Repair And Restoration
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Glue failure, what to do?
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Glue failure, what to do?
Hello,
(First post)
I’m a newer builder and I’m rebuilding an old destroyed archtop as a learning experience. I am using WEST System epoxy to glue in the new braces. I successfully got the first one in and the problem is with the second. It appears that the epoxy for the second brace did not set or cure. The leftover glue in the little cup is still flexible and sticky after a few days. I suspect the issue is I didn’t have enough hardener. I have been dissatisfied with the cheap digital scale I have and just ordered a new high-precision one for future use.
Is there any hope that this glue will harden eventually? Should I give up and plane off the brace and start over?
I sincerely thank everyone here. I have been lurking on the group for a while and looking for a place to jump in. I hope newbie, amateur folks and their dumb questions are welcome.
-Eric
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7 Replies
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I use epoxy for bracing on new builds but it’s pretty unusual on repairs, I might suggest you start with the old reliables (titebond or hot hide glue).
There are a lot of west system products, what are you using? The normal west system is 5:1 ratio resin to hardener. Or did you use g-flex?
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Thank you for the reply.
I’m using 105 resin and 206 hardener. This is not really a repair. The guitar was fully apart and I was able to salvage only the plates and sides. It’s more like a kit with pre-carved plates and pre-bent sides.
-Eric
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Removal, clean up and a do over is probably in order.
Can I ask how you mixed it ? Did you use the pumps, by weight, or by volume ?
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I use pumps and measure by weight in grams. I think what happened is that my cheap digital scale was not giving me accurate values when I was making small amounts. I’ve used this method and scale many times with success and this was the first failure. I have just received a new scale that is accurate to 0.1g so I’m hoping this doesn’t happen again.
I am thinking that you are right and I should take this brace off and remake it. This is a learning instrument rebuild and I can chalk this up to learning a lot this time. Painful but valuable. Sigh…
-Eric
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I took the brace off bit by bit. The glue was not hard and peeled up in some spots. That was the right way to go for this goof. I have plenty of spruce to make many more braces and I hope it’s only one more for this project.
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Final followup to this issue. After a full week the glue is fully cured now. I would not have had to remake the brace. I am not upset as I need the practice. Also, using my new high-precision scale on the glue resulted in it curing in the normal stated time for 206 hardener. In the past it always took longer than that for my epoxy glue ups. My old scale was not accurate at lower weights and I’m glad it’s gone.
So much to learn, it never stops, eh?
-Eric
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Is there a reason you’re using 206? Any chance that you’re in a cool climate? That stuff doesn’t cure below 60 degrees but it’s really made for high temperature areas.
It’s helpful to remember that West stuff was specifically designed a long time ago for boat work. The slow hardener is kind of for when you’re in Florida trying to wet out a whole boats worth of fiberglass and if you use the regular hardener it’s so hot that the pots are burning off as you mix them.
Personally I wouldn’t use the 206 in a guitar shop, it doesn’t really offer you anything. I’m sure that had something to do with why it took so long to cure, although it would have to be pretty cool to be a problem. Where are you?
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