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I was hoping to get some input on wheather or not to put the bridge on
before or after I finish my first classical. I think it is sort of traditional glue it
on before finshing but I thought I noticed on Robbie O'brien's website(nice
site) finshed guitars with no bridges yet. Tradition is not really an Issue, I
did a bolt on neck & MOP rosette. Just wondering what might be more
practical.

Thanks, Danny

It's easier to finish the top without the bridge on. If you put the bridge on first then you have to make a very small pad to french polish in all the areas surrounding the bridge. I've done it both ways on a number of classical guitars. French polish first then scrape away the finish under the bridge area, then glue the bridge and clean the minimal squeeze out.

Leave the bridge off for finishing, especially if youre doing a french polish.

I got impatient with my current classical and stuck the bridge on and strung my baby up half way through a french polish job....Im now doing the glaze coats and having to work around the bridge..its a p in the a.

It is possible to get a decent FP finish with the bridge on, but difficult! I have to do it on my lutes as the bridge is glued on before the top is glued to the shell (no soundhole to put a clamp through). I make a small rubber using a piece of hard felt for the padding that is cut to a wedge, this allows the rubber to work right up to the bridge.

However, on a classical, leave the bridge off till after you've finished. Still make the felt rubber though as you'll find it useful for working near the fingerboard.

Colin

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

Same here--French polish before glueing the bridge. I first use tape to mask the bridge footprint, with the tape starting 1/8" inside the bridge outline. In this way, scraping of the finish is minimal before the bridge is glued. One trick I found is to change the tape half-way through the French polishing sessions in order to minimize the sloughing of shellac buildup from the taped area onto your beautiful finish.

colin, wouldn't a vacuum clamp resolve the problem of the inability to clamp through the lute's ornamental rose?

[QUOTE=crazymanmichael] colin, wouldn't a vacuum clamp resolve the problem of the inability to clamp through the lute's ornamental rose?[/QUOTE]

Yes it would Michael, but I try and build my lutes in as traditional way as possible, I use no power tools at all when I make them, and I try not even to use sandpaper, just shagreen and scrapers (OK I use sandpaper rolls on the rose). Bridge placement is done by very careful measurement.



ColinColin S39091.3367708333

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

ah, the power of tradition....

colin, you forced me to the dictionary; had no clue what "shagreen" is.

[QUOTE=DannyV] I was hoping to get some input on wheather or not to put the bridge on
before or after I finish my first classical. I think it is sort of traditional glue it
on before finshing but I thought I noticed on Robbie O'brien's website(nice
site) finshed guitars with no bridges yet. Tradition is not really an Issue, I
did a bolt on neck & MOP rosette. Just wondering what might be more
practical.

Thanks, Danny[/QUOTE]

Danny,
Thanks for the compliment on my site. You are correct. I do not put the bridge on until the finish has been applied, no matter what kind of finish it is. I try to keep it as easy as possible. Why complicate matters?
Something else I do on both my classical and steel string bridges is take them to the buffing wheel just before glueing on and give them a nice sheen. Rosewood and ebony buff up nicely.

Very Nice work Colin! Have you got pics of your build process?

I'm with most of the rest of the folks here, after trying it both ways. Right now, I'm french polishing the top on a classical that I decided to glue the bridge on first. It's been more trouble than I prefer to put up with. If you do decide to glue the bridge on first, I recommend that you french polish it before gluing it down.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

You get pretty used to polishing around a bridge after doing it for a while, and the results improve.

I glue my bridge first. Partially because its tradition to final all the woodwork before starting the finish, but mainly because it gives me an opportunity to make any adjustments to the soundboard thickness if need be.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

[QUOTE=Gary L] I first use tape to mask the bridge footprint...[/QUOTE]
What kind of tape do you use? I did some French polishing with tape masking off some areas, and the alcohol dissolved the tape's adhesive, incorporating it into the shellac. Not good.