Official Luthiers Forum!

HHG users, I am setting up for HHG and am wondering which size(s) of brushes are most useful for working with guitars?
I have a source for bridled brushes, which seem to be about the best for this purpose.
(I will also be getting plastic bottles with nozzles)

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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.

Japanese calligraphy bamboo-handled brushes work great and come in a variety of sizes. Cost $6-8 and last a very long time. Any well equipped art supply store should have them.

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Stay with the happy people.
--Reynolds Large

Todd,

Is this what you are talking about? Looks like Highland Woodworking has the Linden Bast Glue Brush for $6.99.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/lind ... ush14.aspx

John

Ohhhhh... and when did the forum get a spell checker?

I don't think that there is one brush that will do it all. Sometimes you have joints that are large and you need a larger brush that will hold a lot of glue. other times you have a small area that requires a small brush. The cheap bristle brushes work well for me for plate joints and bracing. They are appx. 1" wide.

I keep my HHG in 1 Oz bottles and have tips with small and big holes depending on what I'm gluing. For large areas I use a spreader - usually those fake credit cards that come in the mail; I save them for that purpose. Otherwise I just use the cheap brushes, problem with them is that they tend to shed bristles which can be annoying. The bast from highland looks like its worth a try.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I was thinking of this type of brush, and can get a confusing number of sizes, (1/"4 to 1 1/2" in steps of 1/8")
I was thinking of a few different size brushes at the same time to save a bit on postage (any quantity over the first is free post)
Are these no good?
I understand the Linden Bast brushes are probably the best, but closest I can find them is Germany.
To make one it sounds like I just need to use a length of Lime wood, probably soak it and bash the end to fray it?
Why so expensive?

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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.

Thanks Todd, I'll just buy some lime wood and have a try.
I can always get the brush later if it's a disaster.

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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.

Well Colin...sorry but...bast comes from
from the strong inner fibrous bark of the tree. The fiber is obtained by peeling off the bark and soaking it in water for a month, after which the inner fibers can be separated. Thats if you want fiber. Now for brushes, you need the thick bark from a old trunk. If you got an old bass tree you wanna drop...then go for it. Then of course you really could just cut a 1 inch strip up the trunk and start soaking it. Shoulden't hurt the tree too much.

Sorry but the sap and heart wood won't work.

oh well.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Thanks guys, all good info, organised.

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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 was doing a search for a glue brush a while ago and came across this one at tools for woodworking. I'm not sure what site I was on where they recommended it but I have it stashed in the "I may buy one of these some day" section of my brain.

http://toolsforworkingwood.com/store/it ... UEBRUSH.XX

Waist full fellow! You suppose to lick it. Don't you know? Try adding some cherry or strawberry flavour to the goo...yummy.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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I use el cheapo bristle brushes from hobby lobby,and keep a jar of vinegar handy, the dirty brushes get dipped in the hot water bath holding the HHG baby food jar and then go into a vinegar jar.Fish glue is the most difficult to clean. Brushes last a long time.I also have some vln bristle brushes bought from howard core , if taken care of they last a long time.

As a bookbinder, I'd used traditional glue brushes for decades and other than than having been eaten—that HHG's tasty—on the one occasion where raccoons invaded my shop, they've lasted for as long. You can shorten the bristles to stiffen the 1/4" brush, by the way.

I don't think you should stress out about the kind of brush to use with glue. I believe Mario uses empty hair color squeeze bottles. For me they seem to have the perfect size nozzle. My finger occasionally serves as a spreader.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

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Under Compensated Nut!

Stress out?
Stress out?!!!!
WHO IS STRESSING OUT??!!!

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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.

3lbs high clarity 192 en route from US, can buy good quality 444 locally and understand can mix strengths 2-1 ratio to get around 360. for bridges.
Organised for warming, and already have a heat gun.
Going to try a small deep fat fryer with water/marbles in it for an inexpensive glue pot!
See how that goes - if not, I can always have french fries and a rethink while dipping the ketchup!

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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.

The "little dipper" type crock pot is what a lot of us use as a cheap glue pot. Not as nice as a real glue pot, but they work fairly well. Grumpy used one for many years, but I don't know if he still does.

Yup, still do! I've bought a few more as spares when I find them at second hand shops, but have yet to burn out my original "Little Dipper". The thing will hold 140°F day-in and day-out, and has done so for many years now. It even has a neat little slot that my candy thermometer's clip fits into perfectly! I fail to see how a "real" glue pot would be any better/nicer?

And yes again, I still use old hair color bottles, with a handfull of SS bolts inside to weigh down the bottle(so it doesn't float in the hot water bath) and as a heat sink so that the glue stays hot for a long time when out of the water.

I use various sizes of cheap artists brushes, mostly for cleanup, as the tip on the bottle is perfect for applying a bead of glue, which really doesn't need to be spread, unless it's a large surface, where I'll use the side of the tip to spread it. A bead of glue will hold its heat longer than a spread layer of glue, so it buys you time, and when you place the parts together, the glue will spread evenly anyhow. With practice, you'll know what size bead to create for whatever width of joint you have. I only use a brush for tiny parts, like side braces and such.

The brushes stay in the water bath all the time, so there's no issue with the ferrules getting loose, since the wood swells.