Do we need any glue other than CA?

[deadedith]

Mike Doolin glues his pinless bridges with CA. Taylor glues in the rosette with CA. Charles Fox CA's his bindings and purflings.

What about the following uses, yes or no: kerfing, end wedge, headstock veneer, back support strip, bracing or even -gasp - top and back gluing to the rim?

I'd like to know your response and the reasoning behind it.
Thanks

[tippie53]

the one thing you need to remember is that guitars at some point will need some repair. CA is difficult to take off . There are examples of CA guitars out there and they work but they make repair most difficult .

[kencierp]

I am not a "one size fits all kinda guy" (for me its best practice) so CA only will never happen in my shop. I do have a Classic, rather my youngest daughter has it now -- the bracing was glued with 3M industrial CA, I constructed it some 35 years ago -- it lives on, no failures. That guitar's sound quality is not stellar, but it has numerous issues including the quality of the materials.

Gosh -- I just don't like the stuff for every guitar construction situation -- sometimes, yes. There is a very effective CA de-bonder but a little heat seems easier - Maybe?

Certainly is hard when it drys -- supposedly that a good thing? HHG get pretty brittle too.

I will not be gluing a bridge with CA --- After all the years I still like my Original Titebond

[Oval Soundhole]

After lighting my fingers on fire with CA (don't ask) and then getting a really bad cough and seeing things blurry for a while due to the fumes, I can't see my self ever using ca again. Like others have said, it would be really hard to fix a guitar made of ca... Ask me how I know (I made a uke with ca over the summer and I tried to change the bridge nto a rosewood one, I ended up destroying the top :( ) I don't see many advantages to CA and hot hide glue smells wayyyy better IMHO

[naccoachbob]

Isn't CA pretty expensive for the amount of coverage that would be needed? Plus all the things mentioned above.

[Jim_H]

In my mind, the only thing CA brings to the table is instant bonding. There are some situations where this is desirable if not idea, but for the most part, those are areas where repairs won't likely ever be needed (some rosette installs come to mind).

I like working with aliphatics/PVA, etc... I have messed around with HHG, and plan to start using it for specific things (namely attaching bridges), but it's too much hassle to keep it fresh and warm for me to consider using it over white/yellow glue for most things.

If you build with all CA, please do a service to your guitar beneficiaries and future repair techs, and put "BUILT WITH CA - NOT REPAIRABLE" in bold type on your soundhole label :p

[tippie53]

If Runningdog . Ken and I all agree about CA that should tell you something CA is great for repairs and small jobs.

[darren]

If Runningdog . Ken and I all agree about CA that should tell you something CA is great for repairs and small jobs.

best post of the year... :)

[mjmeehan]

I used medium viscosity CA to pore fill rosewood. It worked out great, very easy to finish over. There was nothing easy about the smell, though, and I quickly took that part of the task outside.

[tippie53]

I had experimented with CA as a filler. Things seemed great until a few years later . Of the few guitars I did the lacquer started coming off . We found that the lacquer doesn't burn into the CA and can cause adhesion problems.
For best results on a finish my best advice is to follow the manufacturers advice . Chemical compatibility is something that you need to consider