Ethics: Epiphone Archtop Binding replacement

[Michael McMillan]

Hi everyone, i have a 39 Epiphone Triumph in great need of Binding replacement. While i understand that some Nitrocellulose materials are still available, i am drawn to replacing all of the purfling & binding materials with Wood . Would you share your perspective on the ethics of this concept? i recognize that sometimes what one could do and what one should do are two separate things.
I'm trying to replicate an ambered white binding and am leaning towards maple or a tropical species called Areno Blanco (Brosimum Alicastrum),

Your guidance is absolutely appreciated.
-Michael McMillan

[Barry Daniels]

There are new types of plastic binding that don't have the self-destructive properties of nitrocellulose. That is what I would use. It will be easier to install than wood, and it will definitely look more original.

[Michael McMillan]

Thanks Barry, What would you recommend? i have an aversion to ABS as well, but your guidance is appreciated.

[Barry Daniels]

ABS is acceptable. Looks like nitrocellulose once its installed. My favorite plastic is Ivoroid but that is not a traditional look for an Epi.

[Matt Cushman]

For a non plastic binding white fiber might work for you. This is only good for areas that are finished. It wont work for the fingerboard surface. I use fiber almost exclusively on my mandolins and my archtop guitars. Vulcanized cellulose is very durable and makes a good binding material for body and the head stock. It is like a super hard paper. The hard part is cutting the strips the size you need. I cut mine by hand, starting with a balsa stripper ( from the hobby shop ) to score the cut. I use the back of a large xacto knife to cut from both sides till cut through. I love the stuff as it glues up great with HHG. I also dislike plastic. My most hated plastic is nitro cellulose as I am very allergic to that stuff. It is sold as fiber veneer and comes in black and white in various thickness the thicker white fiber is a little off white and looks a little like old plastic under a finnish. The thinner stuff is very white.

[Barry Daniels]

That is a great suggestion Matt. Where do you buy the fiber sheets, if you don't mind me asking?

[Matt Cushman]

LMII has it. I think they call it fiber veneer. The black works great for the back side of a headstock! It is a low cost alternative to plastic. If anyone does try it, be sure to sand off the outside protective coating before gluing. Once sanded most glues should bond well with it.

[Stephen Neal Saqui]

"I'm trying to replicate an ambered white binding"

This should be the priority.
Order plastic and forget about wood. (ABS may not be easy to glue and may not be acceptable in color) Stewmac has plain plastic black and white binding and purfling. Get the thicknesses as close to original as possible. Don't alter the original slot. If you have to thickness the plastic to match, do so. Plan and practice with materials before hand until you're sure you've got the right match. Also practice spraying amber color to get the aged look right.

These old Epiphones deserve your best work. Please don't be casual about it. This is called "restoration". Thank you.

[Matt Cushman]

The fiber looks like plastic but wont deteriorate with the passage of time as the original did.

[Michael McMillan]

Stephen,
You nailed it. Thank you.

[Stephen Neal Saqui]

Michael,
You're welcome. I've never used this fiber stuff from Luthiers Merc. and just looked it up. May be promising for you...good tip from Matt.

[Michael Lewis]

I have used fiber binding material (both black and white) from Gurian Guitars, and like it better than most plastic binding materials. It doesn't shrink like some plastics can, and is pretty tough. It glues with any wood glue, CA, Duco, or probably most adhesives. It's a bit tougher to scrape down to size than plastic, and doesn't really sand terribly well but otherwise ti works well.

For an old Epiphone I would probably get some celluloid binding of the nearest color to original and be conservative with the Duco glue. One thing that causes celluloid to deteriorate seems to be exposure to excessive solvents. Modern celluloid can be pretty stable, works very well, and is the right material for the application. However, there is no guarantee how long celluloid binding will last. How is that for circular reasoning?

[Stephen Neal Saqui]

The best plastic for repair and even new builds is Rigid Vinyl. You can buy it in sheets from plastic dealers. I slice off lengths for purfling blacks and whites.

It's also the best replacement for Martin celluloid pickguards that have shrunk and caused damage to the instrument. When I do warranty work for them that's what I use instead of they're oversized one with stickum on the back. I fit the rigid vinyl (.020") to the original size, rough up the underside with 220 paper and glue it on with Titebond. It never shrinks.