Acoustic Guitar Construction

Thanks Tim,

I wrote several companies if they would share their view on glue choice, when it comes to torrified tops.
A soon I get a decent answer, I'll post.
Herman

I once made a phone call to Bourgeois Guitars and talked to one of the employees about this. I related to him that fish glue had been recommended to me and I wanted to know if that was their practice as well. He answered "Yes, among other strategies." He did not tell me with what those 'other strategies' were.

That being said, I"ve read a number of reports of successful TB original use on torrefied wood. I'm looking forward to hearing what other companies say.

Dave Bagwill wrote:I once made a phone call to Bourgeois Guitars and talked to one of the employees about this. I related to him that fish glue had been recommended to me and I wanted to know if that was their practice as well. He answered "Yes, among other strategies." He did not tell me with what those 'other strategies' were.

That being said, I"ve read a number of reports of successful TB original use on torrefied wood. I'm looking forward to hearing what other companies say.

FYI, all of my glue failures with torrefied tops came using TB original. I wish I knew why but I don't. Since my last failure I have used fish glue exclusively on torrefied wood (tops and braces) with no further failures.

That's good info. I've had a partial bottle of fish glue in the fridge for 2 years, I"ll be using it for bridge gluing on this torrefied Sitka top. I should have used the glue for the braces as well, I suppose. Live and learn.

Stewmac:

"If refrigerated, Fish Glue has a virtually indefinite shelf life. The cold prevents bacteria from forming, but also causes the glue to thicken. It needs to sit at room temperature for about an hour to return to normal viscosity."
—Flip Scipio, master guitar repairman

If ever in doubt about a glue's freshness, test it on scrap to be certain that it dries hard.

Tim,
What did fail? The centerseam or the braces?
And Dang, I already did glue the braces with HHG. The centerseam with Titebond. Lets call it a learning project.
Herman

Herman wrote:Tim,
What did fail? The centerseam or the braces?
And Dang, I already did glue the braces with HHG. The centerseam with Titebond. Lets call it a learning project.
Herman

My first attempt failed in all three areas eventually. First came the bridge (I assume because of the tension, later the braces and eventually the center seam. I initially chalked it up to a bad/old batch of TB but I had issues with the next two guitars using TB as well. Others have had zero problems with TB but I just don't chance it any more. HHG is a collagen glue like fish glue so I would think using it is OK.

I got some answers from:

Peter Cefalu, RC Tonewoods and Sons:
"I have heard not to use hide glue, but titebond."

And from:

Larry Anderson, Technical Support, Stewart MacDonald:
"We have been using Fish Glue to join the torrified tops in our kits and it has worked well. Hot hide glue will work well too, but the longer working time with the fish glue is helpful so the glue can be absorbed better by the wood fibers."

Well, the latter is serious advise I think.
Herman