Acoustic Guitar Construction

I have no trouble gluing on the bridge, but I am constantly fighting the glue mess clean-up.

You homies have any secrets for keeping your top pristine and clean of any glue residue from the bridge?

I've had success (as I see it) in using a masking-tape mask cut with a scalpel, scraping the finish away inside the mask area, and Titebond Extend to glue down the bridge. Scrape up partially-dried squeezeout and then peel off the masking tape. Nothing special.

My approach to cleaning up squeeze-out when gluing the bridge has been to use a clamp similar to the bridge clamps suggested by Ken Cierpilowski. His technique used a wooden clamp bar on top of the bridge. That bar is tightened via screws through it and through the bridge, the soundboard, and the bridge plate with washers and wing-nuts pressing up on the bridge plate from inside the guitar body. (Attaching and tightening the wing nuts requires a soundhole that will allow your hand to fit through. As I use oval soundholes, I find that a minimum width of 3" is required after any soundhole binding.) 10-32 x 2" screws work well with the 3/16" holes I drill in the bridge and soundboard before reaming for bridge pins. This approach clamps the bridge well in the bridge-pin area, but it leaves the bridge wings free. To deal with that, I install T-nuts in back side of extensions of the clamp bar, positioned above the bridge wings. Then, after tightening the clamp bar over the bridge using the through-screws and wing nuts, I install two additional screws through the T-nuts with their ends pressing (through small wood pads) on the bridge wings. (In preparation for gluing, I sand the back of the bridge to the curvature of the soundboard.)

All of this results in a bridge that is well-clamped and still has all sides clear of obstructions to allow cleaning up of squeeze-out as it occurs -- long before the glue hardens.

Thanks fellers.

Well, I'll just try to get 'er done, using the masking tape cutout and screws for the wings.

I quit using that type of clamp as it took me too long for hide glue. I had some failures. I just use 3 deep clamps while a couple if bridge pins keep the bridge from sliding. I use small cauls under the clamps to distribute pressure. I also heat the bridge in a microwave before gluing. It can get pretty hot so go easy. Cleanup with hide glue is easy. Q tips and wet rags. You can also leave the squeeze out alone for a few minutes and roll it up like a bugger! Hot water on a rag takes off anything left.

K - Thanks. I'll be using fish glue which should have the same cleanup traits as HHG.

Yep, hot damp cloth. (But not dripping wet, water could crawl under the bridge)
Herman