Safe to Drill?

[Taylorplayer]

I want to remove and reset the bridge on an older classical guitar. It is lifting up and away from the soundboard along its' back edge.

Presently there is one small bolt and nut through the center point of the bridge. In order to use a bridge clamp that I plan to make, I would like to drill two small holes - evenly spaced in from each end of the bridge itself. Those holes would allow me to insert a small diameter bolt (to be used with a wing nut) to help anchor the bridge clamp itself tight until the glue sets up. Once the bridge is solid again, I plan to remove the outer bolts and then insert a decorative dot of Mother or Pearl in each one.

Do you think drilling the extra holes will cause any damage to the top itself? I plan to drill small pilot holes first, then move to the size bit needed.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Will

[phavriluk]

Whatever you do, and I can offer no comment as to whether your plan is a good solution for what you're trying to solve/control, test the process off the guitar on practice materials. Never can tell when something comes up and surprises us. I want to have any process I'm making a one-way trip on to offer no new adventures.

[stanron]

Originally Posted by Taylorplayer

Do you think drilling the extra holes will cause any damage to the top itself? I plan to drill small pilot holes first, then move to the size bit needed.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Will

Make sure the holes you drill do not go through any struts or braces. You will be aware that drilling holes in wood can lead to tear out where the drill bit emerges. Prevent this by clamping scrap wood to the underside of the front. To prevent damage when tightening up the bolts make sure you use washers beneath the bolt heads and the nuts. If necessary custom make washers to spread the load. Practice the clamping procedure a couple of times before you glue.

[repete]

DONT use bolts to repair your instrument.

BUT you can drill two small holes in the saddle cavity for two brads to locate the bridge in the same place when you do glue it. Keeps it from moving while you clamp it down.

-r

[Frank Ford]

No pix, and you don't mention anything about the "quality" of this guitar, so considering it's a nylon string instrument with a bolt in the center of the bridge, I'll assume it's a really cheap sort of generic guitar, possibly from Asia. If that's not the case, then please follow the other advice above and skip the following.



Yes, you can drill the holes as suggested, bolt/clamp the bridge and replace the hardware with inlay or whatever - strength of the glue bond won't be compromised.

Epoxy would be a nice choice for the job because serious clamping pressure isn't needed - just sand or otherwise clean off old glue and finish from the mating surfaces.

[Taylorplayer]

Originally Posted by Frank Ford

No pix, and you don't mention anything about the "quality" of this guitar, so considering it's a nylon string instrument with a bolt in the center of the bridge, I'll assume it's a really cheap sort of generic guitar, possibly from Asia. If that's not the case, then please follow the other advice above and skip the following.



Yes, you can drill the holes as suggested, bolt/clamp the bridge and replace the hardware with inlay or whatever - strength of the glue bond won't be compromised.

Epoxy would be a nice choice for the job because serious clamping pressure isn't needed - just sand or otherwise clean off old glue and finish from the mating surfaces.

Thank you for taking time to answer my question. Your advice is much appreciated - that is all the information I needed to know.

[Quickstep192]

If the adhesive you use to you the bridge will come in contact with the bolt you use as a clamping mechanism, you might want to coat the bolt with wax or mold release to prevent it from getting stuck to the bridge. If the bolt is small enough to fit in a saddle slot (#2 I'm guessing), there might be a chance that it could be glued into the hole well enough that when you apply sufficient torque to try to remove it that it could break. Applying heat would be another option if it gets stuck.