Fresh hide glue also bonds to itself, making repairs on vintage instruments much easier, no more hours spent scraping and removing stubborn old glue. Acoustic guitar top crack repair cleating cracks n sealing. Carefully squirt the water thin super glue into the crack, doing your best to keep it from running onto the tape. I converted to liquid hide glue several years ago and would never go back. Technically its a protein colloid glue formed by boiling down the collagen from skins, bones, tendons and other tissues. Also, try and resist the temptation to run your finger over the crack to feel it. It is also for a 2nd grade music class they have about 20 ukes in various stages of disrepair, because, well, they are in 2nd grade. Unlike hide glue, it is ready to use straight from the bottle.
I am a fan of hide glue, but for those just being introduced to it, titebond liquid hide glue is a good introduction. This video i put to use my new magnets and cleat the first crack in the bottom of the lower bout of the guitar top. I was thinking about covering the crack with some black tint stewmac super glue, and then sanding and buffing. I recommend using hide glue, which is mostly water.
I realize this was an old postcame across it following the trail of previous posts at the bottom of the broken tenon post. Easy clean up and no waste unlike other glues, its easy to clean squeeze out with just hot watereven after the glue dries. Were going to learn how to feed the glue safely and steadily into the slot so that it doesnt run and damage your guitars finish. You can purchase premixed liquid hide glue if you insist but i mix my own because i believe freshness is the most critical factor in glue. I use this glue for guitar building and its perfect. The glue is actually thinner than water and runs quickly. Titebond liquid hide glue result originally posted by bernie daniel what is more if you put a small bead of this glue on a piece of wax paper and leave it for a day or so in the winter it will form an brown crystalline ball that shatters like glass if you strike it with a hammer. I had to remove the brace just so i could flex the back to close the crack. By the way thats the guitar geeksnob version of if you have to ask how much, you cant afford it. Dec 24, 20 this puts oils and dirt from your hand into the crack, which makes it hard to reglue and can leave a dark line that cant be removed.
How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar guitar alliance. Shelf life is 1218 months if stored in a cool, dry location. Headstock break repair using hide glue this page 3. Our ground hide glue is high clarity and dries clear, making crack repairs invisible. It is also possible to keep hide glue liquid at room temerature by adding urea. Jun 27, 2016 the notion of squirting glue into the slots of your guitars top should be enough to give you sleepless nights. More than a few words about glue martin keith guitars. That said, liquid hide glue has a lot of urea in it to keep it liquefied. Woodworkers glue is water soluble, has longer working times than hide glue and is very strong. The purpose of this article is to show the difference between hide protein vs. Hide glue highest quality 192 gram for musical instruments. Depending on the size of the sticker and the strength of the glue, you might be able to get away with using your finger nail. I talk hide glue up every chance i get work part time at rockler and. Hide glue also transfers tone and vibration with ease.
Your post mentions time will tell about how well it works for furniture. This is the first article in a series i will be writing on the subject of. It had the advantage that if something was mispositioned or just got loose the joint could be taken apart and glued. What first attracted me to liquid hide glue is the long open time it takes all the stress out of glue ups. Jun 15, 2011 hide glue has been around woodworking since it began. Hide glue cleans up with warm water, leaving no visible residue on the surface of the finish. Efficiently making and installing cleats to reinforce cracks is a necessary skill for luthiers. It was not until the mid to late 20th century did white pva polyvinyl acetate wood glues take over in popularity. A cracked guitar side is a difficult fix, especially when the sides of the split are. Cracked necks and headstocks archive finger lakes guitar repair. Hide glue is used more rarely on modern acoustics, but was the exclusive choice for early luthiers. Martin 00018 ge golden era acoustic sunburst w case for. Your post mentions time will tell about how well it. It forms strong joints, but allows joint disassembly with a hot knife.
Fixing a cracked bridge yamaha vintage fg acoustic guitars. Its dependable strength and durability made it a choice for making fine furniture for centuries. For a start, youre not going to be squirting the glue anywhere. A bit of new lacquer to amalgamate the shattered finish at the edges of the crack, and the instrument gets put away for a week to allow the new lacquer to dry. A washboard texture which looks somewhat like corduroy is one of the first signs of dryness. The guitar in question for this example is an epiphone les paul studio. Aliphatic resin is amongst the most popular woodworkers glue used in instrument building and repair today. Sep 30, 2010 heads up 1 headstock cracks easy peasy. How to remove stickers and glue from guitars guitar world. The sturgeon isinglass is the most humidityresistant type.
The solid cedar top on a classical guitar cracked only 4 years old. Hide glue normally requires heat to allow it to flow and be applied. Sep 30, 2017 i am hoping to conceal the crack, or at least smooth it out. Hide glue is an adhesive made from animal connective tissue. Hide glue has a recent history of being used primarily for stringed instruments and for furniture repair, but 50 years ago or more before pvas were big, hide glue was the major adhesive for. With all top cracks, timing of the repair is critical. I talk hide glue up every chance i get work part time at rockler and its unbelievable the skepticism that exists out there. This puts oils and dirt from your hand into the crack, which makes it hard to reglue and can leave a dark line that cant be removed. I am hoping to conceal the crack, or at least smooth it out. Hide glue is the best way to fix this nasty peghead break, and heres. Titebond liquid hide glue includes an expiration date on the bottle, because it can progressively lose its ability to dry hard, and this change is not visually. Top and back crack repair cleats tj thompson guitars pro. With this in mind, its probably a gibsonepiphone design with the extremely slanted head and you probably dropped it. Because there is so much gluing surface to be glued and clamped i am using franklins liquid hide glue which has a much longer open time than hot hide glue does.
Fingerboard has been dressed and refretted, and the result is a truly amazing instrument. I use different strengths of hide glue and this one has a longer open time which works best for what i was working on. Joints to be glued with hide glue must fit perfectly, as it has poor gapfilling properties. If you know that youre not looking at a finish crack and the top is indeed cracked, remove the string tension and get the guitar to a good repairperson as soon as possible. A basic les paul neck crack repair finger lakes guitar repair. Also a closer look at the wooden block i made to closely follow and angle of the. How to repair a crack in a ukulele with hot hide glue. Pretty much any wood to wood glue joint in a guitar and anywhere you might use hot. Mechanical bonds, like little fingers, may help modern adhesives such as epoxy because of their very high cohesive strength, but with hide glues low cohesive strength, roughening joint surfaces will not help adhesion. A syringe is a great way to get the glue into the tight cracks on the treble side.
Hot hide glue is superior, but its a bit more fiddly in terms of mixing it, having the glue pot, working time, etc. I remember when i was studying with boaz elkayam he told me how to make fish glue, but i never tried it mainly because where i live is about as far away from an ocean as possible. After leveling an buffing, the crack is still visible, but not objectionable. Starting making a custom moulded caul for headstock break 2. Repairing hairline crack in poly finish telecaster guitar forum. The glue is reversible if needed, just heat it up to the temperature needed to make any adjustments. By not putting cleats in, you may be rejoining the membrane but. My reason for using hide glue the english woodworker. You can remove or reposition cleats, bridges, braces, and other parts without doing damage. The longer you wait to fix the crack, the less likely it can be done invisibly. Dec 19, 2017 today were going to address the quickest, easiest way to remove stickers and sticker glue from guitars.
The notion of squirting glue into the slots of your guitars top should be enough to give you sleepless nights. The second layer will keep it from finding the top of the guitar. Mar 06, 2017 this video i put to use my new magnets and cleat the first crack in the bottom of the lower bout of the guitar top. Hideprotein glues have been the standard for guitar and stringed instrument makers for centuries. Apr 30, 20 i realize this was an old postcame across it following the trail of previous posts at the bottom of the broken tenon post.
I use hide or aliphatic glue for nearly all wood to wood repairs including gluing bridges, bridge plates, braces, necks, most cracks and fingerboards. Aug 05, 2016 i converted to liquid hide glue several years ago and would never go back. Super glue plays an important role in many types of guitar repair. Crack repair what caused my acoustic guitar to crack. There are many factors that determine the method of repair used in repairing a cracked neck or headstock including budget constraints, collectability, previous repair etc an adequate first line of defense for repairing a cracked neck or headstock is to simply glue the crack with hide glue. Ive rehydrated the guitar, the cracks are now well aligned, and id like to know what type of glue would give me the best. The watery, thinviscosity ca glue is very useful for its ability to draw into cracks and porous materials. Titebond liquid hide glue result mandolin cafe forum. Fish glue is closely related to hide glue but is usually made from the air bladders of certain fish. At our shop, we use it in dozens of ways, but unless you understand its properties and know how to handle it safely, you can wind up in trouble in a matter of seconds. This article will discuss the concept of cleating cracks, provide a simple method for making cleat stock, and fitting cleats. Aug 08, 2012 it also tends to pull itself tightly together while curing, so its perfect for this kind of crack repair.
So youve somehow managed to break your guitar head clean off the neck. This tutorial demonstrates how to repair a simple cracked open seam with hot hide glue using the percussion techniquea method, which incidentally, will work for any wooden string instrument. Dan erlewine shows how to pull a crack together and glue it neat. Hide protein glues have been the standard for guitar and stringed instrument makers for centuries. Hide glue is perfect for repairs because joints can be cleanly disassembled with heat, moisture, and a hot knife. Hide glue in liquid form popular woodworking magazine. Today were going to address the quickest, easiest way to remove stickers and sticker glue from guitars. This was done expertly, with a properly reshaped dovetail and dry fit at full string tension, prior to final assembly with hot hide glue. The correct way to use glue on your guitar guitar world.
Like so many things in the art of lutherie, there is no one best wood, or best finish, or best glue, its about finding which one is the best for you, your guitars, and your style of building. What is the best approach for repairing poly finishes. Ive rehydrated the guitar, the cracks are now well aligned, and id like to know what type of glue would give me the best results and whether. Dont do crack repairs without cleats or take your guitar to someone who does. This crack repair system will level the surface along the entire length of the crack, in many cases making it completely disappear a lifesaver if you happen to have a center seam open up on a new build in progress. For careful, stepbystep instructions, and to get started restoring your own damaged uke, watch this helpful howto. Knowing how to evaluate the seriousness of a crack will allow you to determine whether to call a repair person immediately or whether it might be ok to leave it alone for a little while. While it has been largely displaced in the furniture industry by pva glues, it is still used by guitar and violin makers. Hide glue was once the most widely used woodworking adhesive. It is very important that you know how to recognize this and what to do about it should your guitar start to show these signs of dryness. Sure it takes a pot in which to mix the glue, a heat source to melt the hide glue crystals or pearls, and once thats over, there is a short pot life in which to use the glue. Jun 16, 2014 this is usually a pretty easy thing to fix, but this one particular crack wouldnt close up because somebody had replaced a brace right over the crack, and used gorilla glue to secure it.
This instructable will show you how to repair a broken guitar neck and, depending on how severe the damage, how to do some minor cosmetic repair. So this glue is probably the only glue used if you own a vintage instrument. If youre going to use liquid hide glue, use old brown. Id use hide glue in case it doesnt work and needs to be redone, but nothing beats titebond wood glue. Oldfashion hide glue is one of the oldest kinds of adhesives on the planet, but even in this age of snazzy hightech super glues it remains a highly useful, sometimes indispensable addition to the woodworkers arsenal of stickums. While the liquid hide glue thats sold off the shelf is relatively easy to use the end result is not truly indicative of hide glue that you make as required by dissolving it in hot water and applying hot. Hide glue has a fairly low viscosity so it can penetrate deep into a crack.
Fish glue is more hygroscopic than hot hide glue, and thus it is not good in high humidity conditions. It also tends to pull itself tightly together while curing, so its perfect for this kind of crack repair. Ancient hide glue techniques join modern woodworkingand practically everything else. Best glue for fixing a lp broken headstock the gear page. Are you using the best glue for your guitar building. The next step will be for the luthier to glue small wooden cleats inside the guitar that span the crack. Ive repaired many in the past with fish glue and to the best of my knowledge none have failed, but today i. You can glue and clamp it up good as new, maybe paint th. This is usually a pretty easy thing to fix, but this one particular crack wouldnt close up because somebody had replaced a brace right over the crack, and used gorilla glue to secure it. If you want to see a demo of mixing this glue, check out our new apprenticeship foundations video where we walk through this simple process. Hide gluecleans up easily with water, even after its dry. These cleats are used as reinforcement and are clamped in placeusing specialized clamps or, in recent years, extremely strong rare earth magnetswhile the glue sets for maximum strength.
Hide glue sticks to surfaces by electrochemical attraction, or specific adhesion. After i acquired it, the instrument was brought for neck reset by my luthier. I think that the only disadvantage hide glue has is that it must be mixed and heated for use. If you know that youre not looking at a finish crack and the top is indeed cracked, remove the string tension and get the guitar to. If you do manage to break or crack your guitars neck or peghead, dont panic. Hide glue has been around woodworking since it began. What would be the difference using thin hot hide glue or titebond. If you own an acoustic guitar long enough, chances are good that youll have to deal with the repair of a crack in the wood.
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