Best Glue for Plastic Binding

[Gordon Bellerose]

I live in Canada so some of the products used by a lot of you are not available.
As the title asks, what glue is best?
Is it a toluene type of "airplane glue" typically used by plastic model builders?
Or is it a slower setting "superglue"?
Is it an epoxy based glue?
I know wood glue can be used for wooden binding, but what is best for plastic binding?
I bought the binding from our friends at stewmac.

[Mario Proulx]

Super glue works really well and allows you to take your time and do short sections. But it can wick-in and discolor lighter woods like spruce. If that happens, then you have no choice but to seal the entire top with super glue also, to even out the color. Not terrible, but a PITA...

With celluloid, I use yellow wood glue; the "trick is to brush acetone onto the binding right before taping it up. Again, I will work short sections at a time. I'll apply and spread the glue to the channel, tape-up a short section of the binding and purflings, then brush the acetone to a roughly 6 or 8" long section of the celluloid and immediately press it into place and tape it up. Repeat until done. It's never failed me yet! I think that StewMac's bindings are ABS, which I don't have experience with, so I would suggest you try gluing a test strip of it with this method, and give it a week to cure completely, and see how well it holds. We'd appreciate it if you would let us know the outcome, too.

[Gordon Bellerose]

I'll contact stewmac and ask them what their binding material is.

Yeah, I've read about the "wicking" properties of CA glue, and that is why I'm asking a bit more about it.
I'm wondering if a slower setting gel CA glue would work a bit better. Not being as thin, it may not wick in as quickly.

[Gordon Bellerose]

I checked with stewmac, and they said their plastic bindings are ABS.
The glue they recommend cannot be shipped to Canada.
I'm still looking for a reasonable alternative.

[Mark Swanson]

I've had good luck using CA gel. It stays put much better and doesn't wick in. Make sure you don't use more than you need, and it does a fine job.

[Gordon Bellerose]

I've had good luck using CA gel. It stays put much better and doesn't wick in. Make sure you don't use more than you need, and it does a fine job.

Thanks Mark.
That is kind of the way I was leaning, but didn't know for sure about the bonding capability with wood.

I am assuming that the gel dries very hard and clear, correct?
And because it dries hard, you don't want any squeeze out that has to be scraped or sanded off?

If I do a layered plastic purfling with the plastic binding, does the acetone still have to be used to weld the plastic layers together?
If so, will the acetone affect the CA glue?

I will do a trial on a scrap piece, but if I can avoid some of the pitfalls by asking questions, that is much, much better!

[Michael Lewis]

With any CA adhesive wipe off the squeeze-out immediately. It helps to keep the wood nice if you apply a sealer coat of shellac before you cut the binding ledges. It helps keep dirt out of the clean wood, it helps prevent pulling splinters out of the clean wood, and it helps prevent glue from getting into the clean wood. Even a coat of lacquer will help in this regard, plus the lacquer can be sanded off more easily than the shellac. Just a couple thoughts.

[David King]

You might ask around at your local plumbing supply place if they have a clear universal cement for drain waste vent tubing. It most often comes in horrid colors to let inspectors know that the correct formula was used in a given application.

[Wayne Brown]

I've used quite a bit of stewmac plastic binding. I use "Duco" cement and have had no problems with it. Just remember to wipe the excess squeeze out off before taping the binding to the body.

[Mario Proulx]

We don't have Duco in Canada and it can't be shipped across the border, which is the OP's issue.

[Gordon Bellerose]

Yeah. A lot of the glues, and other products readily available in the US, are not in Canada.

I tried the CA gel the other day. LEPAGES CA GEL.
It seems to have glued really well, but how it will hold up with scraping, I cannot tell you yet. I've read that the heat generated by sanding and scraping can de-laminate some glues.

As soon as I get back into the shop later this week, I will scrape the test piece, and see how it works.
I will report back

[Dave Stewart]

Gordon, I've only ever used "Weld-on 16". You can find it locally, although you have to search around a bit .... plastics/ABS supply houses etc. Last place I found it was A&M Wood Specialty near here http://amwoodinc.com/pricelisthardware.aspx

(I would think if you contact them, they could tell you who distributes locally)

[Gordon Bellerose]

Thanks Dave. Being from Canada yourself, you know how difficult it can be getting some of the products regularly used by other forum members!

This is especially noticeable in the oil based finishes, but glue also.

[Rick Rosenberg]

CA is the best choice for this use by far.

[Dave Stewart]

CA is the best choice for this use by far.

This from a seller of CA glues...... no vested interest there !!!
(oh, and its not BTW)

[Mark Swanson]

Yes, but it is nice to have a glue expert post information once in a while. And let's remember, Rick isn't telling anyone to buy HIS glue, he's just making a general statement and trying to help.
And we all know there is more than one way to do most anything where instrument building is concerned and we all develop our preferences.

[David King]

I just wish Rick had as much expertise as some of the other industry experts and forum members. I don't do binding so I'll leave it at that.

[Paul Rhoney]

For a lot of my ABS binding I use the old "chips of binding melted in acetone" goop. The squeeze-out can be problematic when you get it in the grain, so I mask off anything that I don't want goop to get on. But I do a lot of solid color stuff, so in those cases if the goop gets in the grain, it actually fills it. If I need it to be really clean, sometimes I just use super glue and wipe off the excess as I go.

[Gordon Bellerose]

It has been a while since this post was started, and I promised to let everyone know how successful I was on this matter.

I used simple Lepages CA Gel for the ABS bindings in question. The glue dries slow enough to have a bit of working time, but not a lot.
I have scraped and sanded, but the bindings are solidly glued onto the body.
There was no wicking in, just as Mark advised, and things went well.

My next binding job is the aforementioned multi-layer purfling/binding combo, so that will be a bit more of a challenge.

[Mike Ryan]

I haven't decided yet but I think wood binding is not much more trouble than plastic.
I had to replace plastic 3 times on one guitar recently mostly due to inexperience. The first binding was black abs but didn't fit the channel well at all I found out later when I started to finish. Painfully, I trimmed it all off. The adhesive I got from LMI was too strong and it was a bear to remove to replace the binding. The weldon seems to provide just the right adhesion.
Finally, I got some black abs from stewmac which has a very slight cove cut in to the bottom/top edge. This little cove with generous weld on 16 did the trick. I put generous weldon in the channel and pushed down and taped at the same time and got a nice wood/plastic line. I welded the seem for the back binding very well with the weldon and you can't see it.
Got the weldon 16 from amazon nice big tube for $16. The tip clogs sometimes in the heat of arizona.