Official Luthiers Forum!

For a time, I had been using very small droplets of CA to hold an inlay in place while scribing and cutting the border. Now and again the bond was more than I wanted and I fear(from experience) dribbling acetone around finished guitar surfaces for removal. Sometimes even my little dabs just still stick too well, and prying with a shaped and sharp- honed palette knife has pulled up wood(this would be OK if the pulled up wood was always within the outlines of the inlay).

I have tried carpet tape but sometimes its elasticity allows more wiggle than I want while scribing.

Have any of you successfully thinned CA even more-to get instant stick down but easier removal. Or perhaps I should switch to a water based glue for the temporary affixing- slower to dry I suppose to be the only drawback there. Very clean inlay with little fill is one of the few above average skills I have which I can devote to luthierie-otherwise, you folks know I describe myself as a "hack."(but, hey, I'm an enthusiastic hack) I have been doing neck and peghead inlays on the 5 stringed "instrument which shall not here be named" and working with smaller pieces of inlay but if I get good help on this I have a bunch of guitar necks to do as well-some with little components but more with larger pieces. (I can do Les Paul trapezoids and blocks mindlessly because I made a template pattern for my pin router-wish I could do the same with less mundane shapes).

Maybe I should just use newspaper in between-often used for lathe turning temporary positioning?

Any advice appreciated. mt

NOTE; THOSE WITH "TAS," KEEP YOUR EYE ON CLASSIFIEDS OVER NEXT COUPLE WEEKS

Mike: I've used Ambroid model aircraft cement for years.Then acetone to loosen after marking. If you use a lot of cement it can be a bit harder to remove.
Tom

_________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Duco cement is sort of the standard for this application. It prys up easily.

I' be loathe to thin CA for fear it might just spread out better, which could cause more harm than good. You could always shrink your dots down; put a drop of CA on something it won't cure on instantly and pick up your droplets with the top of a scalpel or even a pin. You can make some pretty small dots with a needle!

_________________
Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

Just a dab of duco is what I've always used too. If it's a small piece and you are worried about it cracking a little of acetone will release it. But usually with a small dot of duco on it a razor blade will remove it. Also hold the piece down with your finger while scribing around it if you have concerns of it popping off.

Did u mention TAS???!? Yes, I was diagnosed with it two years ago. Hope your remedy will help me!! I also suffer from excessive GAS.

Hey Mike, have you tried something like PVA? You can heat the piece up with a heat gun and pull off. Thinning CA will just make it wick better. Please take this advice with a grain of salt, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. (thinnly veiled attempt at sardonic humor)

I use Testors green tube model airplane cement. Relatively weak bond, easily scrapes off with a razor blade, or with a little acetone.
Same basic stuff as Duco. Never used CA for holding the inlay down, always WAY too strong.

Find it online or any hobby shop.

Good luck,
Craig

_________________
www.handcraftinlay.com

I got my last tube of Duco and they had Tester's too at the local Ace Hardware.

Thanks-going with the Testor's or Duco.

Has anybody besides me noticed that Testors ain't what it used to be? I think the anti-glue sniffing coallition got a hold of the maker. It in no way melts plastic like it used to.