Official Luthiers Forum!

I was working on gluing up a broken headstock today and I just started wondering if there's a reason we use wood glue for that repair as opposed to epoxy. I've always been under the impression that epoxy is a stronger and more permanent bond and I'd think the headstock is where you would want such a bond. It's probably a stupid question, but I was just curious because the thought came up...

never thought of it, but now that you ask, I wonder as well... so if its a stupid question, we are at least two who dont know the answer

my first impression is that wood glue makes a more natural (?!) joint, less noticeable and all, as where epoxy would be maybe more appearent.... either that or epoxy does not contain water, which won't make the wood swell up or anythig, and that's what we shoot for.... anyway, i'm curious about a real answer

cheers!

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Olivier Gauthier
Montreal, QC

FRETS.com has a bunch of required reading for any of us doing repairs, with lots of info about glues. After reading about Frank Fords experiments with glues and high temperatures, a lot of us have started using hot hide glue for most headstock breaks.

Normal wood glue, like titebond, has now become the last choice for broken headstocks, because of its poor heat resistance and willingness to creep under pressure.

Epoxy still seems to be a mostly politically correct solution, although it can be hard to work into crevices when the headstock is not broken completely off, and if things do go wrong, you are left with a big impossible to clean up mess, unlike hot hide wich can be thinned down to wick into cracks better and cleans up with warm water.

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Jordan Aceto
Ithaca, NY

Most breaks in wood are not clean. By that I mean there are layers and irregular surfaces, splinters and such. As Jordan said, epoxy just won't move in and among all those broken pieces like hide or the titebond type glues will. I personally prefer the bonding strenth of the titebond type glue to hot hide glue. I use it whenever I'm working on something that doesn't need to be taken apart and is not antique. My personal opinion is that it grips better and gives the craftsman a bit more time to position things and get a really tight well fitting joint. That comes from 30+ years of fixing broken wood things. I just like how it sticks and holds better than I do hide glue. However there's nothing like hide glue when you need to clean up a joint and reset it. Like a neck or a chair leg. But if it's busted, I think titebond type glue is better. Just one man's opinion.

Hmm.. interesting. I've never tried HHG. Maybe I should give it a shot and see how it works. I can see the point about epoxy being troublesom to get into the nooks and crannies, though.

I've done hundreds of these repairs using Titebond and in the 15 years of doing so have never seen one come back for a repair. I have used epoxy for the really bad breaks with lost splinters of wood where the customer knows it's a last ditch effort to save the guitar or get a new neck.

I like Titebond because it is so easy to work with and clean up.

I haven't done a lot of these repairs, but on the few I have I used cascamite with I guess is an epoxy or something like, but on a recent break when it had been repaired badly before and come apart again I had to use epoxy as I just couldn't get all the old glue out and I always try and break the joint apart after its glued, using reasonable force, and the wood around the joint flexed rather then the joint breaking so I'm happy.

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes