I'll add my two cents, though Richard provided a wealth of ideas. Planing
down the existing bridge is an excellent tactic! I find aliphatic glues
(white or yellow) actually easier to remove than hide glue. They often come
loose without the addition of water. I put a several layers of aluminum foil
over the top around the bridge for insulation when heating it. I use a
regular household iron for that.
It's possible to glue on the replacement bridge using hot hide glue and a
rubbed joint. I believe many Spanish guitar makes have used this method. It
takes advantage of the glues' tendency to contract and pull things together
as dries. Basically one slides the two parts back and forth a couple of
times while the glue is hot, creating a suction not unlike what happens if
you rub two microscope slides together. The repairperson then holds it
firmly in place until the glue has gelled. It takes a couple of minutes.
If the seam is open it might be just as well to patch it with a spline of
spruce while the bridge and strings are off. It's not likely to ever close
by itself in the dry atmosphere of Utah! Richard's observations on humidity
control are excellent. Fixing the open seam would seem prudent if you decide
to separate the top from the bowl to apply clamps to the new bridge. There
should be enough flex in the top that total separation from the bowl isn't
strictly necessary. Freeing it up to the level of the third bar should leave
an opening wide enough to get some lightweight deep throat clamps in there.
The main thing is to map out the geometry before starting. What angle does
the neck take relative to the face under string tension? Is there an
appreciable bulging behind the bridge that disappears when the strings are
slackened? Pay close attention to the height of the string holes over the
soundboard while it is strung to pitch and use them as a guide for
calculation.
-Ted
----- Original Message -----
From: "sterling price" <spiffys84...@yahoo.com>
To: <lute-buil...@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2012 12:27 AM
Subject: [LUTE-BUILDER] Archlute Bridge
Hi-I'm not sure if this list is still active so here goes---I have a
small archlute with a bridge that is made of ebony and I would like to
replace it with something more appropriate. Also because the string
spacing and action is all wrong. My question is--what is involved in
removing a bridge and replacing it without removing the soundboard? I
just need some advice on how to proceed, or if I should leave it alone.
--Sterling
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