Official Luthiers Forum!

I am going to try and put a decoratinve ebony binding along the front edges of a quilted maple headstock. Are there any good techniques you could recommend? I plan on using my binding jig to do as much as possible, and then finish the inside corners by hand. Any other ideas?

How would you go about bending the ebony? My headstock design has some really tight curves. I'm not sure I could actually bend ebony that tight. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

John

Bend the binding before you cut the binding ledges just in case you can't make the bend. I assume you have a bending iron or pipe with a small enough radius. If you make the headstock bindings thin, say 1/16", and maybe no more than 3/16" tall, they are much easier to bend.

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

John, you can get a black fiber that is indistinguishable from ebony under finish. Its NOT plastic, but it bends much easer than does ebony.

_________________
Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I've seen some ebony headstock binding that was shaped from a larger piece, rather than bent. It works best if your ebony is quite dark.

Carlton

Really "good" ebony that is all black looks like plastic under gloss lacquer so .... Yea I know, I use the wood too.

I try to find ebony with streaks of brown it it for binding, so you can tell it is "real." It might be tough for a headstock binding to find a piece that has brown in it that works well since the binding is so small.

One good thing, when you are bending the ebony over the pipe, it is tough to see where you burned it.

It sounds like processes described should work, Good luck

John,

Try finding either an ebony veneer or dyed maple and just apply layers until you get to the desired thickness. You won't need a bending iron as most veneers bend really easily. Under finish it will look like one solid piece.

_________________
Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

If you thin ebony down to about .06" or so you can bend it pretty tight if you use a firm backer over a pipe. I have bent it for the cutaway horn of a telecaster before without much problem. I usually bend them pretty dry, and just go slow.

One thing that has been a help though, if you are going to use purflings under the binding it is helpful to glue them on with titebond II or one of the other moisture resistant glues. They don't delaminate as bad when you bend them.

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I'm for Jimmy's idea,
The thinner you go, the easyer it is to
bend and not snap.
Also, If your binding jig will work on such a small scale, that's great but I have also cut them by hand and found I had more controle that way.
Show us what you came up with John.

Wade

_________________
Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I think as a rookie builder, I think it would be best to follow the advice of using a built up laminate or fiber until it's wide enough, especially if it looks the same under finish.

I'm thinking I'll just use a wash coat of shellac and carefully wick CA glue in as I build up the laminate. It seems to work great for my regular bindings/purflings. Am I missing anything here?

Thanks!

John   

[QUOTE=John Elshaw] Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I think as a rookie builder, I think it would be best to follow the advice of using a built up laminate or fiber until it's wide enough, especially if it looks the same under finish.

I'm thinking I'll just use a wash coat of shellac and carefully wick CA glue in as I build up the laminate. It seems to work great for my regular bindings/purflings. Am I missing anything here?

Thanks!

John   [/QUOTE]

You are on the right track John.

Just be sure to snug the tape up real good. The fiber will not provide quite as much dent resistance as would the ebony though.

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I do all my headstock bindings on the router table. It's easier to move the
neck across a stationary bit than it is to manipulate a jig around such a
small object.

CA glue may discolor mahogany if that's what you're using for the neck.
The endgrain is particularly likely to discolor. Test first or you may be
unhappy.