Official Luthiers Forum!

To follow up the binding thread, any tips on hiding the joints on light colored binding like Maple?
I have seen very few guitars where the joints weren't pretty obvious, especially around the end graft.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Don't use CA glue. HHG will make a less dark joint.

I have the best results by sanding the butts with 220 on a hard block and then glueing with white glue. I have made one that was all but invisible. It ended up under the tail piece of a mando.

Terence, I usually do a scarf joint where the binding meets at the butt. Gluing dry with CA will result in a dark line, no matter how perfect the joint is. I wet the maple before applying TB1 or Gorilla wood glue. BTW that works well for purflings as well.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Perhaps make a feature of it.
Thinking a small dark piece scarfed it at the tail, top and bottom, maybe aligned with the tapered tail graft - come to think of it, my next binding is light coloured.......
Thanks!

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I agree with Laurent. Make a scarf instead of butt joint.

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michael propsom
www.propsomguitars.com

ME too - and make the joint several inches off the center line.
I'd use LMI white glue for this.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Thanks guys, Charlie Hoffman sells in the same store I'm in and he also scarfs his maple bindings. They are the best joints I've seen so far. That's what I'll do. I appreciate the help.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Todd,

Can you tell us if you are using a jig or some type of Miter Trimmer to cut that scarf joint, it's outstanding work.

Thanks for explaining your technique, Todd.

I'm not quite sure that I understand how you are using the tape shims. Could you explain that further?

Thanks,

Mark

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A world without music would Bb.