fellas, for the life of me! shaping binding

[Adam Brown]

Man... dig this: I bought some good old fashioned really big cream les paul style binding from stew-mac... and i can't seem to get it to shape right

I steam it... which makes it bendable... but for little curves, like around the cutaway, it doesn't want to listen.

please help me if you can!! thanks

i hope this makes sense..it's 3:30 in the am!

is there a binding tutorial anywhere on this site? I liked John Tironne ( or Fisher?) 's tutorial on binding with pvc... but i payed good money for the stew mac plastic!

[westhemann]

i don't know anything about this..but i don't think steam is the answer for that binding

also that celluloid binding isso highly flameable that a tablesaw can cause it to ignite,according to stewmac,so be sure to wait for a pro to answr you before trying anything else with heat

[erikbojerik]

Yep, I've got some of that StewMac binding as well (white/black/thick white). I can confirm that too close contact with a hair blow dryer will cause it to burst into flames, just about the time it gets soft enough to do what you want.

I got the best results letting it sit in very hot water (straight from a boiling tea kettle), then quickly slapping it on (it cools fast). But I was dealing with curves that were less demanding than a LP horn.

Your best bet might be to glue down the laminates one layer at a time; the thinner ones are definitely easier to deal with. Save the StewMac stuff for another proj.

[GregP]

Couldn't you mitre two pieces together at the tip of the horn? And then use acetone to 'melt' it so that there's no visible line showing?

I've never done it, but it sounds like an idea worth experimenting with on a bit of scrap.

[rradams]

Hi Adam,

I have also used the Stew-Mac cream bindings and dealt with the same frustration you are experiencing. The cream binding I don't believe is celuloid... I never had any problems with it burning. It will char it you get it too hot. :-) I used a heat gun that will shrink heat shrink tubing and it worked great. You have to wait for it to soften and use something (spoon) to roll it around the bends. I have used this on both the body and the neck and head stock. I pass this along refering only to the Stew-Mac cream binding though. I've only worked with this material for bindings.

Rubin

[westhemann]

cream binding

it says it is celluloid

[Drak]

I use CA to glue my bindings down, which means that as I go along, it's dry. I don't have to use 100 rubber bands and all that stuff.

Which also means that I glue just about up to the horn, give it a few minutes to dry, then just wrassle that bastard in place and hold it for a minute or two and it's dry and done. You really gotta give it some balls, pull it hard and even, clean up any squeezeout quick (don't go there ) and it's done.

I've found that use of heat guns can help, but only a little. Heating it up will allow it to make the bend without cracking in two, but it's not going to make it putty in your hands, you still have to exert some concentrated energy to make it go around the bend and be assuredly in place w/ no gaps.

It's one of those things that the more you do it, the more you get the hang of it.

[rradams]

Hi Wes,

Read carefully the link you posted... the cream binding it is ABS. :-) The warning at the bottom is a generic warning for bindings in general.

Rubin

[MikeB]

exactly - the binding is ABS. it isnt volatile.

[hy_dro66]

I use acetone to soften it a bit. Don't overdue the acetone though, it can melt celluloid to goo. I wipe the binding down with it as I'm going and use tape to hold the binding after I glue it.

[westhemann]

i am unfamiliar with abs

[VanKirk]

i am unfamiliar with abs

ABS = acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers.

ABS is an easily machined, tough, low cost rigid thermoplastic material.

One of many uses is on counterweights under the keys for piano keyboards and synths.

Kurzweil switched to this material when the original run of plastic would get brittle and crack after prolonged use.

It stands up to temperature changes and abuse much better than most plastic material but is still easy to work with.

[Adam Brown]

Guys, once again... thanks for all of your replies!

you definitely gave me some good ideas!

This website is the best thing that ever happened to the internet!

[strummer2k]

I just got through binding a tele front and back and basically ended up softening it a bit with a heat gun to conform to the basic shape using just a few pieces of tape to hold it down - no glue yet. It will kinda hold the curves a bit at this point and be a whole lot easier to work with. Then, I did what Drak laid out. I used the Stewmac white binding. You do have to be carefule with the heat gun or hairdryer though, it will absolutely burst into flames ruining not only your binding, but scorching the wood (nothing like learning the hard way).

[Adam Brown]

nice.

so my plan now is to keep it in some hot water... then try and shape it as fast as i can... then use a heatgun on low for the parts that didn't take shape