Binding gap redux

[Dave Bagwill]

A topic that's been brought up before that I want to re-visit.

Wood binding, did not seat perfectly and left a slight gap between the binding and the side - not the top, the side. No purflling.
For a very small gap, I push a little titebond into the gap and sand over it - works fine. But for anything more than that, the goop I mix up, glue and dust, just is too grainy and really shows.

What are other options (by the way, heating up the binding won't work this time) do you favor? I've heard that finish+dust is good, I wonder about flowing some stick shellac in there, or letting some finish gas off and get firmer, and then flowing it into the gap etc.

Ideas?

[John Parchem]

How big of a gap length and width? Why not heat and a clamp? If the gap is big enough you might be a able to fill it with a strip from a cut off from the sides. This would be much like fixing a bad crack in a top. I had to do this once in an area that I was cutting the binding channel by hand and did not do so well.

[Dave Bagwill]

Since the bindings are laminated, heat might affect them too. The binding overall looks great - this is on the ladder-braced guitar - but this little section must have slipped while gluing, and ridden up a little. It is by no means deep enough or wide enough for a repair as such.
I think making a putty is the best way to go on this one, it is EIR and should not be too difficult to match.
Thanks.

[John Parchem]

I agree putty sounds best.

[peter havriluk]

These comments are by way of a question, not an answer. I have gap-filled uneven wood joints in other places at other times with thickened epoxy, either epoxy glue itself with a filler or a thixotropic paste epoxy glue. Any reward in using epoxy glue as the adhesive and the wood dust as the thickener, either the binding wood or the side wood? I am wondering if an epoxy-based solution would work well because it won't try to shrink as it sets, like an air-drying glue or filler would try to do when drying out. But again, I speak from no luthier's experience at all in solving this difficulty.

[Dave Bagwill]

I ended up using a product called Woodwise, given to me by my student Eric who is a wood flooring expert. The color matched about exactly; I added a tiny bit of water to thin it, taped off the binding and the side, leaving just the gap exposed, pressed in the filler and let it set for a couple of minutes - it dries very quickly - removed the tape and sanded flush. It was quick and easy and looks great.

[Kevin in California]

Nice that you were able to fix er up Dave. Glad it worked out.

Kevin