binding...... what did i do wrong ???

[nick-p]

all looked perfect until I applied the blue woodstain. the ABS ivory binding appears to have stress cracks that the stain has fallen into but these are not "tight bend" areas. what did I do wrong ?. what can I do to fix ?. for the time being i'm melting some binding pieces in acetone to make a colour match paint. may just work , soon find out.

[Ned Knepp]

I don't know what went wrong unless you just have some flawed binding. I know it not what you want but I think it actually looks kind of cool. Did you get this all over or only on the headstock?

[nick-p]

no ned, it appears in a few odd places only.

[nick-p]

 

V - grooved the offending streaks with a blade and filled with the binding/acetone mix. will leave it for a day to harden and sand back. somehow I just got unlucky, no problems with the body, just the headstock.

[Ned Knepp]

I'm sorry for the trouble, Nick. Sounds like you managed to work it out. I really like the look, so far, of this guitar. The stain really pops the grain. Nice.

[nick-p]

[Robbie Collins]

Did the binding come on a roll? Maybe the headstock piece was on the inside where the curve was the tightest.

[William F.Eden]

I had that happen to me one time on a Mandolin and from there after I learnd to put some Laquer on the binding's before getting any stain  any were near the binding's Just my exp..Bill............

[nick-p]

you know when you're just not happy with something ? yep, I just pulled all the binding off to do again. at least I can be content with the thing eventually.

hi Robbie, the binding arrived very loosely coiled [ around 12 inches round ]. unsure why it had this problem, I have now tested tightly bending some binding lengths in both directions and then soaking in stain... you guessed it, no problems at all ! it's a real mystery.

William, i'm stealing your tip regarding coating binding with lacquer before staining. thanks for that one   .

[Mike Kolb]

Probably the best idea yet!  "When in doubt, re-do"!

But I'm curious how the acetone/binding fill worked for you? I'm guessing not too well since you're redoing the binding, but did it have any promise? 

[nick-p]

hi mike, it's worth keeping the mix in a handy jar for tiny touch-up jobs or joins but to be honest, I had so much to correct , it started to look like a drain on my time compared to fitting fresh binding. I first made the mistake of thinking I could use nail varnish remover but it was WAY too weak, once I mixed the binding pieces with pure acetone and left for a few hours it was "job done"

[Eric Steven Johansen]

Nick, Did you use a router to flush cut the binding, either before or after installation? If so bit chatter may have caused the fractures. I've had that experience in the past, in my case it was due to a dull bit. Replacement is the best option.

[nick-p]

hi eric, I get your point about the chatter possibility but no, I routed the channel and glued in the binding which only needed a quick 320 grit sanding [ stewmac bearing cutter set used ]