Some advice on glues for a large break?

[Mario Cardenas]

Ok, i'm a hide glue and cianoacrylate guy. Use them all the time with the best results. But i think neither of these would make a good glue in this case cause its a large (haha) break and don't think i'm fast enough to apply the glue and clamp it on time. I've never glued something this large and i think open time will be very important this time. 

This guitar's been broken for around 10 months. 

I don't want to alter the break surface in any way (just remove small ships or splinters that could keep me from getting a good joint).

I think the break surfaces on both pieces are very clean and match really well.

I know i can use aliphatic glue but there are other glues i've been considering. I've been making a lot of reading and research which led me to think this would be my top options. 

According to your experience, between epoxy, urethane glue and aliphatic glue what would be the best choice in this particular case? It's a big really noticeable brake, so any mistakes will be as big and noticeable. 

Thank you for your answers, i promise to have fun with this job!

[Russell Vance]

HI Guys,

I'm late to the conversation as usual, what Paul Verticchio said.   Titebond is fine , the break surface area is the same as the original center-line glue surface and the contoured break means the surfaces will mate/lock together without slip or creep. you will still need to take care when clamping - use a heap of clamps, a straight edge to check the job is flat and make sure the top surfaces are clamped flat with a clamp and caul on each end to level the surfaces.  Clamp up as tight as you wish (three sash type clamps with the middle one on the opposite side is sufficient) as there is little chance of a starved joint here. 

Use the straight edge to check the surfaces are flat and not bowed in a particular direction (releasing clamps and tightening others to flex the top in the direction you wish to go)

Biscuits and tongue and groove sort of stuff is just not necessary here and would provide no useful increase in strength in this application anyway.    

As the well know advertising catch phrase says: "just glue it"

Rusty.

[Mario Cardenas]

Is good to know that.

Thanks for the tips Rusty!

[jbbancroft]

This would not be a difficult repair if you used hot hide glue. First do a dry clamp up without glue and see how that goes.

If that looks fine, remove clamps and make a thin mixture of hide glue, water thin but yet slippery between your fingers. Make sure the body is warmed well, apply glue and clamps. cleanup excess squeeze out. Let sit for 24 hours before removing clamps. Once clamps are removed cleanup any remaining glue squeeze out. Finally I'd seal the hairline crack with thin superglue.

Jim

[Mark Pollock]

You can make some blocks to drop in the pickup slots to help with alignment as well.
Ooh, ooh! You could also screw on an alignment block at the bottom using the strap button hole.