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Old 09-25-2020, 08:29 PM
Arumako Arumako is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 25
Default A Difficult Assembly

Thanks for the kind comment Mandobart!
Per my previous post, the time to close the box has come! For this application I decided to go with Titebond Genuine Hide Glue. A lot of folks have had mixed results with this stuff, but I've never had a problem before; so, grabbed a fresh bottle and tested the adhesive properties (just-in-case). With the original alignment and assembly being what it was, and my experience level being what it is, getting proper alignment for this project using normal procedures and tools was going to be challenging at best.

Additionally, the humid and cool local climate is a bit worrisome. Since the back fit was not naturally flush to the side, I decided to glue the back to the neck block first. This would ensure best alignment without resorting to building a custom mold. It'll also enable me to verify the reliability of the glue (it's a fresh new bottle, but I noticed the date was over 12-months old!). After gluing and clamping the back to the neck block, the assembly was cured for 72 hours. Now, I'm ready to continue...



Notice the gaping mouth at the butt end of the guitar. It's floating about 3cm. While the force required to keep the back adhered to the tail block is not enourmous, this will stress the glue quite a bit. Definitely will need extra working time and clamping time. To get the extra working time, the genuine hide glue is warmed to about 60 degrees C. This gives me an additional 10 minutes of work time, but the pay-off is longer clamping times.

The chopstick stick in the output jack weighed down with a 2 lbs. clamp is there to pull the butt end of the back into alignment by about 3mm. This will also stress the glue joint a bit. A hodge podge of clamping methods were used to ensure proper alignment.



You can see how the alignment is off at the butt end of the guitar. This won't even be noticeable once I shave the back to match the sides and add binding.



After 72 hours the clamps were removed and the tubing re-applied. The assembly will reman in this condition for one-week.



Whew! Gotta run some errands, so...I think that's it for now. Hopefully, onto the neck and fret board next week! Man, I hope this thing stays together when the tubing is removed!
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