Inexpensive bridge removal options?

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Dan Bombliss

Inexpensive bridge removal options?

Post by Dan Bombliss »

I am guilty of not reading through all of these, but I did what Ken Hundley had done to remove his bridges before when I had to remove mine:Pot of boiling water with 3 or so putty knives in it, I taped off around my bridge to save my finish. Cycle through the putty knives, and get about 15-20 seconds off each one, then dip it back in the water and grab another one.Worked for Ken, worked for me, cost nothing since most people have a few putty knives laying around.-Dan

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DannyGoneandPop

Inexpensive bridge removal options?

Post by DannyGoneandPop »

It's done now. I used John Hall's method of light taps all around on the cold bridge and it worked almost perfectly. Got one very small and minor area of spruce that came up on the G string neck side. Sanded everything to bare wood and proper radius.Just to post the info, the Epiphone AJ-500re (and the 500rc and 500me as well) have a reputation for lifting bridges and I found some interesting reasons why. First, the finish was only removed from about 75% of the area under the bridge and there were 1/4" ledges of finish that the glued bridge sat upon at all edges. Second, the bridge was glued using a very small and light amount of glue that was pretty much only underneath the bridge pin area of the bridge, with almost no coverage underneath the wings at all. It looks to me that the MFG was trying mightily to avoid having any squeeze-out to deal with and went with a very suspect bond instead.To fix this, I razor bladed the finish off up until the scribe outline I made of the bridge (Though I made the mistake of going to far on the end of the bass wing) and sanded the area flat with 150 grit fingered with a soda bottle cap. I sanded the bridge to radius using the KMG method described here:http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/bridgeprep.htmlNow to order my thermometer and the hide glue.

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tippie53
Posts: 7011
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
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Re: Inexpensive bridge removal options?

Post by tippie53 »

I am glad to hear all worked out for you. Also I am glad you found useful info on the site . Ken won't mislead you. There are always more than one way to accomplish the same task. That is why I enjoy Ken's post . We often do things a little differently and it is a way to show there are more ways and different techniques out there. Find the one the makes you feel comfortable.
john
Darryl Young
Posts: 1668
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 6:44 pm
Location: Arkansas

Re: Inexpensive bridge removal options?

Post by Darryl Young »

I don't have the experience to comment on your use of hot hyde glue.......but I hope you give us an update tomorrow on stringing up and playing the instrument. Sounds like you made a big improvement.
Slacker......
JJDonohue

Re: Inexpensive bridge removal options?

Post by JJDonohue »

Sounds like your method was quite sound!

Warming the mating surfaces before applying HHG can help to extend open time tremendously. I typically warm the surfaces with a hair dryer...not an industrial heat gun! The light source is also great ...just don't leave the area and burn up your guitar and shop. I also have microwaved the bridge, or braces for 10-20 seconds before applying glue. It has worked well for me over the years.

I often vary the viscosity of HHG depending on the application. It can be thick to form a cohesive bead for gluing on tops and backs to water-thin when brushing on fabric side braces...and everything in between The more you work with the glue the more you'll learn what works best for you. Just don't let it intimidate you. Practice first and get acquainted with its idiosyncrasies.
Ken Hundley
Posts: 608
Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 12:34 am
Location: Wilmette, IL

Re: Inexpensive bridge removal options?

Post by Ken Hundley »

I have an old plate warmer that can work for warming smaller parts as well, such as fingerboards and bridges, and some of the shorter braces. Warming entire plates would be difficult, though.
Ken Hundley
Nocturnal Guitars
http://www.nocturnalguitars.com

So, my big brother was playing guitar and I figured I'd try it too.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
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