Fixing a new bridge to a damaged laminated top

[Alan Osborne]

Hi all,

I read a comment by Frank Ford regarding fixing a bridge using epoxy.

So if you see this Frank or indeed anyone who has good advice, What is the Best Brand of Epoxy to use for the job. I'm in the UK so not as much choice here.

I have pretty much flattened the bridge space so as another option, I was thinking of now gluing with (Epoxy or Titebond ?) a piece of 1/4 sawn spruce over the whole area. My thinking is that it would be easier to deal the with the squeeze out. Once it's good & dry then attach the new Rosewood bridge with Titebond ?

The damage done was entirely my fault, the bridge was ridiculously low with virtually no saddle so I thought I would remove it and make a new bridge.....wrong move..... Maybe I should/could have flattened the bridge and glued a new piece of Rosewood on top?

Answers & opinions gratefully received.

Regards to all

[Frank Ford]

Best?  I don't know, but Gougeon Bros. WEST SYSTEM epoxy has been our go-to at Gryphon for decades.

I reckon  LMI and StewMac both offer reliable epoxy as well.  

Just stay away from the five-minute stuff. . .

[Alan Osborne]

Thanks for the reply Frank. Stewmac looks a good option. Good price too.

Regards....

[LARRY KLOSE]

Having had a lam-top guitar, I'd suggest that the quality of the attachment may not be the governing factor.  I had a cheap EKO 12 string that the mystery glue failed to hold the bridge in place.  It was an easy job for a repair shop to to glue it back very securely but then the pull on the top de-laminated under the bridge.  I ended up junking it.  Not all laminated guitars are the same but it's worth checking out the stability of the laminates before spending any time and money on it.

By the way, the guitar was a brick, but I didn't want to buy another 12.  Bad decision.  

Larry

[Len Biglin]

Also the reason for the low bridge is probably that the neck is pulled up , making a high action . Run a piece of cotton thread along the frets from nut to bridge , it should just rest on top of the bridge , if it lines up half way down the bridge you need a neck reset , cheap guitars are a can of worms especially for neck resets .

[Alan Osborne]

Len, Thanks for your reply,

Yes you are no doubt right about that, however the bridge was taken down way lower than it needed to be. Had it not been there would have still been plenty of scope to get a good saddle & break angle.

Regards

[Alan Osborne]

Thanks for the reply.

Guess I'll just have to give it a go and keep my fingers crossed.

Regards....

[Greg Mirken]

I have also used West System epoxies for as long as I can remember. We use pump cans, but they make a repair kit, #101, that has pre-measured pouches of resin and hardener which would be perfect for you.

https://www.westsystem.com/handy-repair-pack/

They have about a dozen outlets in UK I see on their website.

Whatever brand you end up using, mix a batch to test first. You want a rock-hard cure.

[Roger Häggström]

I made an experiment with fast and slow hardening epoxy a couple of years ago. The fast one didn't cure as rock hard after 5 minutes or 12 hours as the slow curing one after 12 hours. But a couple of weeks later I could not tell the difference in hardness between the two. Maybe the fast one will be as hard as the slow one with time.

My experiment was far from scientific (I just forgot the test plate after my initial check a couple of weeks) and I probably have to do it one more time to be sure...

[Frank Ford]

An interesting "feature" of epoxy is its ability to penetrate tiny cracks and voids in wood.  Much like oil, it slowly wicks deep into voids.  The five minute epoxy sets far too fast to manage that trick. . .

[Roger Häggström]

Didn't know that! So, it's not just the hardness but also the time the glue has to penetrate cracks that is the reason the slow one is better :-)

[Alan Osborne]

Thanks for all the replies.

I have gone for a mid cure epoxy for the reason Frank mentions. Need it to penetrate as much as possible. Also I understand from my enquiries that fast cure can become brittle, mid cure whilst being very strong maintains a bit of flexability.......Hope I've made the right choice......time will tell.

Regards to all......