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I'm having a devil of a time gluing purfling strips on to my binding. How do some of you do it.

HEP ME!! (thats how we say help me here in TN)Jimmie D38864.4198148148

Hi Jimmie! Long time no post! I "tack" them with CA...on a sheet of waxed paper...a little accelerant on the purfling, and CA on the binding...just enough time to hold it all flat while the CA kicks...a dab every 4" or so...then when it goes on the guitar it all gets a good CA'ing! (PS. I still plan to meet up with you sometime! The daughter graduates tonite, and then things'll calm down...hope you haven't sold those sandbags!).

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Nope! Still got em. Your'e going to have to let me buy you lunch if you want them though.

I do it two different ways.

For the purfling that will show on the sides, I glue it to the binding using Titebond II. I have a bunch of the little black clamps with orange jaws, and I clamp the entire strip, setting the clamps almost right next to each other. I use Titebond II for this because it's water resistant, so when I go to bend the binding/purfling, I can spritz it with as much water as I need during bending, and I don't have to worry about the binding/purfling separating when bending. When I used regular Titebond, this was a frequent problem.

I like to leave the binding and purfling a bit wider than final width, so that after the glue has dried, I can pass the pieces through my drum sander and sand the purfling and binding flush with each other.

For the purfling that shows on the guitar's back, I cut a stairstep channel for the binding and purfling. I install the binding first. Then I use a 1mm flat graver, which matches the width of my purfling, and scrape the glue residue out of the purfling channel. I apply some Titebond to the purfling channel, thinned with a little bit of water, and press the purfling into the channel, then tape down as necessary. I find that it is much easier to get tightly mitred corners this way than trying to glue the purfling to the binding first.

Best,

MichaelMichael McBroom38864.4529976852

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Live to Play, Play to Live

[QUOTE=Jimmie D] Nope! Still got em. Your'e going to have to let me buy you lunch if you want them though. [/QUOTE]

You drive a hard bargain!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

I do it pretty much like Michael except for the top/back purfling. Like Michael I cut the binding and purfling channels. Then I do dry fitting of the bindings and purflings using the brown tape that Stew Mac and LMI sells like I would if I was doing the real glue up:



This dry fitting lets me do all the cutting mitreing etc of the bindings and purflings and lets me check how they sit in the routed channels so that I can make any fine adjustments and make sure that all joints/mitres of the binding and purfling join properly. I do lots of dry fits until I'm happy and get through lots of the brown tape (fabulous stuff) but it is pretty cheap stuff. Be syre to heve the top sealed (I use shellac) so that removing the tape doesn't take out any top wood fibres!

Then when I am happy I do the full glue-up. I use Titebond and put some in the binding/purfling channel and a smear on the back of the binding - no glue on the purfling. I fit the binding and top purfling together (one at a time, 2 top and 2 back) and use the brown tape to hold it to the side and top, cleaning up/rubbing the glue into the purfling and side as I go. The tape pulled against the binding and onto the top holds the top purfling tight between the binding and top:

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Maybe I should clarify. It's the purfling strip on the bottom of the binding BEFORE the binding is bent.

   I don't bother glueing them up I just wad them all at one time on the guitar
john hall

Jimmie

I recently went through this process and here is what I did that worked very nice.

Took a scrap piece of pine and routed a rabbit on one edge to the point that the purfling and binding combined stuck out just a hair beyond the rabbit. Used like a 3/4" wide pine board. Applied some plastic shipping tape so the glue wouldnt stick and glued up the binding, added the purfling and then clamped with small clamps. Worked great.

Here is an image of the purfling and binding being set into the rabbit.



Picture of clamping


So simple!!! Made two jigs in 5 minutes so I could do two at a time.

Make sure to let the binding extend just slightly beyond the rabbit so when you clamp you are clamping the binding and not the jig

I can't help, I don't glue my binding and purfling together before glueing. I route my channels, dry fit a number of times like Dave White discussed. Once I am happy with everything and all fits just like a glove then I glue in the purfling first, brown tape, get a good fit to the top and back if doing both, let dry and then come back and clean up the binding channel, dry fit again, if all is well glue.

Seems to work

Mike
White Oak, Texas

Todd, when you say "run through 2 fingers of UHMW", are they clamped in or are you running them through and gluing as your pulling? Do you have a channel or slot in the UHMW? Sounds interesting, but I'm having a hard time picturing what your talking about. I have plenty of UHMW and would like to try it.

Dave, how to your bend the bottom purfling strip if you don't glue it to the binding?

Rich, I assume you're using Titebond or Titebond II? Do you have trouble with it delaminating from the heat when bending?Jimmie D38865.3469212963

[QUOTE=Jimmie D] Dave, how to your bend the bottom purfling strip if you don't glue it to the binding?[/QUOTE]

Jimmie,

As I said I do it like Michael. I glue the side purfling to the binding using Titebond II and clamping with lots of small bulldog clips (I think you call them Boston clips?):







The glued purfling/binding is then scraped level. I then bend them in the Fox bender - all 4 strips held together with masking tape making sure that the purflings don't touch on each strip (and that you have the 4 pieces bent the right way damhikt ). These are a different st of bindings than the first pictures:

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

All great tips here guys, thank you very much!!!

Serge Serge Poirier38865.3956481482

Nice toaster Dave!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

[QUOTE=L. Presnall] Nice toaster Dave! [/QUOTE]

Larry,

You've never bent your bindings in a toaster??

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Thanks Dave. Nice Toaster!!

Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. Neat jig.

[QUOTE=Jimmie D] Rich, I assume you're using Titebond or Titebond II? Do you have trouble with it delaminating from the heat when bending?[/QUOTE]

I use regular Titebond and no delam when heating to bend. I use a heating blanket and bending jig (from John Hall) so it gets pretty hot.

Rich, do you bend your binding dry? I switched to TBII for my binding because I got tired of the binding and purfling delaminating if I spritzed it with water to help it bend. I use a heating blanket and bending mold as well.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

I just wrap them with some masking tape until the glue dries. Tape the purfling to the binding at each end first with a small piece of masking tape, it helps if you flex the binding a little so that the purfling has a little bit of tension on it. This helps it to lay flat against the binding. Then just run a small glue brush between the binding and purfling and wrap pieces of 1 1/2" wide masking tape around it. Once the middle is done you pull of the tape at the ends and glue the ends up. Easy