Cleaning out old glue from previous repair?

[Matt Bach]

Hi Guys

I'm figuring one of you guys has a sneaky trick for this - I've got guitar to fix with a busted headstock which has been repaired in the past with what I'm told was titebond, and the joint has failed, (most likely due to heat than anything, it was left in a car) and I want to get as much of the old glue out before regluing/splinting etc.

What's the best way of doing this? Patience and scraping it off/out?

[Nick]

As long as you put some form of protection on any 'visible' faces, you could try a heat gun to soften the old titebond & a small wire brush (similar to a tooth brush and they have a finer wire or bristle than your standard welding wire brush) probably available from somewhere like supercheap auto stores, to get the old glue down into the various nooks & crannies. I say some form of protection because as you can imagine a wire brush could mess up any finish quite easily but if you plan on rubbing back & refinishing the whole thing then I wouldn't worry too much.

[Matt Bach]

Thanks Nick, I've had a closer look and I think I'll just have to bite the bullet and do it manually with a little hook/chisel/brush type thing and take my time. The headstock isn't completely snapped off, it's being held on by the headplate, so looking into the crack is like staring into a little glue cave. I am almost tempted to snap it off entirely and clean it up like you mention...

[Kim]

Because of its gap filling properties I have reglued these kind of repairs with epoxy in the past and it works fine. Chances are that by the time you finish picking out all the old glue well enough to allow a new bond, the faces will not mate up as they need to for strength and anything other than epoxy will probably fail pretty quick. The other option is to cut a clean scarf in the shaft and make a new headstock...you can also glue with epoxy and then plane the bottom of the shaft flat across the glue joint and then shape in a back strap to secure the repair..this works well when bits of wood are missing from the break and would leave you with gaps to fill without the strap.

Good luck

Kim

[simso]

I cheat, I use a sand blaster, it removes all the traces of the old glue and lightly etches the new surface.

[jjh]

I've had the same problem on one repair, I used a wire brush attachment on my Dremel and then used a slow setting epoxy glue for the repair and it's still hanging on 2 years down the line

[jeffhigh]

De-Glue Goo seems to be a favourite in the USA but I have not used it
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11390
It is apparently a vinegar based gel
see also
http://www.ehow.com/info_8471621_dissol ... -glue.html

[Matt Bach]

Thanks guys, that de glue stuff looks pretty nifty, might invest in a bottle as a test, but the ammonia and or vinegar is interesting too. Sand blaster just sounds like fun!

For now I've gone the old scrape and brush (the bits I can get to) and there are some gaps, so epoxy it is... should I use extra slow hardener for a job like this?

[simso]

Sand blaster just sounds like fun!

Yes its different, but takes an ugly glued joint back to a perfect surface ready to be reglued and clamped

[Kim]

For now I've gone the old scrape and brush (the bits I can get to) and there are some gaps, so epoxy it is... should I use extra slow hardener for a job like this?

In a break not separated as you describe I use 24hr epoxy and heat the break and the mix a little with a blower so the mix flows more freely to wet out the joint. Don't over do the heat though as epoxy has a very low boil point and if you go too far it will fizz filling with bubbles and look terrible. Before the glue goes anywhere near the wood you 'must' set up a jig to ensure things will clamp up right where they need to be. Take your time doing this to ensure you have it right in a dry run. I have come up with all kinds of jig configurations in the past because each is tailored to offer support to the neck for gluing the angle of the break at hand ..if you know what I mean. It is easy enough but you need to take your time to ensure you do it once and well.

Good Luck

Kim

[Matt Bach]

Cheers! I have done a few now but never with an epoxy so all advice helps! I've got a jig sorted for this one and it's probably in truth one of the easier ones I've done but that doesn't mean it's not going to throw me a curve ball when I least expect it. Also looking forward to giving the epoxy a go as a pore filler for something else so I'm off to Carbatec!