of the inside edge of the bindings with a sharp scraper a few times. Just pay attention to which edge on each respective binding should be chamfered or it could cause problems (ask me how I know ).

Aaron

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Aaron Craig