Official Luthiers Forum!

After seating the bridge I am trying to polish the top next to the bridge to get rid of any scratches and glue. I'm having a hard time keeping the Menzerna compound and/or swirl remover from getting on the bridge. What are your methods for polishing next to the bridge?
Thanks

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Formerly know as Mandodiddle.

I buff before fitting the bridge For repairs like regluing a bridge and getting scratches on the finish close by I sand up to 3000 with Tolex and a block then use a DA polisher buff or hand buff with a piece of microfibre cloth.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

You could probably masking tape off the bridge and give it a whirl.

Bill,

Many years ago I was given a stack of sheets of thin styrene. One day it dawned on me I could use a piece of it to get right up to the bridge and fretboard extension. I cut a 1"x 3" piece and smooth all the edges. It is flexible enough that I can flex it enough to lay flat on the body right up to any obstacle. I either wrap it in sandpaper or cloth for polishing.

Hope it helps

Bob

We run two wheels on our buffer with one being designated a "dark wheel."

The dark wheel never sees compound and is used to buff out wood in the raw while the other wheels does see compound and is for buffing finished areas.

With this capability and strategic use of masking tape or shields we can buff out around a bridge that is masked or buff out the bridge itself which can make a bridge look great.