The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #17222   Message #165387
Posted By: DonMeixner
19-Jan-00 - 03:18 PM
Thread Name: Glueing Guitars for Different Climates
Subject: RE: Glueing Guitars for Different Climates
With guitars coming apart in diferent climates being the question I look at the preparation of the wood before i worried about the glue. If the wood is dried to a standard moisture level for bound water. Something like 6% bound water in the dried wood, the guitar would have to be immersed before it would come appart. The swelling of the wood with humidity is what tears appart guitars and other instruments that are glues with hide glue. An instrument build with improperly dried material might have this happen. The relatively soft and porous spruce top will take on humidity at a diferent rate than the ebony or rosewood bridge. In time the inflexible hide glue will shear and the bridge will pop. But if both pieces are dried to the same humidity level and properly sealed this bridge lifting is less likely to happen or when it does it will be much later in the life of the guitar or violin. It be more concerned with wood shrinkage tearing apart an instrument than a glue giving way. That doesn't mean I'd use Duco cement or Tacky Craft to reglue my O-16NY. Some glues will creep under steady preesure over time. The ususal white glue type is usually the culprit. I have a Hammered Dulcimer I built 15 years ago with Tite bond on the pin blocks that shows no problems in structure as a result of creep over that time. The weight of those strings is some considerable as Spaw will tell you.

Don