Chad, Well, it's a small anvil. About a foot long. A blacksmith's anvil would definitely be overkill. I haven't actually glued on all of the braces at one go yet, but I think I may try it on the next instrument I build. It does sound like a bit of a circus act, though.
Re-gluing bridges (which, unfortunately, I've gotten some practice at) is about the one thing that I do use go-bars for. I have a jig (I think jigs outnumber power tools in my little shop) to hold the lute horizontal and I slide it under the wall cabinets over my work bench. Then I have little go-bars I made from strips of beech that are sized to fit the center and the wings of a bridge. So the cabinets act as the roof of a go-bar box, if this makes any sense. Once I've done the gluing I slide the lute in the jig under the cabinets and stick the go-bars between the bottom of the cabinets and the bridge. Before gluing on the bridge I attempt to extend the working time of the glue as much as possible by pre-warming the bridge and the bridge location on the soundboard with an electric heating pad for about an hour. The younger posters on this listserv may not have a heating pad around the house, but by the time you're in your 50s you will. I only have time to build instruments in the winter, when my basement gets rather cold. So I've made an enclosure out of foam core for the go-bar box (that never gets used for go-bars) and put in an electric light to pre-warm braces and the soundboard. I assemble the box at least a day ahead of when I'll start gluing, turn the light on inside with the parts to be glued, and leave it that way for several days while I'm gluing things together. The glue pot is next to the enclosure and all of the gluing happens in the box. It also serves to dry out the wood if there is any residual moisture. Part of the fun for an amateur is figuring all this stuff out. Tim --- qui...@earthlink.net wrote: From: "Chadwick Neal" <qui...@earthlink.net> To: <lute-buil...@cs.dartmouth.edu> Subject: [LUTE-BUILDER] Re: hide glue gram strength Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 09:49:09 -0500 Hi All, Thanks for weighing in on this topic. I've been using 315, and I think I'm ready to order some lower strength. It's been good to use especially when you want the fast tack and I've adapted my technique to suit. I would never be able to use Tim's method of glueing the braces all in one go and put a board over top with weight. An anvil, Tim??? Wow certainly not a blacksmith's I'm assuming :-)) No, It has a fast gel and even by the time I get the go bars on one it has begun to gel, one more bar and I can clean squeeze out from the first. For bridges, I like it both in construction and repair, especially the repair, when you have to hold the bridge by hand for several minutes. A good thinnish water ratio and it will hold fast. I have a really hard time waiting the full five minutes, perhaps, too much coffee in me. I usually fidget around after a couple minutes. I have veneered and all of the other operations, but you have to be fast!! I also like it for rib gluing, it's quick. Shrinkage though, I witnessed a old jar with a thin layer of dried glue crack a baby bottle! Chad Neal -----Original Message----- From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf Of Andrew Hartig Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 4:46 PM To: lute-buil...@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [LUTE-BUILDER] hide glue gram strength I'm wondering what gram strength glue other builders out there are using. I noticed recently that while a local luthier supply (lmii.com) sells 192 gram strength "high clarity" (it really does have high transparency) hide glue as their standard for lutherie, another general woodworking company (toolsforworkingwood.com) markets 3 types: 192, 251, and 315 (only the 192 comes with a "high clarity" alternative). The only thing that really got my attention here was their description of the strengths, copied below: * The 192 gram strength is a good general purpose glue, and it's the least expensive hide glue around. That's why it's the most common. Its real application is veneering, although you can use it for regular gluing in a pinch. A lot of people consider it the best all-around glue for general woodworking (including veneering), because it also has the longest open time. If you are new to hide glue, this is the grade you should get. * The 251 gram strength glue is traditionally the most appropriate for regular cabinetwork. Its higher strength means that you can do rub joints more easily, and clamped joints will have less time to creep. But it's not optimal for veneering, when you'd want the maximal amount of time for squeezing out the excess glue. * The 192 gram strength "high clarity" is more expensive than its cousins because it is especially refined for maximum transparency. It's a good all-around glue that's slightly more tacky then the regular 192 glue. This is the glue to use if you are worried about visible glue lines. * The 315 gram strength is a special purpose glue for very high stress applications. It is favored primarily by instrument makers for situations where a joint will be under constant force. Of the glues the 315 has the shortest open time. So, is 192 not strong enough for lutherie, as implied by the description of the 315? Or is the concern here more about high-tension modern instruments? What are others using? (As an aside, I should mention that I've had no troubles so far with using the high clarity 192.) Curiously, Andrew -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
