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I have a guitar i purchased last winter that has a chemical smell from the glue that was used to make it (titebond genuine liquid hide glue). I have had a toxic reaction to this glue and am hoping to gas it out by pointing a small fan at the sound hole for however long it takes to remove or minimize the odor. As long as the relative humidity of the room is above 50% would this be in any way harmful to the guitar? It has a cedar top and rosewood sides and back. thank you.

I suspect they used formaldehyde instead of urea
you will take a long time to get it out if you even can

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
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how are these used in guitar manufacture?

Pure Hide Glue requires heating for use, titebond hide glue has chemicals added to keep it liquid at room temperature.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

You might want to try charcoal to trap the volatile chemicals and then release them outside when recharging the charcoal in the sun. You could place them inside the soundhole or in a closed guitar case.

www.amazon.com/ANYI16-Purifying-Charcoa ... 6469026372

How do you know that particular glue was used on your guitar?

maker told me.

I’m probing, and I apologize, but it matters a bit how reliable the information is. By “maker,” do you mean an individual builder of handmade guitars, or a small company, or a big company? Sometimes, when it is a company, the person answering your questions does not have reliable information, because they didn’t do the actual work.

Another thing that makes me cautious about relying on the accuracy of the information is that most guitar builders (not all, but most) use some other type of hide glue, if they are going to use hide glue on an instrument. Deserved or not, the Franklin version of liquid hide glue doesn’t have the best reputation, and it is due to the additives used to keep it liquid at room temperature and give it a longer shelf life.

So, I’m still a little stuck on the idea that the chemical smell is from something stronger than the additives in liquid hide glue. In other words, I allow for the possibility that there is something stronger that is setting off your reaction. What about the case the guitar is in? The glue in cases can be pretty nasty.

But assuming the information is accurate, all you can really do is try to air it out, and/or try to absorb the odor with products designed to do that. Good luck with the process.

I suppose it could be the glue, but there is so little of it in a guitar that if there is any other possible explanation I'd check that out too. A case has already been mentioned, plenty of solvent-based glues in those. And many kinds of finish outgas for months, and are much more irritating (in general) than anything in woodworking glue - have you checked what finish was used?

If it is indeed the glue, I'd say that something to absorb the fumes would be better than a fan. Someone has mentioned charcoal (if you can get it in a form that won't leave the inside of your guitar black!). Dry rice works, and so does cat litter.

In all cases, pour a good amount inside, shake it around well, and then leave for a few days, shaking from time to time. Then get it out - easier said than done! A gentle vacuum cleaner does the job if you can be certain not to let it suck on the wood or, worst or all, over the entire sound hole; I've heard of guitars imploding from this. If the smell/irritation is reduced, repeat as necessary.

how long do you think it would take for one of these charcoal packets to be effective?

Any chance you have it in a TKL case? I purchased a couple of those and had to send them back because they stunk to high heaven! Apparently from the glues used in the case. No way was I going to put a guitar in them.

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

I got in a case today that has a pretty strong odor . I Fabreezed it and am going to let it sit a while before i put a guitar in it . We shall See

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It depends on how quickly the volatiles are released from whatever is outgassing. If you get several packs you could put some in the guitar and case and periodically exchange (and recharge/discharge) them with fresh ones when they seem to lose their effectiveness. They may keep the guitar playable as they eliminate the smell. Charcoal is used in respirators to absorb volatile fumes, but at some point those also need to be replaced. With respirator canisters it is suggested that to prolong their effectiveness, they be kept in a sealed bag when not in use, so they don't absorb ambient volatiles.
Right now I am dealing with a "dead animal" smell created by some vultures living in the attic of my shop. I open the door and blow fresh outside air into the rooms with a large industrial type fan. It reduces the stench factor enough to where I can work in there. Until the birds are fledged I will try to find ways to put up with them. If you can't immediately eliminate the smell maybe you can ameliorate it enough with the charcoal to play the guitar until it naturally goes away.

Good rule of thumb with new cases: put them out in the sunlight for a day or two. Helps with gas out.

This may be off the wall, but are you sure it isn’t the case that smells?? I’ve had that issue before


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