Purfling Question

[scamp]

As part of my effort to build my next guitar from scratch, I am investigating different types of bindings and purflings. I would really like to try and use a wood binding for this next guitar as I really like the look. I know I will need to accurately bend it but I think I can do it. My question is about the purfling. It seems like there are plastic and fiber options. My question is.... What purfling is recommended to use with wood bindings and why? Also, if either can be used, is there a reason to use one vs. the other. And lastly, what kind of glue do you use? It seems with wood bindings and fiber purfling you use a wood glue. Not sure what to use if you use wood bindings and plastic bindings ( Duco cement? ) .

Thanks
Scamp

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Scamp
Wood bindings are quite easy to work with as the thickness should be around 70 to 80 thousands and are pretty flexible. Yes you do need a fairly accurate match to your body when bending but even bending them by hand us bot that difficult to achieve.
Personally I have used mostly the fiber purflings when going for that look. These will require no prebending as you fit them into the routed channel.
For this you can use Titebond glue and have a fair amount of work time.
What I switched to doing after about 10 guitars is prefitting the binding and purflings in the channels. Tape them in place and wick in CA glue between the taped areas. Then you remove the tape and glue the rest.
The advantage here is you can make extra efforts for a precise fit, tape them in and then there is no rush in using the CA. THIS compared to spreading titebond and trying to get the binding, purfling and glue in place and taped up as you work your way around the guitar before the glue starts setting up can be frustrating and challenging....especially at first. The CA method is low stress. I'd suggest going that way.
If you use plastic you have to use plastic cement to get proper adhesion.
I hope this helps. If you want more details in the process just ask. There are others here that use CA also.

[Stray Feathers]

A couple of things to add to Kevin's comments: First, I think some "fibre" purflings are at least partly wood, and some purflings I buy are all wood, so do some research. If you want purfling between the binding and the side, you need to glue the purfling to the binding edges first, or it is very difficult to bend. I made up a jig to laminate two purfling strips to their binding strips at a time, with cauls and clamps to hold it all tight together, and also down so the purfling doesn't poke out on either side which is a pain. You can also buy pre-laminated bindings and purflings which is easier. Are you using a pipe bender or a Fox-style? I use a Fox bender and bend one side together with two laminated bindings, and any purfling strips for the top or back. I wrap them snugly with wraps of paper, held with Scotch tape - see photo. I still use Tite-bond, and I do have issues for sure; I have not tried CA yet. I do use clamps in some places to pull things snug. And as Kevin says, ask questions! Bruce W.

[tippie53]

the job of binding is to protect the edges of the guitar. Plastic actually does a better job than wood at this but many use wood as a design enhancement.
Purflings certainly add to the design. I use wood/fiber and plastic. It depends on your need. We carry a number of wood/fiber black/white and ivroid .
I have use torquise powder , brass powder pearl etc. If you use the powdered material you need to use a poly fill strip. There is also the purflex so you have many options. My best advice is keep it simple as you learn the process. Post pictures and share your work

[scamp]

Scamp
Wood bindings are quite easy to work with as the thickness should be around 70 to 80 thousands and are pretty flexible. Yes you do need a fairly accurate match to your body when bending but even bending them by hand us bot that difficult to achieve.
Personally I have used mostly the fiber purflings when going for that look. These will require no prebending as you fit them into the routed channel.
For this you can use Titebond glue and have a fair amount of work time.
What I switched to doing after about 10 guitars is prefitting the binding and purflings in the channels. Tape them in place and wick in CA glue between the taped areas. Then you remove the tape and glue the rest.
The advantage here is you can make extra efforts for a precise fit, tape them in and then there is no rush in using the CA. THIS compared to spreading titebond and trying to get the binding, purfling and glue in place and taped up as you work your way around the guitar before the glue starts setting up can be frustrating and challenging....especially at first. The CA method is low stress. I'd suggest going that way.
If you use plastic you have to use plastic cement to get proper adhesion.
I hope this helps. If you want more details in the process just ask. There are others here that use CA also.

Thanks for the input Kevin. I really like the idea of taking the stress out of the binding insertion process. My first guitar was a kit with plastic bindings and purfling. I used Duco cement and it came out really well but it was indeed stressful and not the most enjoyable experience for that reason. Trying to adjust and accurately butt joint the bindings/purfling on the back under the heal while the glue is setting up isn't a lot of fun. I looked into using CA glue before and as usual there are builders who recommend it and others who tell you to stay away. The anti-CA builders site two major issues it seems. One is staining the spruce top with the glue ( although the pro CA people say not a problem if you seal the channel with shellac ) and the other is it's too easy to apply to much CA glue and make a mess. Just wonder if you have had any problems like this and what you recommend to avoid them beyond the obvious.

[scamp]

A couple of things to add to Kevin's comments: First, I think some "fibre" purflings are at least partly wood, and some purflings I buy are all wood, so do some research. If you want purfling between the binding and the side, you need to glue the purfling to the binding edges first, or it is very difficult to bend. I made up a jig to laminate two purfling strips to their binding strips at a time, with cauls and clamps to hold it all tight together, and also down so the purfling doesn't poke out on either side which is a pain. You can also buy pre-laminated bindings and purflings which is easier. Are you using a pipe bender or a Fox-style? I use a Fox bender and bend one side together with two laminated bindings, and any purfling strips for the top or back. I wrap them snugly with wraps of paper, held with Scotch tape - see photo. I still use Tite-bond, and I do have issues for sure; I have not tried CA yet. I do use clamps in some places to pull things snug. And as Kevin says, ask questions! Bruce W.

Thanks. I did notice that you can buy wood bindings with purfling already attached and I can see why when you think about how to add purfling on the sides of the guitar and how difficult it is to pre-glue purfling to the edge of the binding ( which it appears you have solved ). I do plan on using a FOX bender as I have tried hand bending and while it works OK I am a bit of a perfectionist and I'm not always happy with the hand bending results. I like your method of bending the bindings and purfling with the sides at the same time. I would have worried that the bindings/purfling would dent the sides under the stress but it appears from your experience this isn't an issue. Regards Scamp

[scamp]

the job of binding is to protect the edges of the guitar. Plastic actually does a better job than wood at this but many use wood as a design enhancement.
Purflings certainly add to the design. I use wood/fiber and plastic. It depends on your need. We carry a number of wood/fiber black/white and ivroid .
I have use torquise powder , brass powder pearl etc. If you use the powdered material you need to use a poly fill strip. There is also the purflex so you have many options. My best advice is keep it simple as you learn the process. Post pictures and share your work

Thanks John. I like the idea of keeping it simple and working my way up. You don't know what you don't know as they say.

[John Reid]

John, You’ve asked for idea on videos. What about a video showing you gluing in the binding and purfling?

I put them in together with white glue and it is a pretty hectic/stressful several minutes. I’d love to see how you do it.

[Stray Feathers]

Scamp, my photo may have misled you: it shows the bindings on top of the side, but I put them in the bender side by side, so they are all the same height. Bruce W.

[scamp]

Scamp, my photo may have misled you: it shows the bindings on top of the side, but I put them in the bender side by side, so they are all the same height. Bruce W.

Got it. This makes more sense.