Tortoise Celluloid Binding

[Fernando Esteves]

Hello people!
I read a post on FB about how applying nitro over celluloid pickguards was a bad idea and helped it deteriorate.
I'm building a solid body guitar that I had plans to use tortoise binding. The problem: All tortoise bindings I've found are celluloid.

I'm going to finish it in PU, natural satin or gloss, not sure.

Do you think it would deteriorate like archtop pickguard? Or PU being less decaying than nitro would prevent it?

I really don't want to see my guitar looks like a rotten pickguard later

Thanks a lot!

[Barry Daniels]

I have never heard that finish would make it worse. Modern plastics are more stable than old nitro so I would not worry about it. I have put nitro finish on nitro plastic many times.

[Fernando Esteves]

I have never heard that finish would make it worse. Modern plastics are more stable than old nitro so I would not worry about it. I have put nitro finish on nitro plastic many times.

I was told it was the reason Archtop pickguards rot and crack with time

But I haven't even see a vintage guitar at all, so no idea

[Alan Carruth]

As far as I can see, nitro is nitro, including both celluloid and nitrocellulose plastic. It's chemically unstable. Being the little brother to a high explosive it breaks down over time, and releases nitrates that react to form nitric acid with moisture in the air, so it's considered 'toxic' to collections by museum conservators. Basically, the more you get of it in one place the faster it breaks down. Modern plasitcizers are certainly more stable and longer lasting than the old castor oil, but the basic material is not.

Back about 25 years go the MFA in Boston had an exhibition called 'Dangerous Curves', which showed guitars as art objects. They had a Stromberg archtop on display that didn't make it into the catalog. All the nitro on it, finish, pickguard, binding, and head veneer, was deteriorating badly. The binding was essentially in pieces, the pick guard was cracked and warped, and the black celluloid head veneer looked like it had been torched. He'd used a thick nitro finish, and the crazing was getting into the wood. Such a shame: it was a fine looking instrument sabotaged by the finish.

It was also easy in that show to tell when Martin switched from using shellac and oil-resin varnish to nitro; the older guitars looked much better.

[Fernando Esteves]

Thank you!
Does anyone knows a non-celluloid binding that looks like old tortoise?
I really am struggling to find, seems everybody just have celluloid ones