Binding on Martin

[bscott]

I have a Martin that has some of the binding that is loose and I would like to repair it myself. What would be a recommendation for the type of glue to use for the repair?

[Slimt]

Is it new? I would take it to a luthier , maybe have it checked to see if there are any other loose areas.

[Goat Mick]

Honestly its not a difficult repair IF you have the correct type of glue and you don't have excess squeeze out and you have the bands to hold it all in place as it dries. Personally, I would take it to a good repair tech. It won't be an expensive thing to fix and shouldn't take long at all.

[fenderball]

if you're the original owner, it's warranteed....

[dnf777]

I agree with all the above,but if for whatever reason you DIY, you have several choices. CA, fish, or a synthetic polymer (bind-all available at StewMac)

They will all work IF you diligently clean the channel and clamp the set-up. If the binding shrunk significantly, you may need to heat it, in which case I would use a luthier.

Assuming all that falls into place, clean up and finishing is where the difference occurs, and requires some artistic touches.

[bscott]

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. Since I am the original owner, I am going to have a Martin certified person so the repairs. Thanks again.

[rokdog49]

Well, if mine had not been under warranty it would have cost me over $200 to get it fixed by a highly-trusted and we’ll known shop who does work for professional artists.
I wouldn’t consider that inexpensive.
They had to repair four places on the waist and make it look untouched. I don’t believe it’s all that easy and I would never attempt it.
Just my two cents.

[dnf777]

Originally Posted by bscott

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. Since I am the original owner, I am going to have a Martin certified person so the repairs. Thanks again.

Good choice! Because if you messed it up, good-bye warranty!

Good luck with the repair. Make sure you check it when done, because not all separations are the same. My luthier feels strongly that this is a binding material problem, more than a glue issue. My binding had clearly shrunk significantly, making the inside radius not even close to fitting.

[cliff_the_stiff]

If I am shopping for a guitar and I get any sense that a repair was done DIY, without a work order receipt for the repair from a reputable shop - it is a deal breaker and I would not consider buying it.

[John Arnold]

Plastic binding always shrinks. This is strictly a glue issue that coincides with the time when Martin changed to a less noxious glue. It was an ill-considered decision.

[Fathand]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

Plastic binding always shrinks. This is strictly a glue issue that coincides with the time when Martin changed to a less noxious glue. It was an ill-considered decision.

I knew that is a problem with celluloid binding. Is it just as bad with ABS? CAB, PVC.?

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I don’t believe it’s all that easy and I would never attempt it.

As someone who does this weekly, it is a tricky repair to get the binding back in place and re-establish the finish under warranty

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by mirwa

As someone who does this weekly, it is a tricky repair to get the binding back in place and re-establish the finish under warranty

It's such a shame that this is even an issue.

Do you warm and stretch the binding prior to re-gluing it?

I had a 1939 Epiphone Triumph that eventually had the binding pull loose at the waist, and it was obviously a shrinkage issue. In that case it took 50 years before it pulled loose, so the Martin binding must be different, or the glue doesn't hold well enough to keep it from shrinking.

If you have thoughts on this I'd appreciate knowing more about what you feel is actually going on, since you have a lot of first-hand experience.

I'm a big fan of wood binding after owning a few guitars which used it. Now most guitars that I see with synthetic binding just look garish to me, the exception being most Taylors.

[mirwa]

Yes we warm and heat, side issue is the binding then thins down as its being stretched back into the same space, so clearcoats of nitro have to be used to build the volume up again to match original finish height

Sometimes the binding snaps and breaks so then you have to rebind the whole guitar and refinish a lot of the guitar

The glue used at the time was the issue

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by mirwa

Yes we warm and heat, side issue is the binding then thins down as its being stretched back into the same space, so clearcoats of nitro have to be used to build the volume up again to match original finish height

Sometimes the binding snaps and breaks so then you have to rebind the whole guitar and refinish a lot of the guitar

The glue used at the time was the issue

Thanks, Mirwa.

That's pretty much how I figured the proper fix would be done. I'm amazed at the number of times this comes up on AGF and also the number of responses relating that "it's no big deal" and a bit of CA is all that is needed, often the "probably $50 to fix..." is also included in responses.

If I found any shop that offered to fix a Martin binding issue for $50 I'd run the other way.