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I got an old Gibson LGO - already refinned etc that needed the rosewood bridge reset. The orig was plastic and the rosewood one was put on bad and was lifting.

So I figure I;d do my first one as I do this for a hobby. Well I buy the clamps and the Titebond glue and I gure her down - perfecto! not so. I figured I would, for alignment, just match her up with her existing bridge pin holes - except there was an extra hole I guess for a screw from the plastic bridge. Embarassingly so, I set her starting with that bridge pin hole so she is off such that the low E is wherer the A should be. So I need to take her off and reset.

Since I used titebond, would heat help a bit, and if so how would I do it as a novice? An iron with something between the iron and the bridge? ( I did that when I removed an old fretboard on an es125 that was wrecked) I have some Stew Mac flat knives to use to work her loose. OR should I not bohter with heat as I understand that heat has less of an effect on titebond. Then I would just ever so slowly use the knife.  thanks

[QUOTE=Hesh1956]Dennis Titebond will give way with some heat.

Here is how I recently removed a bridge and if you read down the tread some of the pro repair guys will give you the finer points.

here[/QUOTE]

Thanks Hesh.  I have the knife but since I don't do this often what do you think I can use as heat without buying the Stewmac metal block? What is that block made of? also, how is it that with the heat the block does not wreck the finish on the bridge? thanks again 

you can use a clothes iron if you want. just make up some insulators out of corrugated cardboard with alfoil on it to protect the top from the heat.

read the run out in the top and use the knives with the grain, not against it which can very easily end up with knife digging in.

the titebond will soften quite readily in a few minutes.

frank fords site has some good info that may help, www.frets.com

good luck - i'd be interested to see some pics if possible how you manage it, i dont think it'll be too hard with a little heat.

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www.theguitarrepairworkshop.com

[QUOTE=curtis]

frank fords site has some good info that may help, www.frets.com

good luck - i'd be interested to see some pics if possible how you manage it, i dont think it'll be too hard with a little heat.

[/QUOTE]

 

THANKS GUYS I WILL TELL YOU HOW IT GOES - GOOD IDEAS

[QUOTE=crazymanmichael]you can use a clothes iron if you want. just make up some insulators out of corrugated cardboard with alfoil on it to protect the top from the heat.

read the run out in the top and use the knives with the grain, not against it which can very easily end up with knife digging in.

the titebond will soften quite readily in a few minutes.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Michael. Would you put the foil on all sides of the cardboard, or just the top?

Dennis

only need it on the top. i use spray adhesive to stick it to the cardboard. make sure you use the corugated stuff, not cardstock like cereal boxes are made from.

the air spaces in the corrugated board serve to cool and insulate as well and make sure it fits snuggly around the bridge. i make it in two L-shaped pieces, one to fit around the straight side of the bridge and one to fit around the belly side. just remove the iron and one piece of shielding to test whether the glue has softened with your pallette knife. if it needs more heat just replace the sheild and iron some more.

perhaps i should mention that some palette knives are a bit thick on the end. i thin mine on the belt sander for the first 1 1/2" or so to make them more flexible and easier to slip under the bridge. then i use a bit of sandpaper to dull any sharpness i may have sanded on.

i usually use 2 or three knives, leaving one in place as i move along to prevent the glue from readhering the
bridge. the thinning also helps prevent inadvertant lifting of the bridge before the glue has been all separated. this can tear out spruce very easily.

some have good experience using dental floss to sever the glue line, but i have never tried it. someone who has may care to comment on that technique.

I use the SM block and it works well. I usually heat it to around 400 degrees as I find it cools off real quick. I use their spring thermometer that they sell and it too works well. The important part is to go slow and let the glue melt. I get impatient and want to get it off, but you can't be that way or else bad things happen... ( like slipping with the knife and scarring the top or digging in to the top).

I like C.M.'s idea using an iron since it will stay hot. Now if only I could find a skinny mini-iron or a kids iron...now that would be the "hot set-up".

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

dave, what i use is an old edge banding iron i picked up in a junk shop for next to nothing, perhaps 50 cents or a dollar. it is a tool designed to melt the adhesive backing on edge veneer. the temp is adjustable and it really works very well. they are available from the woodworking suppliers new, but unfortunately not for the price i paid!

Thanks for the Tips guys. I looked around and found Tower hobbies to be the cheapest at $10.99. Same iron was as high as $30 in some shops!. I think this one will really work well...if not I am definitely going with CM's edge Iron. I was getting tired of heating up the stove and re-heating the stove...over and over. Thanks again.

Cheers!

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

[QUOTE=Dave-SKG]Thanks for the Tips guys. I looked around and found Tower hobbies to be the cheapest at $10.99. Same iron was as high as $30 in some shops!. I think this one will really work well...if not I am definitely going with CM's edge Iron. I was getting tired of heating up the stove and re-heating the stove...over and over. Thanks again.

Cheers!
[/QUOTE

 

I REALLY APPRECIATE IT - YOU GUYS ARE REALLY GREAT.  DENNIS

that looks like what a woodworker would call an edge banding iron. i guess different folks in different activities call them different things.

but the price is very much better than what the woodworking houses charge. for instance see:
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=800-933

i don't know whether it will generate the same sort of heat or not though. i know i have to keep the heat on mine down or i run the risk of scorching the bridge.

[QUOTE=crazymanmichael]that looks like what a woodworker would call an edge banding iron. i guess different folks in different activities call them different things.

but the price is very much better than what the woodworking houses charge. for instance see:
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=800-933

i don't know whether it will generate the same sort of heat or not though. i know i have to keep the heat on mine down or i run the risk of scorching the bridge.

[/QUOTE]

Well just wanted to report that all your advice worked. I used a regular iron at about half heat, covered the rest of the body with foil faced cardboard and worked teh bridge loose in like 10 minutes.  Just great  guys. Now I reglued here with clamps and will wait about two weeks to get back to her as she is at my summer shack.

I applied to glue to both  the bridge and the top (after scraping both clean) - just one more Q. I put a block over the bridge plate for clamping. How do you stop glue from oozing through the holes for the pins and clogging as well as dripping. I guess set the block a bit in front of the pin holes, tape the bottom of the holes from the inside then clean out hte holes?

Thx Again Dennis

two things. whenever you use a wooden gluing caul, you wanteither to wax it very well( the wax prevents the glue from sticking), or use a sheet of wax paper or some saran wrap. if you did neither you may have some problems because your caul may be glued to you bridge plate.

i also always use the little hdpe locating pins from stew-mac. the locate the bridge so it doesn't swim away as well as doing a fair job of preventing the glue running down through the pin holes.

I am going to try the " Hesh" iron today. let you know how it works!

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

I covered holes with the smallest amount of paper tape and I covered the caul with paper tape too. I had that swimming issue. What are the Stew Mac locating pins? Are they shorter than regular pins.

if you used no form of locating pin you had best check that your bridge bridge is in the correct location.

some use a metal pins through two holes drilled in the saddle slot. the stew-mac pins are here:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Bridges /Acoustic_Bridge_Locating_Pins.html

[QUOTE=Hesh1956] Hey Dave it might be a good idea to calibrate the heat settings on the iron. The one I have gets VERY hot..... I have not used it at 250 degrees but when I do I would start out with the dial on about "2" and check the iron with a surface thermometer.[/QUOTE]

Thanks...I was hoping this thing would get real hot. I didn't get to it yesterday...maybe today...will post back when I do. I have the little S.M. surface thermometer so I'll check it often.

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"