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#1
07-26-2020, 02:57 PM
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Bought a used Martin for $50 with missing binding
I was encouraged to post in this section due to an odd situation I have stumbled on. I'm new to guitar playing and am ecstatic to have found such a great deal on a used Martin DCME 2005-2006 era, but didn't realize when I got it that the front and back binding was completely removed. I reached out to the seller after the fact and he said years ago he removed it because it was falling apart and regretfully threw it away. The guitar before his ownership was stored in a storage place for an unknown period of time.
I recently took it to a Martin authorized service center and was informed it would not be worth it for them to do the work because it would exceed the value of the guitar. I've asked 3 other repair shops and no one is willing to do the work. So now I am contemplating doing it myself. My husband and I are pretty handy. Seems to be just binding no purfling was installed from factory. Thinking that would make the job a little bit easier. We measured it with calipers and measurements are .050 (1.27mm) X .195 (4.95mm) Is there a plastic binding close enough where it could just be glued in without having to do any contouring? We've looked on StewMac and I am thinking about calling Martin tomorrow to confirm dimensions and appropriate material to use. What is the best binding? What is the best glue? I have been looking at videos and reading about it extensively lately and frankly, discovering the world of Lutherie has been pretty fascinating  I greatly appreciate any recommendations!  Thank you!*** Pics below *** 
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#2
07-26-2020, 03:00 PM
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Martin DCME
        
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#3
07-26-2020, 03:25 PM
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("Build and Repair" is probably the better place.)
The binding is probably black Boltaron: [IMG]  [/IMG]https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...c-binding.html https://www.lmii.com/plastic-binding...-boltaron.html It needs to be scraped flush after installation. Study up on installation methods and glue choices. Glue cleanup and finish repair will be the difficult part of this job.
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#4
07-26-2020, 03:33 PM
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Quote:
I've posted in the Build and Repair. If a moderator could delete this, I'm not seeing where I can on mobile. Thanks Last edited by OceanBreezy; 07-26-2020 at 03:59 PM.
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#5
07-26-2020, 05:24 PM
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I would suggest getting a bottle of fish glue from Lee Valley or a luthier store. Fish glue take a day to dry and it give you a lot of opening time to get things right. Pick up a set of nail file boards from a Dollar Store. You are going to want to clean up the binding channel so that there are no bumps that would skew the binding away from the edge of the top or the edge of the sides. Fit the binding and tape it down with masking tape. I would advise an ABS binding. Watch some vids and you should get the idea.
The other question is whatever caused the binding to fall off may have done some internal damage. A mirror and a light inside the sound hole will allow you to see if any braces are loose It would be good to have a thin spatula to check to see if you can get it under any loose braces. Google loose braces and you should get someone showing what needs to be checked. Otherwise it looks like a fun project. Once you get the guitar in good shape we may get you doing more guitar work yet.
__________________
Fred
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#6
07-26-2020, 05:54 PM
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I fix these all the time, under warranty and in the course of normal repairs.
Super cheap purchase, $50 thats crazy. I would concur with the repair places you have visited, the cost to execute a clean repair likely exceeds the value of a replacement guitar. To keep it cheap, get some black binding from stewmac and their glue also some binding tape. apply the binding glue 4 inch area at a time, lay the new binding into the first three inches of glue and tape it in place with the binding tape, continue until you are completed I have a tutorial showing the fitment of binding if you wish Steve 
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE Last edited by mirwa; 07-26-2020 at 06:00 PM.
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#8
07-26-2020, 07:42 PM
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Quote:
 The loose braces is something I hadn't even thought of. I have some Elixir strings and the tool coming tomorrow. Once I get them off I'll get a good look inside. Figured I'll give it a good cleaning as well with the strings off and while we attempt the the rebinding. I can change careers during this down time and learn everything I need to know on this forum and youtube, lol  thanks for the tips!
Last edited by OceanBreezy; 07-26-2020 at 10:37 PM.
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#9
07-26-2020, 07:54 PM
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Quote:
I can mssg you my email if that is the best way to send it. Thanks so much for the info.I was willing to pay at least a couple hundred dollars for the repair...so, I'm taking it as a sign and a really cool opportunity to learn something totally new. Gluing the binding seems to be fairly simple...what about scraping it down to level? Is there a specific tool that would work best in your opinion? My biggest challenge is making sure not to get any glue on the finished wood. I'd have to be super careful about the gluing process. However I know that might be inevitable.
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#10
07-26-2020, 07:55 PM
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Quote:
I will update if it all goes good. Or not, I'll be back on here asking for advice, lol
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#11
07-26-2020, 07:58 PM
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Would it be sacrilegious if I went with a different color binding other than black? Just curious on thoughts about that.
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#12
07-26-2020, 08:27 PM
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Quote:
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#13
07-26-2020, 08:59 PM
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Ocean, Your concern about not getting any glue on the finished surfaces is spot on as any cement that bonds plastic binding to wood is going to bond to finish as well. Perhaps Mirwa's video will have some good tips for dealing with the glue. The best I can think of would be to mask the the finished wood on the sides and top and back. Then when you glue in the binding, any squeeze out will be on the tape, not the finish. Then scrape back the over hanging binding and squeeze out to flush with the masking tape. A sharpened card scraper is the tool of choice but a fresh utility knife blade handled carefully will do. This will get you within about 0.005" of the finished surface. Trying to scrape the binding totally flush will result scraping some of the finish too. Obviously, you want to start with binding that's only slightly larger than the binding channel. It's been awhile since I bought plastic binding but 0.050" doesn't stick out in my mind as a common size. 0.0625 would leave you only about 15 thousandths to scrape to flush. Binding can be thinned/trimmed with a sharp block plane or card scraper before gluing it in. Good luck in your adventure, sealing those joints is really important for the longevity of the instrument. -RB
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#14
07-26-2020, 11:04 PM
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Quote:
Steve
__________________
Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE
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#15
07-27-2020, 01:07 AM
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Quote:
The more I read and familiarize myself with data, the more confident I feel in doing the job. My husband said from the very beginning "we can do it ourselves" fingers crossed it'll turn out nice [emoji106] will be ordering materials soon!
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