Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey, anyone know if older CA glue joints release with acetone as well as brand new ones (like, less than a day old)? If not, are they still releasable with acetone?

TIA

_________________
http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

I believe CA will release pretty well with heat.
Would think it'd be pretty tough to release cured CA in a tight joint joint with acetone.

In this case it's Abalam inlay glued to an MDF backer and usually the skin has already been machined off so I think that getting in in there isn't a problem. The problem is that Abalam also releases with heat but it's entirely acetone resistant.

What I'm trying to figure out is if I can store pre-machined inlay glued to the MDF backer and then release as necessary. I currently release my inlays right away and it's an easy 45min soak in acetone and they fall right out. I'm wondering if month/year old CA behaves the same.

_________________
http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

I don't have any personal experience doing it but, if that's the case (the acetone can easily get at the CA) and you're soaking then I don't see why it wouldn't work. Might take a touch longer.

Should work... i did the very same thing not too long ago with white MOP.

FTL

_________________
www.leddingtonguitars.com

Hi Andy,

I glue all of my inlay/shell down with titebond then just chuck it in hot water for a few minutes after machining. Are you using CA because it's faster or?

Thanks, Michael

Hope Andy doesn't mind me hijacking his post.
What holds the layers together on Abalam ?
I thought the acetone would de-laminate it.
Thanks, I'm still working on my education.

_________________
Say what you do, Do what you say.

Michael: Yes, I use CA because it's faster. I used to use Titebond with natural shell but use CA for pretty much everything now because it requires less planning. When I do use titebond, I try and glue it about an hour before machining so it's not fully cured when I release in hot water. The problem again is with Abalam which tends to delaminate in boiling water. Hot but not boiling doesn't delaminate it but it takes a really long time to release.

Here's an excerpt from a conversation I had with Chuck Erikson a while back (2013) "As far as I'm aware, super-glued Abalam is released either by 1) fuming with acetone (but not for too long, as it may affect the epoxy, especially on any very delicate parts), or 2) by covering the shell side with clear box tape, turning upside down, and then using a thickness sander to take off the substrate (leaving all the parts stuck neatly to the tape). Let me know how boiling works."

Boiling the Abalam did indeed cause it to soften and grow in thickness a little bit. In my experience, acetone doesn't affect the epoxy used in Abalam at all.

I'm just investigating this because I have a customer who orders a lot of inlay and once it's released from the backing, it's hard to keep track of because the pieces all look the same but are slightly different lengths. I'm hoping to ship them attached to the MDF backer and he'll release them as necessary. When I do it, the gluing, machining and releasing is all done on the same day so I just want to be sure he'll be able to release it down the road. My suspicion is that it will release but it will take longer than when the bond is young.

_________________
http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

My gut says it will release as long as the acetone can get to it even if it has been cured for a long time. We should all look through our shops for stuff we glued with CA a long time ago (and no longer need) and try it. I bet there are enough of us that have something kicking around that would save Andy from having to wait months before he can do his tests. . .

_________________
Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I've put my CA glue bottles into a jar of Acetone to clean them up or release the cap. No problems with it being old glue. It just takes a little time for it to work into the crack.

_________________
Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

Another method that might be worth experimenting with is freezing. I would bet that the substrate, glue, and abalam all expand and contract at different rates.
When I used to lapidary stuff when I was younger, that's how I'd release gemstones from the dops: pop them in the freezer for a bit. Sometimes they'd fall right off. Most of the time it took light finger pressure to pop them off.

Again, no experience with this in particular but might be worth a try.