Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello all,
Been lurking around a while and this is my first post. I going to make a neck with a headstock that resembles MJ guitars. The exception will be no metal piece at top .....I will keep the wood there instead. I noiced they haved a top lamination of carbon fiber as well. Looking at it, it looks like it is to keep the sides from pulling toward each other more than keeping them from pulling up towards string pull. I want to inlay some CF rods (stew mac 0.2 x 1/4" rods)above the tuner holes to stiffen the 1/2" x 3/4" pieces of wood that the tuners go through there. I think this will stiffen in both directions.....not let it pull up or let the sides pull towards each other. Then put a peghead veneer cap on top to hide them. If the pieces are not enough to keep the sides from comming together to much then I can always add a metal piece in the middle from under the peghead to keep the sides from collapsing(thick brass to look good).

I was reading around here and was was wondering if I should use CA to glue the carbon fiber in or epoxy? I have seen advice to both. I was planning on using epoxy from the big box stores in the disposiable, mix as you push out, tubes if that is the recommended choice. Which method is better and is this epoxy good enough to use? Also, I was going to use regular titebond (sp) to glue the veneer over the top. Will this bond the wood to the CA or epoxy as well as wood?

Thanks for any advice!

I have used both standard tite bond wood glue and titebond poly glue to laminate carbon fiber to wood. The standard wood glue worked just as well and it took about 1/12th the time to dry/cure and it didn't make a huge sticky stinky mess foaming everywhere.
CA leaves you no working movement time if you should happen to need some. Epoxy may work well, but another step in that you have to mix it, and also a long cure time.
For me, standard tite bond works very well for CF and wood. Not sure about glueing to a layer of CA. Probably would have to use the poly or the epoxy.
-j.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

I glue my CF rods in using epoxy....stock standard epoxy in the double syringes with normal setting time. With a bit more practise I could probably get away with using 5 minute epoxy

Matthew,
Epoxy is probably the most common and with out question works great. I know many others who really like the PU adhesive.
I think I would avoid the 5 minute stuff myself.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

All of the above will work, but here's my take. Tightbond will bond to the wood, but will only mechanically lock to the pores and irregularities in the CF. Epoxy or CA should actually bond to both.

Al

Thank you all for the replys. I will use epoxy and see how it turns out.