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I hate binding. It's my least favorite part of the build. As I was scraping the fine BWB around the waist started coming up and delaminated. I cut it out and filed the slot clean using a small fretting file and replaced the section but it wasn't a perfect match:



*sigh*

With a cleansing breath I am moving forward. From a distance with my glasses off it looks passable. I still have to glue in the back binding. I'm saving my energy for fretting.

_________________
~ Neil

Honestly, unless there is an overriding reason for using a fiber or wood based purfling, I use the plastic purfling sold by LMII, which is 64" long. I've never had it come apart and it fits around the entire guitar. It's also flexible enough to use as side purfling, without having to laminate it to the binding; I just cut a separate channel for it just like I do with top purfling.

Thanks, Diane. I have to admit that I initially thought you were talking about the binding, but I will definitely check out non-wood purfling from now on.

_________________
~ Neil

I hate doing binding. There, I said it. Now I understand why guitars with fancy pearl and marketry are so expensive.

Using Windex as a fiber softener and a pipe with a propane torch proved to be relatively easy but the binding is still not on the back because I fudged the routing. Now I'm waiting on another shipment of purfling and shellac flake.

I've dry fit the maple binding but there's a little too much spring back at the waist and upper bout for me to feel fully confident in Titebond holding things. Maybe I need to use better tape than the green painters tape from the big box store, but I'm tempted to wick in runny CA - hence the need for more shellac.

_________________
~ Neil

Hi Neil,

There is a Robbie O'Brien binding video where he uses twill tape after the binding tape. That's what I did and it pulled any gaps out. My maple binding is not perfect either but the twill tape did its job. It's available at fabric stores.

Twill sewing tape helps to pull in the gaps. I found some inexpensively on ebay. It helps to have another person help you when you aren't used to manipulating the tape and box at the same time. I'm not as neat as Robbie.

I don't wrap my guitars as much anymore. I think it's due to using the bending machine, rather than hand bending, because I can leave the binding in the machine overnight. I take it out of the machine, clamp the bent binding in 1 side of a mold, and leave it in the mold until I'm ready to use it, so there's minimal spring back.

If you wrap your box with twill tape, make sure you bind your top first, because the twill will leave Mark's along the edge of the spruce, if you don't.

Thanks for the writeup on using thin CA, Diane. I may or may not just elect to use duco. I need to see how well I cleaned up the binding ledges on the back. I was thinking that I would have to use some rosewood dust and thin CA to fill any gaps.

I'm also stewing over how the purfling came out on the top. It's "triggering my OCD" as the younger generations say. It has me looking very hard at the Stew Mac Purfling/Soundhole Router Guide that I'll probably use once. That impulse is conflicting with my hard-learned belief of "just leave it alone or you'll make it worse." What would you all do?

_________________
~ Neil

I decided to just go through with gluing the broken binding and .16" wide purfling on the back. The purfling was actually two .08" strips of BMBM (black.maple) taped together side to side so that it looks like I have a .04" wide central maple strip. I imagine that the process would not be all that different if I were to banding a more ornate piece of marketry like herringbone. I used John Hall's tip on using ammonia and though it did delaminate a little I'm committed to moving forward.

As for the binding, I identified that the curve on the upper bout was not tight enough. That is what caused it to break in my dry fit. I opted to try and increase the bend on the broken ends with a damp washcloth and a clothes iron with steam capacity then just tape it all up and shift focus on making the purfling fit. I figure any gaps can be filled later with a mixture of CA glue and sawdust. Enough hemming and hawing.

Moving forward, I gave everything a spit coat of shellac and taped it all in the channels. Then I tacked it down with thin CA glue and spritzed with activator. The results are what I'd call "acceptible;" I will have to get "creative" on how to hid the flaws - but this is build #2 after all. This is supposed to be more of a learning experience, right?

I've since moved foward with scraping it mostly flush on the back and am moving along with the sides.

_________________
~ Neil

Addendum: a lesson learned.

When I routed my channels I hadn't trued the sides level. Then I went and sanded the sides with a palm sander. The result is that the sides are "bowed." These are two mistakes that have directly impacted the quality of my binding. I am noting this here so that I will avoid this error in my subsequent builds. As for now, I am forced to do a LOT of sanding on the sides. Fortunately, rosewood is VERY forgiving - but the dust makes you pay a price. It looks pretty but with all the face masks being cleared off the shelves now is not the time to be doing a lot of sanding.

_________________
~ Neil

Mistakes are the greatest teachers. If anyone says that they've not made mistakes are fibbing.