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I just glued up some plastic binding on my baritone ukulele Kit build (think of it as a small parlor guitar) I used the Stewmac Bind-All glue which has a 2 minute set time. The plastic binding was long enough to go around the whole instrument. I did not think in two minutes I could apply the glue, set the binding and tape it in place, so I tried to do it in sections. This was a disaster. The plastic binding is installed but there is glue everywhere.

I just watched Robert O'Brien's Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag 6 - Bindings with CA glue. He tapes up his binding and then applies a thin CA glue between the tape. This way you can be sure everything is perfect before the glue comes out. This sure seems like a better way of doing it.

My questions
1. Will CA glue stick to the plastic binding?
2. Is there a better glue the Stewmac Bind-All glue. It's kind of runny and using a better glue bottle would be helpful.

Thanks as always

Yes, CA will stick to plastic binding. It will actually melt into it a bit. You can test this by placing a drop on a piece of binding and letting it sit there for a few seconds and then wipe it off. You should be able to see some etching in the surface of the binding.

When using CA glue for bindings it helps to seal the binding ledge with shellac so the CA doesn't wick into the end grain and discolor it (some cheap chinese walmart CA glues stain end grain yellow.
Also use "fresh" thin CA glue - CA glues thicken up over time and what starts out as "thin" turns into "medium" .

Yes, that is what Robert O'Brien recommends also.

Thanks

After trying several methods and adhesives I have been using CA for all of my bindings (both wood and plastic) for quite a while now. I prebend the binding (when necessary) and tape it in place leaving about 1 inch gaps between tape. I have lots of time to get the fit perfect. Then I take a pipette with water thin CA (StewMac's #10) and put a tiny drop between each piece of tape - basically "tacking" it in place. If you put the drop right at the interface between the binding and wood it will be wicked into the crack - very little goes into the wood itself.

I keep a little block of UHMW in one hand and if the binding is fitting perfectly I can hold it in place while the CA kicks off. Then I pull the tape, inspect it and make sure there are no gaps, come back with my pipette and run a bead all the way around the binding both on the top and the side seam. Let that kick off and its ready to scrape.

It works for wood, plastic, fiber, and pearl. I have never had a binding failure (I have had Ducco cement fail). Sometimes I seal the wood with shellac but often not - unlike wood or plastic glue it doesn't seem to appear under finish (remember that some folks use CA as a pore filler).

My only big caution - I am highly sensitive to CA and must wear a full NIOSH respirator and work with good ventilation.

I've used dependable old Duco Cement in the green and yellow tube since the 70's for binding. Recently did some work on a Gretsch from the 50's with crumbling binding. Careful application and gentle pressure melted it all back together. I amazed myself, and the client loved it.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I love those times

Thanks

How did you keep the duco from getting on the finish?

Tape and caution for the body.... The finish ON the binding? It all kinds of melts together.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

We don't tape - we just work about 4" at a time and tack every 1/2" or so, then GluBoost that section. For complex work, we build the binding by layers, starting with top and side purflings and miters, then add the binding. Tack everything up, then run back through with a continuous line of CA. Unlike glues with acetone or methylene chloride as solvents, CA will not swell plastics, so waiting the two or three days to scrape back cellulose nitrate or acetate binding is not necessary.

FWIW, Duco is gelled acetone, so works well for cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate bindings, but is not suitable for use with Bolteron or other ABS/PVC alloys because acetone is far too weak a solvent to do the job. Yes - I know Martin used Duco on Bolteron going back to the late 1960's, but that's also about the time they appear to have begun having serious issues with keeping bindings on their guitars.