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cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:06 pm
by jartzh
I got excited and vinyl sealed the body without masking off the bridge area. How do I clean the area to glue on the bridge?
I was just too excited about seeing the grain of the wood!
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 8:50 pm
by MaineGeezer
I'd probably try chemical paint stripper - the old-fashioned lethal kind that chemically breaks down the finish. Whether even that willl touch a high-tech plastic sealer I don't know.
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:22 pm
by johnnparchem
I do not use vinyl sealer, but I do not mask for the bridge before finishing. Rather when the guitar is totally finished, I place the bridge, carefully score the finish with a scalpel or an exacto knife around the bridge, and use straight edge razors and chisels to remove all of the finish from the wood under the bridge. I do the bulk away from the bridge profile using a razor blade as a scraper and I carefully use a chisel to remove the remaining finish to the score line.
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:25 pm
by tippie53
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJG5Frbu78c
there are many ways to do this. this is my preferred
method.
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 10:42 pm
by Danl8
I just did this for the third time this past weekend (using John Hall's method). I will never go back to rubbing the finish off with alcohol and razor blades, etc., again. I was a bit put off by this technique when I saw it done at the factory in Nazareth last summer, but it is a really clean way to glue the bridge.
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:09 am
by B. Howard
John converted me to routing them off, I will not scrape another.
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:04 pm
by johnnparchem
I will give the router a try the next time.
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 8:56 pm
by tippie53
only used a stripper once and it worked
so well it ruined the top and I had to redo it. Never make that mistake again.
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:05 am
by Phil
Perfect timing as a refresher for me. Will be trying this method for the first time as soon as I finish making the bridge for my current build.
Re: cleaning footprint for bridge
Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:43 pm
by tippie53
Martin uses a cnc machine. They were taking .030 out of the top and using about a 1/32 bit to out line the bridge. I hated this as it makes removing a bridge impossible without damage. I will route them off , the replace the bridge . I take about a .010 just enough to touch the wood and sand clean. I also chamfer the edges of the bridge so I have a clearance to the corner.
been doing that way since 2000