Changing my approach...

[David Edward Helmer]

So, I have noticed a tendency to reach for the super glue more recently and I was thinking about it and thought maybe I should start using Hide Glue more and more. It cleans up so easily and that is priceless. Two parts here:

For general purpose how do you feel about HHG compared to Super Glue? (I think i know the answer to this one....)

Will hide glue keep loose frets down?

As always thanks,

Dhelmer

[Hesh Breakstone]

When I was a builder only it was pretty easy to look down my nose at CA and I didn't use it for anything on the guitars that I built besides side markers.

But now as a repair guy CA does have it's uses that include fretting, finish repairs, stabilizing a hairline bridge crack when limited by budget and/or what's appropriate for the instrument and installing my nuts - no jokes please... well maybe a few... ;)

When speaking of hot hide glue (HHG) I'm always inclined to make sure that our definitions of terms are harmonized and we speak of the same thing.  I speak of HHG that we mix ourselves, has various gram strengths, and is NOT something also known as Pearl glue (which can stick to high heaven...).  And most of all I'm not referring to the Franklin bottled hide glue either - won't use that stuff in my work.

When speaking of "super glue" my remarks and usage only includes quality CA such as Bob Smith products or any of the hundreds of private labels (hobby store brands) that you can find BS products under.  Satellite City is great stuff too and there are others as well that are quality CA's that when purchased fresh and handled correctly provide great value in our trade.

CA and HHG are very different animals in very nearly every respect.  In terms of performance CA performs poorly in sheer where HHG won't creep over time.  As such the various applications for either may be very different with some common applications as well.

I like water thin CA for fretting over HHG for a couple of reasons.  First it's important to me to clamp my glued frets and CA lets me do this, hit it with accelerator in a direction and with a methodology that won't contaminate the next fret to be glued with accelerator and move on.  WIth HHG the clamp time is more than seconds as it is with CA.  Some folks like to "pot" their frets in HHG and I think that this is a decent method as well.  But for me I would rather have my frets in snug, direct contact with the fretboard and not potted in any glue regardless of what kind of glue.  I see using thin CA for fretting as not using a filler, as excess other glues can become..., and I like how CA compliments the mechanical lock of the fret tang and barbs to the slot's wood by acting to stratify the fret slot where in contact with the fret.

Either glue is fine for fret work but as indicated above my personal preference is CA because it's faster and as such more conducive to a production environment such as a busy repair shop where time is money.  To each their own though, always!

What's pretty cool about HHG in my view is that in various viscosities and with some creative thought or study of other folks's methods you can do most things well with HHG - not so true for CA.

But at the end of the day they both have their uses and just like any box full of various tools one is never a replacement for another - there're all good and they all have their place.

Glue, regardless of the type is never a substitute for a fret that won't stay down on it's own either.  I know it's often used for this but to me the goal is to have the fret fitting well and completely on it's own and the glue is simply to augment the mechanical adhesion of the fret to the slot.

So which one, CA or HHG - I say both have their uses and it's up to us to learn where and when to whip the optimal choice out for the targeted application.

[Chris Scott]

CA is wonderful stuff, and I cannot imagine this field without it, though I might guess it's used inappropriately quite a lot by folks that simply aren't aware of it's inherent limitations. As a flat-out adhesive, there's a pretty good selection of stuff such as HHG and aliphatic/white glue (LMI's product being my hands-down fave) that it seems just wrong to use CA as it's pretty invasive, especially in the take-it-apart-later category. Also worth noting is the stuff must be FRESH - as soon as it starts to become even slightly more viscous and/or gets even slightly off being crystal clear, it's done, and needs to be placed in the circular file. 

 

Yet there are some situations that just seem made for the stuff, such as fretwork. I use the stuff quite a bit for pop-ups; you know the drill - fret dress comes in, bread 'n butter time, and lo and behold the ends are popping up all over the place, or the middle's popping up, or the whole darn fret's just loose, and the instrument and/or job just simply doesn't merit ripping them all out and starting over, or even pulling them out and hitting the tang with a masher. (thanks Frank!) So a line of water-thin cyano wicked into one side while you (quickly) apply the roving fret press, and Bob's yer uncle - it's saved me SO much time over the years, tyhat I'd be lost without the stuff.

 

The other that springs to mind is nuts - I use it for holding 'em in, pure and simple. Locate it w/ string tension applied, and 1 drop of water-thin on ea. end, and it's good to go - a little goes a looong way of course.

 

There's a bunch of tool-making stuff as well, but I'm sure you all have your faves, so...