FRETS.NET

I have a 17 year old F5 mandolin with spirit varnish finish.  The celluloid binding on the long curve on the  bass side of the headstock is lifting in the middle.  To complicate, the end of this section was previously re-attached with ACC, about an inch.  The end that goes around the small scroll is still attached. 

I'd prefer to reattach this with LMI binding cement which has worked great for me in past applications (including another spot on the same instrument) but I can't get a clean application of the adhesive with the end still attached.  So the question is how to proceed.  Should I carefully cut the ACC bond with a razor blade?  I have a product called un-cure which does just that with ACC but I'm concerned that it will melt the celluloid or damage the varnish.  I welcome any suggestions on how to proceed. 

Also, does acetone damage spirit varnish?  Clean up of the binding cement is with acetone, although it works like a contact cement so there's no squeeze out if applied carefully so that's not a big problem.

Larry

Views: 207

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I often can reattach loose binding without removing the whole piece by heating it with a heat gun on low, which allows it to stretch back into place. This is thin binding on a gentle curve, and that should work fine. I usually pre-dampen the channel with accelerator and tack the binding in place with CA as I work along.

Thanks, Greg,

If I can lift that one inch that's attached at the bottom end (the topend is still attached around and below the small scroll) it would be easy, even for me.  So the question becomes whether I separate that last inch, glued with CA, at the bottom of the piece or do something else--and how to do it.  Once it's loose, it's easy to put CA or the OMI stuff in the channel and re-attch the binding.  I might end up with a gap in the bevel but it's a better thing than having the shrunken celluloid flapping in the middle.  And I can ask here how to fix the gap when I get there.<G>

By the way I find CA a poor choice for spots where there might be squeeze out or premature setup and this is one of those spots because any squeeze out can damage the varnish finish that sits on both sides of the joint--on the headstock plate and on the binding itself and there's no time for cleanup.  I've used it to drop fill chips in a catalyzed finish on bindings but there it can be scraped, sanded and buffed so it becomes invisible because it becomes part of the finish.  Here I want to keep the original finish.

Larry

There is no squeezeout the way I do it because I hold the binding in place while I allow a tiny drop of CA to wick in. With the channel pre-charged with accelerator the glue kicks off in seconds and I move along.

RSS

© 2024   Created by Frank Ford.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service