When To Bind?

[al heeley]

Neck-thru ric 4003 replica build: when to bind?

I am working on shaping the neck. the body wings are just about finished but they are not yet jointed to lie flush with the neck block.

I have routed the channels for the binding. The maple cap will be primed then painted.

Is it too early to fix in the body binding yet? Should it be done after undercoating or painting? Should I wait and get the wings propoerly joined, butted up and glued to the neck block first? Not sure what the proper order should be for this. I don't want to get paint in the routed binding channels but presumably if I fix the binding in first I can scrape the paint off the binding with a modelling knife?

[orgmorg]

I fix the binding in first I can scrape the paint off the binding with a modelling knife?

Yes, It sounds daunting, but that's the way it's done, even by the manufacturers, like Gibson.

Binding is most always done before finishing. Mostly because it needs to be sanded/scraped flush with the body.

I've only done it a few times, and never on a guitar with a solid color, so hopefully someone else will be able to go into more detail.

[Setch]

After you've completed all your finish sanding, but before any finishing. If you bind before finish sanding, you may find a tool mark or blemish which will need to be sanded out, resulting in a thin section of binding. If you bind after doing any finish application, you risk a sand though (or scrape thru) when gettng the binding scraped flush.