Bridge glueing methods

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Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

Bridge glueing methods

Hi all.

Just about to glue bridge on to my build.

I was taught to use 4 bridge clamps. Stew mac style ones.

I've seen it done online with one of those clamps clamping a caul on to the top of bridge with star knobs either side of that, screwing pressure onto two smaller cauls above the wings.

I've now seen someone do with pressure from go bars.

At the moment I'm reluctant to spend too much on specialist clamps if it can be done just as well with other methods.

My build has a radiused top.

Are these other methods any good? Or pitfalls?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 17 2022 13:45:56

Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: Bridge glueing methods (in reply to Stu)

Oh. Sorry Simon. Wrong section. Beam me over to Lutherie.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 17 2022 15:23:12

El Burdo

Posts: 632
Joined: Sep. 8 2011

[Deleted]

Post has been moved to the Recycle Bin at Dec. 22 2022 15:36:01

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 17 2022 22:19:53

Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: Bridge glueing methods (in reply to El Burdo)

Oh wow. thanks for those links. Top pic looks like there isnt barely any glue at all!?

Thanks for that info.

Sorry I'm terrible at using the search function... In that I always forget to try that and just start up a thread! 😄

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 17 2022 23:30:15

Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: Bridge glueing methods (in reply to El Burdo)

Ethan, I like the look of your method there. With the 2 cam clamps (and third to level the guitar I suppose)

Is this still wokring for you. (I know that post was nearly ten years ago)

Do you have some kind of spreader or cauls inside to push back on what the clamps are doing?

cheers

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 18 2022 8:28:27

JasonM

Posts: 2055
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: Bridge glueing methods (in reply to Stu)

I used a go bar because I didn’t want to buy those bridge clamps from Stewmac. I used those spring curtain rods for go bars like Pablo Requena uses. And I made three shaped cauls, two for the bridge wings, and one for the underside. And I used a spreader support for the inside - two blocks of wood with a threaded bolt to tighten. And also drilled two holes for pins. Oh, and I used fish glue. Love that stuff! It all worked, but was a lot of setup. I’d like to just get those Stewmac clamps.

I guess the key is to make sure the underside of the bridge is a perfect match for the top!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 18 2022 14:28:32

ernandez R

Posts: 739
Joined: Mar. 25 2019
From: Alaska USA

RE: Bridge glueing methods (in reply to Stu)

I think the go bar ohs a great way to get it done if you have the deck already why not. Need to have a few braces underneath, one at or near the end of the bridge wings and on under the muddle of the tie block. pins for sure. Wax the edges of the bridge with past wax cause and tape around the perimeter smartly.

I made up my vacuum tool for my last top. I have a real vacuum pump. pictures tell it most of it. Test run on a handy surface.

And yes that is a ziplock bag and it is stuck to the frame with double sticky tape. Copper tube is glued into saw kerf accordingly and seal face is common window or door foam sticky on one side kind from hardware store. gray tape stuck to bag over tie block t prevent corners from poking through membrane.

I did a lot of vacuum bagging repairing aircraft composites in another life...

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_____________________________

I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy,
doesn't have to be fast,
should have some meat on the bones,
can be raw or well done,
as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.

www.instagram.com/threeriversguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 18 2022 15:04:30

Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: Bridge glueing methods (in reply to ernandez R)

Hey cool vacuum press! how do you deal with squeeze out with a vacumm press?

I went for a mixture of methods. Ethans 2 cam clamps and a stew mac clamp for the centre. see pics.

Think I got a decent connection.

cleaned up all glue pretty well but didnt remove masking tape until the next morning which i think was a mistake as glue had seeped underneath and dried on the spruce.

Also peeling off the masking tape then also meant a tiny slither of it was glued to the edges of th bridge for more fiddly annoying work. all cleared but could do without that next time.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 23 2022 15:03:14

ernandez R

Posts: 739
Joined: Mar. 25 2019
From: Alaska USA

RE: Bridge glueing methods (in reply to Stu)

Nice setup, hard to go wrong with how you clamped that up.

I see your still in the white? I would have wiped a few coats of shellac around the perimeter to make cleanup easier.

I paste wax the edges of the already shellacked bridge

I do the squeeze out with sticks then damp paper towels before pulling the tape then pull the tape, then more cleanup with damp paper towels.

If you add an inch to your clamp feet you’ll have more space to cleanup but they will be more fiddly to set up.

I glue my bridges with epoxy, I’m vary famalure with it and I like the working time. I clean up with naphtha which doesn’t damage the shellac. Basically I pulled vacuum for about 60 seconds, pulled the frame off and cleaned up, put the frame back on and sucked her down. Ive only used it once so far but a did a few test runs with a scrap bridge on that granite plate to get my game on using just the A or B component un mixed epoxy. I glued short wood pins into the positioning holes in the top to prevent a vacuum leak.

I don’t currently have any but there is a product called ‘flash breaker tape’ that one would usually use around the edge of a glue up like the bridge just made for this and plan on having some before I do my next. Ive left a few slivers of blue and green crape tape in the edge of the bond line here and there on the first few guitars I’ve built

here is a link for the FB tape:
https://store.acpcomposites.com/flash-breaker-tape-blue

_____________________________

I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy,
doesn't have to be fast,
should have some meat on the bones,
can be raw or well done,
as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.

www.instagram.com/threeriversguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 23 2022 16:50:36

Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: Bridge glueing methods (in reply to Stu)

hey thanks for detailing your vaccum process.

Yeah I havent added any finish yet. I dont have any!! ahah

I had a little bit that was goven to me which i used for a few coats on the bridge before glueing. maybe i sholdve doen like you say. although ive never polished a guitar so need ot do some practice and research/readings about the process. its on my list.

I'm just so eager to get this finished. I'm kinda just pushing on now. so inevitably a few little misteps.

again so little time!!! needed to bang in some frets. but its pretty loud work and my garage is right amongst some gardens that all have babies and children who are sleeping when i get the chance to work!!

dashed home from work yesterday while the kids were out and before it was too late to make noise.

smashed a few of those suckers in!! now thinking about the next moment ill be able to finish that job!!!