Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Hi guys,

Newby to this forum, longtime fan of this website (6 months of drooling now).

After all this drooling I finally decided to build my first complete guitar (5-string bass), I did build a strat body 7 years ago for a vintage Fender 1974 CBS neck I had bought but that was with lots of help. (In reality my friend had done most of the work). It's been made with hard ash I got at the local wood yard, the stupid thing weights a ton!

So finally during X-mas time while I was back home in Canada I bought all the wood and did all the bandsaw cuts I needed. I brought back everything here, in the Netherlands where I live.

I'm now at the part where I have to glue my Pao ferro fingerboard to my Mahogany neck. And truth be told I have NO idea what sorts of glue I should use.

I heard that most luthiers use "Titebond". Is that true? and if so, is there a difference between titebond 1 and 2?

Is there any difference with that and most regular wood glue you find at home depot (or Praxis if you live in the Nethelands)?

What about epoxy?

While I was in Montreal a luthier recommended me cold-cure epoxy from "Lee Valley", is there a difference with epoxies from this guy and other generic epoxies I could find here in Holland?

I can find Titebond here at Vox Humana Guitar center (thanks to whoever posted their link on the guitar project site) but at 16 Euro per bottle it's a lot more than glue you'll find at home depot. And as far as epoxies go, i'd rather buy something here than have something sent through the post from the states or Canada.

Man! my book is finally finished.

So anyway, anybody can clarify this for me, or just give their opinions on what I should use?

Thanks guys.

Posted

titebond is the glue of choice for most people as you said, and a safe bet. There was i think 2 long threads about titbond if you do a search. titebond 1 is best suited for guitars. Save the epoxy experiments for a bit down the road when you know what you want from a glue. And yes epoxies can differ quite a bit in strength, texture, final hardness, thickness and colour, so there's quite a broad selection.

Anyways the point is, you're glueing wood, so use wood glue :D

Titebone 1

Posted

titebond is superior in tight fit applications like a fretboard.gorrilla glue is best if it is not a super tight fit.

titebond 2 tends to not dry properly,according to some.....but i have used it with success.i prefer the originall

Posted

I'll see if I can find the thread that I started about the difference between TitebondI and II. I talked with a tech support guy at Franklin (the makers of Titebond) about the issues that some people were seeming to have. Basically, the difference is that II is "water proof" and I is not. II does not dry as hard as I either. A lot of people were claiming that their joints were "creeping" with II and thought that Titebond I was much more resistent to that. Franlkin said that Titebond I was not any better when it come to creeping. They recommended Titebond Extend for cases where creep was an issue. The Titebond Extend is used for laminating stair rails (curved) and projects that require a bit more setup time and of course resistence to joint creeping. I have some here but have not tried it yet. I plan on using it for my nect fretboard since I like to take time lining it up just right.

So basically, if you can't find Titebond Extend, get Titebond I. If you can't find that either, get Titebond II - it's not any more likely to creep. I have used II on one guitar and it has had no problems so far.

Dave

Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars
Posted

Another good reason to use titebond:

If there is ever a problem with the trussrod, a water based glue will steam off and both the neck and fretboard can be reused. Gorrila glue is polyurethane glue, not water based, and like wes stated, due to its foamy nature, it wont do a tight joint.

Posted
No one here uses Hide Glue?

I've used Titebond hide glue when I was making a violin. It's nasty stuff, REALLY sticky, like epoxy, and it also smells bad. :D

Posted

Yes, I've used hide glue in the past. The Titebond hideglue isn't really the same as mixing it yourself and heating it up. It's really the only choice I think for hollow bodies/acoustics. Specifically for parts that may be disassembled in the future. Neck joints, bridge, etc. It is an amazingly strong glue (look at antique furniture...probablby hide glue keeping it all together) but with a little heat it disassembles very nicely...perfect for fret boards.

I've used it for a few repairs, and have been very happy with it's performance. www.mimf.com has a bunch of great conversations about different glues in their forum. I've learned a lot from them.

Posted
www.mimf.com has a bunch of great conversations about different glues in their forum. I've learned a lot from them.

I've read them also. The section in the FAQ leaves me with the impression that there is no one glue that is best to use.

Posted
It's really the only choice I think for hollow bodies/acoustics. 

Never used it at Northwood Guitars. Northwood uses the two glues I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, Titebond I and Cabinet makers glue. Titebond is used for pretty much everything, except the cabinet makers glue is used on bridges and necks because it is less elasticy than Titebond.

Posted

I've used fresh hide glue for several fingerboards, and it works great. I use Titebond if the basement is cool and I'm afraid that I can't get the parts all together in time before the hide glue sets. I'm starting to use hide glue on all my glue joints, as I really like the way it works, but each glue has its positives and negatives.

Titebond is sure less of a hassle, though.

Posted

I've used fresh hide glue for several fingerboards, and it works great. I use Titebond if the basement is cool and I'm afraid that I can't get the parts all together in time before the hide glue sets. I'm starting to use hide glue on all my glue joints, as I really like the way it works, but each glue has its positives and negatives.

Titebond is sure less of a hassle, though.

Posted

agreed. Titebond 1 is the best "all around shop glue" I've found, but hide glue has it's stong points as well (no pun intended..) There really isn't one glue that does it all...I'm surprised how much I end up using CA actually...it often does the trick.

Posted

In case anyone in the UK is interested, Titebond is available in the UK from...

jet tools & machinery ltd.

Unit 10 Weycroft Avenue

Axminster

Devon, England EX13 5HU

Phone: 44 1297 35065

Fax: 44 1297 35242

Email: email@jet.uk.com

www.jet.uk.com

If you need a local supplier in any other part of the world, contact Franklin via e-mail on international@FranklinInternational.com

Posted
you can glue glass together with gorilla glue. A tight joing is a product of proper clamping and jointing. Whether or not a particular glue expands has nothing to do with it

right.what i was saying is that gorilla glue itself is stronger than titebond in a loose joint,because of the superior strength of the glue itself,but the bond titebond creates in a tight joint is stronger than the bond gorilla glue creates......in a tight joint like a fretboard i would use titebond,in a loose fit set neck i would use epoxy or gorrilla glue

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...