Bridge Re-Glue with Hide Glue - Lutherie Academy

Luthier and instructor, Robert O'Brien, shows how to re-glue a bridge using hide glue.
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[@alandust2188]

So, is there any concern about using ca glue on the bottom of the bridge crack interfering with the adhesion of the hide glue? Thanks as always for the videos!

[@OBrienGuitars]

Off camera I lightly sanded the bottom of the bridge where the CA glue was. Your concern is valid.

[@BarryHarrellYouTube]

How long did you clamp it for the first time and how much air pressure are you using? Great video by the way and I really enjoyed the young ladies playing at the end.

[@OBrienGuitars]

clamp for 10 minutes then release the vacuum and clean out the squeeze out and re-apply for another 20 minutes. I am just suing a small vacuum so not sure how many inches of mercury it is pulling.

[@BarryHarrellYouTube]

@@OBrienGuitars Thanks Robbie. I finally bought a vacuum clamp a few months ago but it didn't come with any directions. Anyway, I have three builds going and want to try it.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@@BarryHarrellKZbin You will like it!

[@BarryHarrellYouTube]

@@OBrienGuitars Can't be worse than what happened to me on my last build! You may recall that I was woken up in the middle of the night when the bridge flew off of my new ukulele! haha 😮That's when you told me I should use a vacuum clamp and so I ordered one. 😀

[@johnnypk1963]

Really enjoyed the music too!

[@danielzubov]

Nice work man! Hello from Russia!

[@0Nafod0]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🎸 Guitars can suffer from glue failure, especially in dry climates, causing the bridge to come off. 01:20 🚧 When repairing a broken bridge, clean breaks can often be fixed with hide glue without extensive wood preparation. 02:35 🧲 Binding tape and CA glue (Cyanoacrylate glue) can be used to secure and repair damaged bridge corners before reattaching them. 03:45 🍯 Hide glue is a suitable adhesive for reattaching a bridge, but precise positioning is crucial to avoid mistakes. 06:17 🧽 Hide glue is easy to clean up, making it a practical choice for luthiers. Made with HARPA AI

[@emptyeff]

Neat. Thanks.

[@ogarridoa]

Great video. May I ask what's the musical play performed at the end? Really enjoyed it. Thanks

[@OBrienGuitars]

The piece is Mazurka Appassionata by Barrios

[@jolox.]

Great video thanks! To take off a cracked bridge, would you use an iron, a soldering iron, or a heat gun to heat it up to loosen the glue? Gonna thumbs up and subscribe as this was so helpful!

[@OBrienGuitars]

Perhaps you could repair the crack without removing the bridge?

[@jolox.]

I tried to glue and clamp, but the crack came back and the tuning was weird. I did remove it yesterday. I used a heat gun at around 200-225 degrees, was very patient and slow, and it came out ok, but advise everyone to go even slower as I did have slight tear out. I bought a new bridge from Amazon. I'm going to try and recover some of the tear out by chiseling from the old bridge (thoughts?) and glue back and then use hide glue granules which I have never used. Anyone have any advice on hide glue granules? @@OBrienGuitars

[@WhiteDragon689]

I would be very leery and nervous using hyde glue here. I would use Titebond Original. Not as easy to undo as hyde glue but in spite of all prejudice and lies it is reversible.

[@cannaguitars4593]

I am curious about newly built shellac finished guitars. I fear that the v-clamp will leave some marks. Do you have any suggestions on how to test if the shellac is dry enough to use it? Thanks a lot Brien! Cheers from Germany.

[@OBrienGuitars]

In my classes we French polish the soundboard one day and glue the bridge on the next using a vacuum clamp. My shellac finishes are very thin and cure quickly. I have also used a vacuum clamp a week or two after a finish was applied and left imprints from the vacuum. So, it all depends on you apply your finish and how thin. If it does happen to leave a mark a light spirting off will take care of it. Hope this helps. What part of Germany are you located?

[@cannaguitars4593]

​@@OBrienGuitars Thanks for your answer! I guess I'll have to try it out. I always clamp my bridges to make sure I have enough clamping pressure. But I had some problems with the tips separating lately. The V-Clamp should be better in that regard. I am from Pforzheim. It's in the south-west. Big fan for a long time, keep it up!

[@OBrienGuitars]

@@cannaguitars4593 Give it a try and see if it works for you. I was in Frankfurt recently and did some traveling around other parts of Germany. Happy Building!

[@cannaguitars4593]

@@OBrienGuitars Next time, pay me a visit ;-) I'll give it a shot next time. Thanks for all your good advice, it helped me a lot over the years!

[@JScottAudio]

Would it be safer to put down some low tack tape to protect the finish from the hide glue...assuming the finish was shellac? Or is that something that you don't need to worry about with hide glue?

[@OBrienGuitars]

It is not a bad idea. This finish was shellac and it didn't damage it.

[@scottreeves1226]

Robert, I notice that you continue to use the high-tech digital glue spreader (HTDGS) with which you were gifted at birth. I've heard (too) frequently recently that said tool will contaminate glues with precious bodily oils when used to spread glue, making both hide glue and aliphatic glues less effective. What is your experience? Thanks!

[@vikingbeard]

I think the fact he's still doing it after many years of experience should give you a hint?

[@scottreeves1226]

True.@@vikingbeard

[@fazeeztaj1618]

Love from Pakistan 🇵🇰

[@family-accountemail9111]

Nice playing !