Official Luthiers Forum!

Last week, I fixed a chipped finish by filing with CA and scraping and polishing. But my first try was frustrating as my thin CA was vary thick and slow curing. A new bottle of thin and everything was great.

My question - Can I thin the aged CA back to a usable thin consistency, or am I better off relabeling it as thick?

Thanks,

Mike

_________________
Mike Lindstrom

I would never trust thinned CA (even if I knew how). I usually just label it thick, and keep fresh stuff on hand.

Also, I buy the smallest bottles I can find, so I know it's fresh, and then keep them in airtight glass bottles to minimize the adsorption of moisture by the glue.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Best to just discard CA that has turned the corner $.02

_________________
Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I'd pitch it too so as to not have any issues down the road.

We use a lot of CA for various things but have yet to ever kill a bottle when it was still usable meaning the viscosity that it was originally said to be. So small bottles from a source that goes through a lot of it (sales) is a good idea too.

CA is hygroscopic and once the bottle has been opened it absorbs moisture. As such and this is something that I learned from OLF sponsor Rick with Gear Up Products is that once the bottle has been opened sticking it in the fridge will likely let it absorb mositure faster than simply keeping it in room temp, dry place.

By the way we have been trying some of Rick's excellent products that I believe we sourced from Jescar (the fret wire people) and we like it a great deal.

OK, odd man out here. (That's never happened to me)

I have in a pinch added some acetone to a thicken bottle of CA. It worked fine. I wouldn't use it for a structural bond but a fill? You betcha.

I may pay a price, time will tell.

_________________
Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

+1 for chuck it.
If there's any doubt, why use something on a guitar that might cost you more work down the road.

_________________
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.

Thanks for the advice. I learned something and it's only 5:00 A.M. Now I need a new goal for the day.

_________________
Mike Lindstrom