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Resurrecting the next long forgotten project and found gaps between the cherry binding and spruce top. Can't imagine that will look good with glue in it... any ideas?

Can't seem to reduce picture size enough but there's a sliver of a gap less than an inch long.

What glue did you use? If titebond or similar, you can carefully heat the area til the glue softens then rub in a bit of new glue, then reset the gap closed…

You could also use Timbermate filler in a cherry colour if the gaps are tiny. I'm learning to really like the stuff for pore filler.

If there's room, I'd opt for a "plane shaving" of cherry glued in with something like HHG, white glue or epoxy. If it looks a bit wide in that spot you may be able to take a little off the outside of the binding to blend.

I find if I resize pictures so 700px is the long side, they upload and fit pretty well. I think that's about 35-40kb in a file size.

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

If you can close the gap by heating the area that would be the best solution. Otherwise, I second the plane shavings. Make them as thick as you can and use HHG for best results.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Mike, if I was returning to a long-dormant project and my current skills wouldn't do as poor a job as I found, I think I'd back up and repeat the substandard step. Binding might take more time to fettle into acceptability than it would take to remove the poor job and redo that step. I might be happier, too, that I'm doing my best work right now, too.

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Peter Havriluk

Usually when there’s gaps, it just means the binding wasn’t pulled tight enough, rather than that the channel and binding won’t mate, requiring filler.

Really appreciate all this guys. I understand going back and doing over which I'm considering but it is only one, sliver of a gap. Used titebond.

Nearly every guitar I make needs a touch up in a spot or two, most common spots are in the waist and the upper shoulders on the back.

Since you used titebond, you’re likely golden for my first suggestion. I will add the caveat that I bind in the evenings, and assess and correct the next morning. I have no experience adjusting TB that has been dry for a long time, hopefully some folks with experience in that regard can chime in.

Just a thought, before routing off and redoing, trying to do a little touch up might be worth the attempt, even if you have to redo in the end. Likely worth a shot.

FWIW, I use TapaTalk to upload photos, it’s as easy as using FaceBook.

I'm not on Facebook and I think I deleted tapatalk because it was getting on my nerves but I've reinstalled it now.

Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk

Here hopefully

Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk

Hmm.

For sure that can be fixed as first described. But to my eyes that gap starts from the shoes and goes out of the frame. Purfling can help with that a lot. So maybe a redo could be a step up.

May I ask what build # this is for you, and what the objective is? There’s a few different paths I’d suggest at this point depending on what you’re after…

Would it be possible to rout a purfling channel without removing the binding?

I always have to rehydrate and steam a few gaps shut, but I use hide glue so it reglues at full strength. No experience with titebond.

It can be hard to push binding in on a curved surface, tends to want to move the gap along somewhere else. But if you can clean the gap out of old glue with a pic or an exacto blade and see if you can push the gap shut it might work. Or you could glue in a sliver of cherry.

However, looking at the picture it looks like there could be some variation in the curve of the spruce just above the gap that might be holding the binding out a bit.

Gaps between light woods are a bear, nothing for a generally darker glue line to disappear against. And cherry tends to darken over time so a filler that works now may show more later unless its the same wood.

If you can't press the gap shut, at the point you are at in the build, I'd be seriously considering routing it off. Adding any dark purfling line would help hide the joint.

You can always try a repair and if it doesn't work rout it off.

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

I posted about the big bulge in the curve being the problem, and purfling being an option if you have a guide that will work. Or you could try to loosen the binding there (or everywhere), and file the bulge down, and regluing. Or filling in with spruce sawdust in very thin HHG; and paint in grains with a couple drops of stain/watercolor.

I like the last idea best. Quick and fairly easy. Just don't use too much glue and get it messy. You don't want ghosts.

But Brian beat me, and I didn't notice. The post is gone now!

I must have done that at least a dozen times.

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Why be normal?

Mercy! I've been known to fill these slivers of air with sawdust and Duco and smile at the results!

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Peter Havriluk

Robbie O'Brien has a video on using CA for filling gaps like that - have a look at https://youtu.be/vU1iVJjfWZo?si=-zVVt_k5qtb7RrkZ

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Bob Holbert
Lyndoch, South Australia

The open space looks small. Once repaired only the builder would notice it. Just a thought.
A bit of glue in the open space followed by some light sanding from the soundboard towards the binding. That should make it disappear along with any outside shaping of the binding.

Regards,

Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

As Philip mentions, I once filled a similar gap with glue and sanding in from the adjoining wood, and I cannot find the gap now if I want to. The only possible difference is that my spruce did not have as prominent growth rings as yours.

Thanks everyone. I put a couple of slivers of cherry in but it's lighter colour than the stuff which was there already but I guess it will darken. Glue and sanding- use titebond? It's not that I don't trust you guys but I really don't want a feel like between my spruce and cherry binding!

For small gaps like that I like to use sawdust and the finish material I will be using to make a "putty" type filler. The finish material acts as a binder and "glue" and has the same reflective qualities as it has when applied as a finish.