if not already stated here, there is a learning cure for CA use, as well as recommended materials, tools, and techniques. If anyone suggested that CA was easy to use, we need to dispel that notion in favor of the idea that the learning curve associated with CA is worth traveling due to superior hold and (usually) avoidance of extensive touch-up work. No other adhesive holds as well on the contaminated, often difficult-to-glue surfaces associated with binding and purfling reattachment jobs.
Tips/Hints for Binding Repairs with CA:
1. Free the binding and purfling to the neck joint where possible to eliminate glue line stress and reset the clock for shrinkage. Most factory guitars will use a single piece of binding without a joint buy the tail block, but if not, it is still a less visible repair to work filler strips by the neck heel than by the tail graft.
2. Where it is not possible to work one end of the binding or purfling free up to the neck or is simply not needed, some materials respond well to moderate heat to stretch enough to allow a reglue of a loose waist binding. Too much heat may melt plastic binding, so be careful, and consider shielding the surrounding area with foil or corrugated cardboard.
3. Once ready to glue, tape the binding in place where feasible; where not feasible, consider using a caul covered with a low surface energy plastic to push things into place
4. Use a 1.5ml disposable micro-pipette with a flattened tip to tack-weld the top end of the binding in place (gently draw between fingernails - if the tip splits, discard and exercise more care on the next)
5. If the binding line is under stress (e.g., 2" of loose waist binding which may be successfully pushed into contact with the channel and purfling), careful remove a single strip of 1/4" width tape at a time and fully glue the top edge in place, then rotate the instrument to glue the bottom edge into the channel
6. If the glue lines are not under stress, for back binding, strip off tape and finish glue-up to within about 1.5 to 2" of the neck, fit binding and purfling filler pieces, then complete glue-up.
7. For top binding, if the neck is off (always easier to tackle major binding repairs with neck off and a neck stick installed), just finish the glue-up to the dovetail socket or neck mortise, adding filler strips only where required outside of the fretboard extension footprint. With neck on, it may be that filler strips are needed due to fractured or missing binding/purfling...life never comes with an 'Easy' button, does it?
Other considerations?
- Use fume-free CA (as mentioned, the BSI product is excellent), and wipe off the excess with a paper towel so as to avoid the finish over the top. Minimize CA remaining on the surface, as it will have to be removed!
- Buy and use quality micro-pipettes and poly 1 ounce dose cups instead of direct-from-bottle CA application (the reason will become obvious once you do so), and have a fresh can of GluBoost accelerator handy for times when a wait for cure is untenable.
- Keep in mind that the lower the viscosity of the CA, the further it will wick, so have the next few inches of binding and purfling in position when tack-welding
- If working poly-finished instruments, a goof can be freed, cleaned, and reglued provided your CA remover will not harm the binding materials, finish, or anything close to the repair site
- 1/4" vinyl electrical tape acts as both hold-down and CA dam if it will hold the work in place
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without setting the guitar on fire.