Titebond for bridges?

[Grahame Myers]

After reading conflicting opinions on forums (fora?) all over the net, I'm looking for some opinions from you guys here, as I'm sure that the knowledge base and expertise here can be relied upon.
So, to the question: Can (should) I use Titebond for Bridge gluing/regluing? I always have upto now, and have only ever had one come back (and I'm not sure it had anything to do with the Titebond) Some people say that HHG is better, others say that Titebond etc is just as good. In all the books I have, the opinions are devided: some advocate HHG, others (including Cumpiano) maintain that Titebond is superior. As I'm doing more and more work involving gluing-up, and also intend to build my own OM from plans this year, I've started to think about the whole subject more intensely. All opinions welcome :-)

Grahame

[Donald A. Fortune]

Hi Graham- until now I have been using tiebond glue for all of mu guitar building but I have gone and ordered a hot pot for hyde glue and I'm going to give it a try. I think it is up to the individual as to weather to use hyde or another source..
Pease, Donald

[Grahame Myers]

Hi Donald
I've decided to check HHG out as it intrigues me as to whether it's really better. I'm still trying to scorce HHG here in Europe, but I have a problem: Non of the HHG I can buy here in Germany has any details of the Gramm strength, which is a little unsettling, and a pound tin of Behlens Master costs $22.42 from Behlen in Europe, which is tolerable, but they want to charge me $57.19 to send it from England to Germany (No, this is not a joke, look for yourself here: http://www.behlen.co.uk ) I'll keep on looking and try to find a solution. Why, oh why don't StuMac open a warehouse in Europe, the sooner the better!

Grahame

[Dave Yelverton]

Grahame..try here:
http://www.dick.biz/dick/page/homepage/detail.jsf
Dick Gmbh have got a good reputati0on and of course they are in Germany. Try hide glue..It's worth it. I never use anything else for bridges now.
Regards

DaveY

[Grahame Myers]

Dave
I already knew about Dick, (I'm seriously in love with some of the japanese chisels and the Lie Nielson planes they stock, but I digress..) , but for their HHG they don't give any details about the strength at all, which makes me a bit uneasy. I thought of using Behlens 'cos everyboby seems to use it, it has a known Gramm strength and a proven track record.
Would you risk doing a neck or a bridge with their HHG without knowing exactly how strong it is? Or am I being too paranoid about the Gramm strength? I suppose I could send them a mail, and see what they have to say about it. The price is certainly tempting: around €14.00 with shipping!

Grahame

[Dave Yelverton]

Grahame
I think perhaps you are being a bit too cautious. I've been using ordinary woodworking hide glue in pearl form and I've yet to have a bridge detach! That is not true of Titebond, and while I love the stuff for many things I wouldn't trust it where heat was involved. I've known hide glue stand up to an ambient temperature of 120 F in Central India. The wood on my instrument was cracking as there was zilch humidity, but the joints held up!
Dave

[Russell Vance]

Grahame, firstly , buy one very old horse.........

Don't get too wound up about the glue debate - people have been gluing stuff with dead animals for a long time now and that works - other people have been using Titebond for quite the while and that works as well. I use Titebond, have done for years, but I would use hide if I was old, lived in death valley or the amazon, had plenty of time to cook stuff, had nothing else and didn't like animals.

With a chuckle, Rusty.

[Grahame Myers]

Rusty
Well, I've been and gone and done it: I just ordered HHG from Dick in Germany, and this morning I bought a hotplate to warm the waterbath I'm going to heat it with. And I also ordered a new bottle of Titebond, in case the old one is too old (dated June 2008,seems to be good, but who knows for sure)
The first research candidate will be a guitar that came back today, a concert with nylon strings that I re-glued the bridge onto in December. It's coming off again :-( , I'm going to try hide glue this time, or maybe Gorilla glue :-) (Just joking)

Grahame

[Magnus Hultin]

My understanding is that LMI white glue is also Aliphatic resin glue. It is just not colored yeloow as some other Aliphatic resin glues, e.g. Titebond Original Wood Glue.

Nowdays I always use HHG for bridges. I heat it in a plastic cup in a water bath. I try to get is to syrup thickness. I have used Titebond Aliphatic in the past with good result and I even used Titebond Liquid Hideglue on two bridges, which still holds after several years.

[Charlie Hoffman]

I am using HHG pretty much exclusively these days. The one problem that needed some thinking was the relatively short open time. I solves that by buying a heat gun (Milwaukee - but any good brand will do). I heat up the bottom of the bridge (or braces, etc) put on the glue and then place on the top. The wood does not have to be very hot - not too hot to hold. Just a bit warmer gives a lot more working time. Just a thought. I also keep my HHG in those little accordion plastic glue bottles and keep them in the hot water (I have a traditional glue pot). The glue doesn't cool off as quickly as if I were using a brush in an open jar of HHG.

[Ned Knepp]

Charles, I use those cheap steel/bristle brushes for spreading HHG. I just keep the brush in the water next to the glue container so the brush is as warm as the glue. It works pretty well for me.