Official Luthiers Forum!

About ready to bind the all-mahogany 000 in black plastic. Of course I have all the tools and material ready but didn't order LMI's adhesive, part #FGW.

Does anyone know what that stuff is? I saw some references in the forum to Weld-on #16 and #1784 but couldn't locate any locally. Anyone know if Ambroid "Original Liquid Cement" would work well?

Any help appreciated.
--Sid

If you have a place like "Tap Plastics" (a plastics supply store), you can find it there...I've used the Weld-On & like it better than the Duco plastic model cement I was using before, for gluing plastic bindings...

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Kathy Matsushita
San Jose, CA USA
http://theamateurluthier.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathy.matsushita

Hi, Kathy,
which exact formula # of Weld-on did you use? I'll look for a well-stocked plastic supply place in Santa Ana or Anaheim.

It was the #16.

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Kathy Matsushita
San Jose, CA USA
http://theamateurluthier.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathy.matsushita

Many thanks!

A test on scrap with this Ambroid stuff from the hobby store was OK, no bubbling, over-expansion or staining of the wood, but not sure it'd be strong in the waist bend. Next week I'll hunt down some of the Weld-on. (No doubt will spend as much on fuel as if I ordered from LMI !! LOL )

Be sure and wait a full 2 days before scraping and sanding after using a solvent glue like that. The plastic swells ever so slightly, and takes some time to dry back out and return to normal thickness. It's one of my short list of guitar building DAMHIKs.

Ken

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Ken Mitchell
Durham, NC

Thanks, Ken. I won't AYHYK.

Did a quick bendability test on the Boltaron and it will take a nice set in under 2 minutes immersed in water from the tea-making electric pot. Not even boiling.

I'm so picky, I'll be bending the plastic strips on a foil-lined form just to make installation easy and avoid pop-out at the waist. Overkill?

--Sid

Absolute overkill. Pre-forming plastic bindings is absolutely unnecessary, and won't do anything to prevent popping out at the waist. That's a totally separate problem that stems from plastics shrinking over time, not so much initial fit.

Make a slot, put glue in the slot, put binding in the slot, tape or strap binding in place. Unless you're working with wood binding or very, very tight curves, I see no reason to pre-bend anything.

Weld-on 16 is popular and reliable for this job, is widely available in hardware stores, dries faster and causes less shrinkage in to gaps than Duco cement. Polyvinyl alcohol glues like Roo Glue are gaining popularity as well. I believe they use Roo Clear at the Collings factory.

And in the future, KUTSFA, AIBAYGDP.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Thanks, David. Appreciate the advice.