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Are you guys using vacuum or mechanical clamping? I have hi and lo tech available, but am favoring the LMI-type which clamps thru the pin holes. Am I odd?

Larry

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

I am pretty low-tech. I use a modified C clamp to glue my bridges. Sylvan38514.7288773148

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

So far I've 'simply' used cam clamps, which work fine, but Sylvan's clamp (which I've seen in the, uh, metal) is probably the quickest possible way. I can fit 3-4 cam clamps through the soundhole and onto the bridge within a minute, though.

I Like the looks of your clamp there Sylvan. It seems to allow more room for cleanup around the bridge. I think I'll look into making one. Mine os the SM version that sits right on top of the bridge making cleanup a little more difficult. Is there a wide cawl inside the guitar?

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

John, the LMI one is pretty unobtrusive as far as cleaning up the squeeze-out. Looks like Sylvan has it down though! I bet he never buys anything "off the rack"! If I had machinist's ability like that, neither would I!

Larry

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Check with John Hall (Blues Creek Guitars). He sells a nice bridge clamp and if I remember correctly he has or is updating it to allow use with different spacings. It does not use a C-clamp and makes clean up a snap.   

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

John -
There is a bridge caul under the top which is made at the same time as the
reinforcement plate. That way I know they will fit at the bridge gluing stage.

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Ive been using a vac clamp, and I absolutly love it!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

The only problem I have with the vac clamp is that I can't stand not seeing the bridge while it's being glued down...I know that's a psychological hangup )(one of my many!)...but still...I'll probably keep using it til I'm comfortable with gluing "on instruments" since I have the vac pump and all.

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

i use vacuum in building but sometimes revert to mechanical clamps in repairs. no logical reason, just fo it.

i never had the "i can't see it" jitters with the vacuum bridge clamping because it's positively located, but the first few times i did braces under vacuum i was a bit of a rabbit!!!

Go with vacuum clamping and you will never go back!

I used the Fox Birdge Clamp from LMI. It worked and seemed easy enough. Since you dril the 1 and 6 pin holes first you can use it on a pinless bridge. The clamping pressure seem more than adequate.

mike

am puzzled by you saying you can use a clamp that requires pin holes on bridges which by definition have none?

With all this speak of high-tech vacuum clamping systems has anyone every tried neodymium magnets?

Use a couple of stacked magnets in a cork bottomed cup with a couple of cauls. Voila! One small bridge for guitar and one giant leap for magnet’ kind.

Am I crazy?!

Cheers,
Jeremy

[QUOTE=crazymanmichael]i never had the "i can't see it" jitters with the vacuum bridge clamping because it's positively located, but the first few times i did braces under vacuum i was a bit of a rabbit!!![/QUOTE]

Piggy backing on to this, when I was out at Frank Finocchio's last his vacuum clamp has a clear membrain. It turns out that it is just part of an old vacuum bag cut up. I thought that seemed like a pretty good idea. It worked great, and you could see through it.

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

i've used the magnets in studding cracks, but i wouldn't feel comfortable gluing bridges with them.

Oops! I can glue a bridge but I can't type. I was trying to say that you CAN'T use it on a pinless bridge.

When I was gluing braces with vacuum I used a clear membrane in my fixture...eventually went back to go-bars, because they're QUIET! The vac pump was triggering my epilepsy by the time I'd done 2 or 3 tops...besides, I like to listen to 3rd day and stuff while I'm gluing, and they don't write in the key of vacuum pump!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

why not use a vacuum switch to turn it off when not needed. and on when it is. means your seals have to be effective to work as intended but keeps things a lot quieter.

Michael, true...that's an idea I'll look into when I get back into town Thursday...stupid airline keeps demanding that I come to work...and STAY!! I wouldn't mind going to work, it's having to stay that irks me...don't they know I have guitars to build? The bridge fixture has good seals, so the switch will probably do the trick!

Larry

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

joewoodworker.com sells them cheap. gives instructions on how to wire up and so forth too.

I bought this pump from Joewood worker, off ebay, very quite, does a fine job. I know the price says 253.50 but my final Ebay prices was 102.50. You can go wrong with this unit. My biggest complaint about vacume presses was the volume of the pump. You can see it behind my guitar in the pic above.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Lance, do you keep it running throughout the entire clamping process? After I get my Healdsburg guitars done, I'm going to do some rebuilding of my whole vacuum systems and in it I'll put a vacuum switch which will cycle the vacuum on and off based on preasure. I've seen that a lot of veneer guys use a very soft hose and clamp it off, allowing them to shut off the vacuum pump once the air is evacuated. I think surgical tubing would work well for that purpose.

yes, I leave it on. I wouldnt mind being able to shut it down though, that would even be nicer!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

surgical tubing i've seen is too soft; it would collapse before max vacuum is reached.