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I have a 1930 (I don't remember the year, the FON number begins with 7 and is 3 digits), with a loose bridge... here are some photos:

















First, I need to remove the through cut saddle, so I soak the joint with water and apply a wet cloth and soldering iron to slowly steam it out:



Then protect the finish with aluminum foil so that the heat does not damage the finish:



15 minutes later, the bridge is off. I need to let the bridge cool for about a day before going any further since the heat will have warped the bridge:



More to come...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Good so far... keep us informed.
Great pix, too!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I bet that guitar has a story or two to tell.

The foil didn't really protect the finish did it?
Judging by the spot in front of the bridge it just conducted the heat thru

When I've used the heat lamp method I've used thick poster board under several layers of foil to avoid that.

Yea, I'll have to do a little finish repair there... but the spot was fading away because I think a little bit of moisture was somehow introduced into the area and as the moisture evaporated, the spot was going away. Luckily since the finish was already in such a bad shape, I can blend it in.

I've never managed to heat a bridge off without some kind of finish damage around the bridge... when I tried the cardboard shield the heat still managed to conduct through the foil and cardboard, and I found the key is to make sure the iron does not touch anything besides the bridge, but given the height of the bridge, there isn't much I can use to shield the guitar without making it higher than the bridge.

I haven't managed to find any heat lamp since incandescent lights are difficult to find in Taiwan, the only thing I can think of at the moment is those 500w halogen lights but I'll need some time to rig them to safely work with guitars. I was thinking of getting some heating blankets for repairs but noticed LMI no longer carried them! Don't tell me they're discontinued like the Wagner Safe T Planer...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I use some sort of cloth fire retardant material available at a local hardware store. You can cut it with scissors to fit what ever application as necessary.

I was just looking at them the other day but didn't get one yet. I've had good luck with both the iron or the halogen lamp. Double layer of cardboard covered with foil. Last bridge, insulated with a wadded up bath towel. I put a wet paper towel under the iron to keep it from scorching the bridge. Steamed it off in a matter of seconds.

Looks like they're in stock now. Maybe there was a glitch in their site? Check for SPBL1

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

Yea, I never did get one just because right now I barely have enough money to pay rent and bills, and needed what I have left to buy air conditioning units. I thought those heating blankets are better to heat bridges off since I can concentrate the heat only on the bridge rather than risk melting the finish around the bridge. I think next time I'll try wet towels on top of the bridge to see if I can heat it off faster with less damage...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Taped around the intended site of the bridge to create sort of a "dam" so I don't get lost in the liquid glue... then leveled the inside of the bridge and glued and clamped it up...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

What type of glue are you using?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

an old wool sweater/shirt/sports jacket from a thrift shop would work great, with foil as an outer shell. cheap too. wool can't be beat as an insulator

Hide glue

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Ewe got that right!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Shear genius.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Poor Tai, his thread will be fleeced if we keep this up.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Could these jokes get any worsted?

Time to give it the chop.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Udderly hysterical

Can I like shave my cat, and then turn it into cat-wool so I can use it to insulate a guitar?

Or maybe I should buy a ton of aerogel.... I heard they are so good as an insulator that you can actually place a flower on it with a blowtorch flame right below it.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Ok the repair is finished...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com