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While I like it, not likely to use again if I'm unable to figure out this discoloration issue into the spruce next to the bindings. Yellow. I've heard it spoken of, so ideas are welcome.

Mike

I've heard of issues with CA, but not Fish Glue. I always wash my channels with shellac to prevent any bleeding into the top, back or sides....

Fish glue can stain any softwood tops. The trick is to size the end grain with, of all things fish glue brushed in lightly. It will seal the end grain then when you put in enough to squeeze out, it won't stain. That said, always shellac your top around the gluing areas to protect the surface from stains. I learned this lesson using fish glue thinned with water to flood rosettes. It works great, but you really have to seal the end grain there.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I made a post about this issue a while ago. Fish glue because of its long open time will seep into endgrain and will discolor the top. You need to seal the endgrain just as you would with CA glue. You only need to seal the endgrain of softwoods - there is no issue with hardwoods.

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Simon

Well, clearly, it is unfixable. Is what it is. Small yellow halo near bindings. Love it's quick tack, great for binding work. Will take the shellac sealing next time around

Like this?

As user-friendly as it is, I won't be using it for bindings again. At least not until I can reliably get a gapless fit on the first shot. Usually I have to soften the glue in a few spots and squeeze out gaps, which seems to be no problem with hide glue. But fish wicks in, and sizing wouldn't help because the softening would apply to that as well. Perhaps sizing with hide glue and then gluing with fish would work, however.

I also need to find a suitable piece of rope for clamping (I currently use tape), which would help with the first-shot gapless approach.

Mike and those having problems with fish glue staining, are you thinning the glue? And what kind of spruce? The reason I ask is that I have not had any problems yet on binding with fish straight out of the bottle. I will do a precautionary shellac seal coat in the future.

Thanks, Chuck

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+1 for Chuck's remark. I have only used it once but did not have an issue. My top surface was sealed with shellac but not the end grain.

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EddieLee

I went over the build process. It's not the fish glue. It's the CA. The stains are yellow. Almost bright yellow. Any ideas how to minimize the color?

Mike

Toner? Sunburst?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

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Pat

Not going to paint the top

In answer to Dennis' question about rope to use for securing bindings while drying,
I use a 1" wide elastic tape I got from a sewing shop (like JoAnn's Fabrics).

http://www.joann.com/braided-elastic-1-wide-60-yards-white/prd56336/?green=2ddfdc00-dee1-b472da-2e22-63d04c5b61b

I use a 50' or so length, and wrap it around and around, keeping it taut, covering every bit of the glued binding, with very few small gaps. It'll pull in any binding I've tried, except where I had tight curves- like a cut-away,
and I had not fitted the binding curve to the guitar well enough. That creates a hard spot that can't be
pulled in by any technique I've tried. Answer is to fit the bindings better- part of my learning process...

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

First, since the vast majority of luthier bind with nothing but tape, and achieve perfect, gap-less binding time and time again, I'd look at your entire routing and fitting technique instead of looking for rope or other stronger clamping systems.

As for the staining, I've not seen any with fish glue, but I suppose it can happen. I tend to be --very-- frugal with the application of glue, any glue, such that there's likely not enough to allow much wicking. Again, it's a technique deal. But when a glue stain does happen, and it does to everyone, the only real solution is also a very simple solution, and that is to wipe the entire affected surface(in this case the guitar top) with the same glue, so that the color will be even, and it all comes down to that, anyhow; keeping the color even. So if CA caused the stain, wipe CA all over the top, as a sealer. If it was fish glue, wipe a coat of fish glue on 'er....

As the Guster would say, "I know that's right!"

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

I actually find plastic bindings to be tougher/trickier than wood bindings....

That is awesome! A Psych reference in a luthier forum. That is one of my favorite shows!

Isn't that the truth. Building musical instruments has opened up a whole new world of creative screw ups that I had no idea were possible to make in a woodwork shop. It's also opened up a bunch of fresh ideas for creative mistake cover ups.