Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, too many guitars at once may not be the best way to keep organized....

Long story short:
I marked the outline of a top for a Black Limba SJ I'm building, later yesterday I glued on the top and this morning removed the clamps. Went pretty well... now I was about to trim the soundboard edges in preparation for the binding when I noticed way too much overhang! Whats wrong here? I asked myself... Well my nice Black Limba (commish) ended up with a Grand Auditorium Lutz top instead of the Englemann~~

What the heck!!?? I glued on the wrong top!!!
Whoever said Englemann and Lutz are pretty close, they can say that again... if I could convince my customer on the Lutz, how would I explain the inexplicable Rosette change, and bracing for that matter??

Well, I was about to throw the guitar out the window but was gently reminded of the "fruits of the spirit" and decided to ask for help instead!

I want to remove the top... any ideas? Maybe I can use a clothes iron and try to soften the glue but I'm afraid I may loosen the braces or the center seam.


Any help would be EXTREMELY appreciated!


T I A peterm39052.8389699074

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Try taking a thin paint scraper or metal spatula and grind/sand it down real thin on the end, then heat up the end of it. I've used my gas stove for this, or I clamp a heat gun in place on my bench. Then you can use that to penetrate the glue joint. My experience with this is limited to Titebond joints.

If you put in the right spot, it should just sort of "dive" into the joint like a knife into butter... If you have to force it, it's probably cutting into the grain. Keep your heat source nearby so you can keep heating up the scraper.

Anwyay, this lets you target just the joint you want to loosen, not the others around it.

Full disclosure/disclaimer: I'm sort of a noob, but I've undone a lot of my own screwed up work this way in order to redo it the right way. You might want some old hands to confirm or dismiss my advice.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Thanks Jon!

BTW guys, its glued with LMI white....

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Can't offer you any suggestions, but a story might help you feel better: Tom Beeston, a departed colleague of mine in Arizona, also known as a wild man, actually glued the bridge on a guitar the wrong way, with the saddle facing the tail of the guitar!

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Stay with the happy people.
--Reynolds Large

Heat the perimeter with an iron and use a thin spatula (and some vinegar may be) in the joint. Since it is quite fresh, it should come apart.

Hi Peter, sorry to hear about that. I have used a small putty knife heated with a heat gun(blow dryer on steroids)and as Jon said it will slide in between the joint like butter when the temp and position are accurate. Keep removing the knife, heating, inserting, and work your way around, it should work out fine.

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

Yes, heat (I use a clothes iron) and thin knife. Don't force the knife, when it is hot enough, the glue will release easily. Be very careful around the center seam and over the braces, you don't want to open those joints with the heat.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

I had to do a back once... If you use an iron to heat an area just enough to get your knife under it you can slide in a little shim to maintain the opening. Then heat just the knife and go slow. It should slide in really easy and undo the joint. Just use caution at the braces (are they tucked under the linning?). The center seam can also be a pain you may need to approach it from both directions.

Just be patient and stay focused Should be no problem

Good luck

So sorry to hear that Peter. Hang in there!

All good advice here my friend, a very sharp knife or thin spatula and a close by heat source, very slowly will do the trick and some sand paper to remove the build up!

Let us know how it goes!

well, I got a nice sharp chisel and a hammer and got the job done....

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Naah, yer just kidding Peter, right?

I have used pretty much the system(s) described above. One thing I would suggest for cleaning glue off the knife (or putty knife, or whatever you use) is a razor blade and cool water. The cool water solidifies the glue enough for the razor blade to scrape it clean with no fuss.

Good luck, and remember that many things that seem decisive are fairly easily reversible--especially when glue is involved.

Arnt has it right, kmeep the iron med. high, put paper or cloth between iron and side, and keep trying with knife until the top starts to come free, then move the iron to next adjoining spot.