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JayGunn

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About JayGunn

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  1. I'd like to make a comment about the line under your nitro on the body. I'm on builds number 2 and 3, not a very experienced luthier, but a VERY experienced furniture maker. What happens is that people use Titebond or Elmer's yellow glue or equivalent for edge gluing 90% of the time, and these glues cure by losing the water. The glue hardens in hours, but the water soaks into both pieces being glued, swelling them slightly at the joint, and wicks away in days or weeks until the moisture content at the glue line matches the rest of the plank. You can plane the wood you have glued up in a matter of hours, but the wood immediately adjacent to the glue line will shrink very slowly afterward and you'll see that slightly sunken line. What to do about it? Plan A is to let it dry for at least a week before you plane the wood. The defeats the whole purpose of using a fast drying glue. Plan B is to use a glue that does not introduce water to the joint. I use System 3 T-88 two part epoxy on anything that needs to come out beautiful, including my first bass, which was done almost entirely with epoxy. Others use West Systems epoxy, which I also might go for except that I could never finish the big containers they sell it in (for a lot of $$$) before it went bad. Don't use the 5 minute stuff--the slow drying epoxies have much higher strength. Another product with a good reputation is Smith's Oak and Teak Epoxy Glue. Epoxy likes a slightly rough surface at the joint and not huge clamping pressure, but these glues are very strong and thus very forgiving. When you figure 8-12 hour drying time, they are FAST compared to a one-hour glue that needs a weeks or more to dry out perfectly at the glue joint. I might use Titebond II for things like headstock veneer gluing where the temporary moisture increase will not cause that visible problem, but never for edge gluing on a visible surface. Why? because I have seen this same issue on table tops and been really disappointed. Another benefit is that you get at least 20-30 minutes of working time, so epoxy is great for a complex glue-up where Titebond would be setting up while you're applying the clamps. One more thing. In West System epoxy or any product where the resin and hardener are sold separately, you can save some money because the shelf life of the resin is many years. (Epoxy resin is BPA, a notorious endocrine disruptor which you can Google of course, so use gloves when you apply it). It is the hardener that ages out in a year or two and that can be replaced without throwing away the whole quart or gallon of resin. So maybe I'll try West Systems next time I run out. Last comment: you can tint epoxy (also Titebond actually) with a few drops of Transtint dye to match darker woods, like ebony, walnut bubinga, etc. Hope this helps! John
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