This is why you shouldn't use Titebond III
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2022 7:44 pm
I want to apologize to the forum, and especially John Hall, for my inactivity. I’ve found it difficult to use the computer after my last shoulder surgery. But, work is piling up in the shop, so I’m back to working limited hours.
Although this is a repair, I thought I’d put it here as a discussion of glue choices for builds. We’ve had discussions on different glues. This is a good example of why we use glues that can be undone.
I know that new builders want an indestructible guitar. But, acoustic guitars are meant to be disassembled. Years down the road, your guitar will need a neck reset, or repair. It’s essential that you can “unglue” the guitar. We’re limited to heat and/or moisture, like steam, to disassemble a guitar, so your glue choice needs to come apart using these methods.
There is a place for glues like 2-part epoxy, for certain repairs, like a broken headstock. We use ca glue and Duco Cement for very specific reasons, like plastic binding and inlay. But don’t use them for building.
Titebond I (Original) or equivalent, or biological glues like hide or fish glue, are the best choices for building. Never use Titebond II or Titebond III. The only exception is for lamination, such as gluing wood purfling to wood binding, before bending. Titebond II and III are water-resistant. Titebond III in particular is waterproof, and heatproof.
The guitar on my bench is only 6 months old. The fretboard was made with an extreme bevel on each edge, which allowed the strings to fall off of the frets while playing. My customer elected to have me replace the board, rather the original builder.
What started out as a straight forward fb replacement, turned into a nightmare. No amount of heat would release the glue. The customer confirmed that the builder used Titebond III for the entire build. I was also able to stick my business card ½” under the bridge, which made it an accident waiting to happen.
I cut the board through fret 12 slot, to remove the extension, to see what was happening. Imagine my surprise when the end of the 2-way truss rod stuck up out of the guitar.
The truss rod was torqued almost to its limit, the opposite direction that we normally adjust it. Instead of correcting the relief from the string pull, the builder tried using the truss rod to correct an overset neck (one set too far back).
It took hours to get the fb off, because of the Titebond III. I was very concerned that I didn’t get all of the old glue from the neck. After replacing the fretboard, and adjusting the truss rod appropriately, I kept it in the shop for a week, to make sure it was okay. I used Titebond Original.
I was lucky with the bridge. The builder didn’t use enough glue, so it popped off with a chisel and mallet. The bridge was ¾” thick to compensate for the over set neck.
The 6 month old truss rod was extremely corroded. It was rusted. I replaced it with one of my fully covered, blue Martin Rods. I cleaned the bridge footprint with my inlay tool, just taking off the old glue.
Although this is a repair, I thought I’d put it here as a discussion of glue choices for builds. We’ve had discussions on different glues. This is a good example of why we use glues that can be undone.
I know that new builders want an indestructible guitar. But, acoustic guitars are meant to be disassembled. Years down the road, your guitar will need a neck reset, or repair. It’s essential that you can “unglue” the guitar. We’re limited to heat and/or moisture, like steam, to disassemble a guitar, so your glue choice needs to come apart using these methods.
There is a place for glues like 2-part epoxy, for certain repairs, like a broken headstock. We use ca glue and Duco Cement for very specific reasons, like plastic binding and inlay. But don’t use them for building.
Titebond I (Original) or equivalent, or biological glues like hide or fish glue, are the best choices for building. Never use Titebond II or Titebond III. The only exception is for lamination, such as gluing wood purfling to wood binding, before bending. Titebond II and III are water-resistant. Titebond III in particular is waterproof, and heatproof.
The guitar on my bench is only 6 months old. The fretboard was made with an extreme bevel on each edge, which allowed the strings to fall off of the frets while playing. My customer elected to have me replace the board, rather the original builder.
What started out as a straight forward fb replacement, turned into a nightmare. No amount of heat would release the glue. The customer confirmed that the builder used Titebond III for the entire build. I was also able to stick my business card ½” under the bridge, which made it an accident waiting to happen.
I cut the board through fret 12 slot, to remove the extension, to see what was happening. Imagine my surprise when the end of the 2-way truss rod stuck up out of the guitar.
The truss rod was torqued almost to its limit, the opposite direction that we normally adjust it. Instead of correcting the relief from the string pull, the builder tried using the truss rod to correct an overset neck (one set too far back).
It took hours to get the fb off, because of the Titebond III. I was very concerned that I didn’t get all of the old glue from the neck. After replacing the fretboard, and adjusting the truss rod appropriately, I kept it in the shop for a week, to make sure it was okay. I used Titebond Original.
I was lucky with the bridge. The builder didn’t use enough glue, so it popped off with a chisel and mallet. The bridge was ¾” thick to compensate for the over set neck.
The 6 month old truss rod was extremely corroded. It was rusted. I replaced it with one of my fully covered, blue Martin Rods. I cleaned the bridge footprint with my inlay tool, just taking off the old glue.