Alternating binding idea

[Mike Perez]

Hello,
I am installing binding on both sides of an old electric guitar. I really like the "rope binding" but it looks really intense and as I don't have any table saw, miter box or bending iron, it might be too much to attempt right now. I did think of substituting thick white and black plastic binding in its place and using acetone to glue the pieces to the channel. This would allow the imperfections of the cutting to blend in better than it would using wood. Would CA glue hold better than acetone?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Mike

[Barry Daniels]

Both CA and acetone will hold plastic binding. But one question: Are you doing this on a guitar with finish? Both acetone and CA will destroy the adjacent finish. You might want to try Canopy glue which is water based and will not melt finishes.

[Mike Perez]

No. I am repairing the guitar and stripping it down. Removing the worn top binding and adding binding to both sides.

[Barry Daniels]

That's different then. You can use an aggressive glue (like CA) and clean up the squeeze out afterward. I would not recommend acetone because it is a bit less user friendly. Duco cement would be another option.

It sounds like your binding ledge on top is not real even. You should run a router around it to even it up, or at least, use a file on it.

[Mike Perez]

Yes, I'm going to run a new route on the old front ledge and a totally new ledge on the back. Not sure if I should use plastic or wood. The one dilemma is I want to use alcohol amber stain on the wood then pore fill with Z-poxy. I did a test strip and it was really nice with Crystalac as the top coat.
If I use CA glue before pore fill, I'll have to shellac the edges to keep the CA glue from staining the wood.
If I use acetone with plastic binding, the acetone should dry off and not affect the pores of the wood. If I use wood binding, I'll use CA glue, but it will seal and stain the bare wood. If I pore fill first, the glues with affect the Z-poxy.
Looks like I will bind in plastic with acetone, let the acetone flash off, then pore fill with Z-poxy.
Hmm. A bit of a challenge.

[Freeman Keller]

Mike, LMII sells a premade rope style binding/purfling that I have used on several vintage styled guitars. And for what it is worth I only use water thin CA for binding now days. I get the channels perfect, take my time fitting the binding until it too is perfect. I space my tape about 1 inch apart and apply a small drop of thin CA right to the seam with a pipette. Pull the tape and run a very fine bead of CA all the way around the seam. The CA is wicked into the seam and almost none goes into the parent wood.

If it does it still doesn't seem to affect the staining or finishing but you should experiment on your own scraps. After binding I scrape back any CA that is on the surface, stain if I'm going to, pore fill with finishing resin if I'm going to and then finish. One last thing to consider is that some folks use CA as their pore filler. I'm sensitive to the stuff so I don't but again, you can experiment on your materials.

[Mike Perez]

Thank you all.
I visited a few Bajo Quinto (Mexican five course guitar) sites and just about all that style has "rope" binding.
Many apply the pieces individually or a few at a time. There's also Iseman lap steel guitars that does the same binding. It looks as though he sandwiches the binding pieces between two fiber strips for ease of bending.

[Peter Wilcox]

I did a rope binding years ago on neck, bridge cover and tailpiece of a reso guitar I made. I made strips of walnut and alder, cut them into small pieces with a simple home made miter box, and glued them piece by piece into the binding channel. It was easy but tedious, and worth the effort.

[Mike Perez]

Outstanding! I'm gonna do it.

[Dan Smith]

Use acetone or Duco solvent cement.
CA really does not bind to plastic.

[Barry Daniels]

It can in some situations. You need water thin, very fresh CA. And sand the plastic binding. You can test if CA will work by placing a drop on the binding and let it sit for a minute or two. Wipe it off with a paper towel before it starts to set. If you see the spot has been etched out then the CA will grip. A shiny surface with no effect, no go.

Also, the type of plastic in the binding will make a difference. PVC, ABS, or celluloid usually work fine. Vinyl binding, probably not so much.

[Dan Smith]

Thanks Barry,
My comment was based on some tests I ran.
I did not think to sand the binding.
Dan

[Mike Perez]

Peter,
On your rope binding, what adhesive did you use to glue up the pieces?

[Peter Wilcox]

I used Elmer's yellow carpenter's glue, which is what I use for almost all wood joints - just make sure you clean it up well and sand, as it won't take color with stain or lacquer. If you're using wood, I'd imagine any wood glue would work, like Titebond or even fish glue. For plastic bindings I've always used acetone, though it may be a little messy if you're gluing in pieces.