HHG to stick bridge , how long to clamp ?

[Len Biglin]

Hi Guys , I have just reglued a bridge on a Gibson LG0 (old style 6 X1") and used HHG . It went well but as I dont use a lot of HHG I dont know how long to leave it clamped .It is comfortable T shirt weather and 56RH . I used HHG mainly because thats what residue was there , and also I think its the best .Also any comments on the heavy ladder braces ? Thanks Len

[Jeff Highland]

I vacuum clamp bridges using HHG and its 30 minutes for me, but I think the vacuum helps so I'd go a bit longer. No need for more than 2 hours

[Len Biglin]

Wow I never heard of that ! Im out for the night so its getting 16 hrs. Thanks mate.

[Hesh Breakstone]

More clamping won't hurt and the clamp time, like the cure time, is also a function of your temp in your shop, RH to some degree too.

For me I prefer to leave a bridge clamped with HHG for 4 hours at 70ish degrees and I will never, never stress the bridge for the first 24 hours.  By not stressing it I mean I won't string the thing up for 24 hours.

You can certainly get away will less time but more and more these days my repair work seems to be do a little of this, a little of that, advance this one where I can, and get more done on that one as well.  More specifically it's not unusual for me to have 4 - 5 jobs in process at the same time as is currently the case...  Often one of them is a bridge reglue and if I don't need the caul or clamps for another bridge reglue I typically leave a HHG glued bridge clamped over night, take off the clamps the next morning, and then I won't attempt to set the thing up until about 24 hours from the initial glue time.

Mind you I know that this is on the conservative side of how long to wait but it works for me.  Besides - what's the hurry?

[Frank Ford]

When regluing you don't often get perfectly mating surfaces as you do with new work, so clamping time is logically different.  WIth little puddles of glue holding in extra water, I think it is risky to count on two hours for complete drying. Vacuum speeds drying, but I wouldn't push the time.

For ease of work, convenience and security, I clamp everything overnight. . .

[Hesh Breakstone]

Good point Frank on the differences between new builds and repair work!

On my own stuff that I build I floss/burnish the bridge to have the exact radius on it's bottom as my top is.  In repair work we are often attempting to glue a flat bridge on a radiused (and often deformed as well...) top.  Getting the wings clamped securely is not always easy when attempting to place a round peg in a square hole so-to-speak.

I'm still marveling at the fact that many classical builders only use a rub joint to glue their bridges on....  On the other hand if the fit is perfect as it can be on new construction this kind of sort of makes sense to me now.

HHG is wonderful stuff in it's reversibility AND it's ability to pull mating surfaces together to some minor degree but at the end of the day it's less forgiving of poor joinery which, in and of itself, may also be a good thing for the quality conscious. 

[Alex Glasser]

Overnight, big time.  You always will have something else you can do after you glue the bridge that day so why not wait overnight and never question if 2,3 or 4 hours is right.  

[Len Biglin]

Thanks to you all , very helpful . This bridge also came with a screw at each end of the pin holes , do you think screws are needed ? I only ask coz theyre missing !