Man, that binding channel came out fantastic on the headstock. Really nice job. 
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The Hossenfeffer III Build
- Thread starter Gilmourisgod
- Start date
What's the over/under on how many pieces of binding I destroy trying to bind this sucker? I have one 63" long strip of Allparts Cream binding on the way. If I can't do it in that length I'll have to hang up my dust mask.
Based on how life usually goes,
you won't really screw up that much of it, but somehow, you'll end up a 1/4" too short and have to order a whole new piece?
Nah, I'm sure you'll nail it.
Is this your first binding job?
I go back/forth on whether I like it enough to ever do a bound guitar, or just leave it alone and admire it from afar.
you won't really screw up that much of it, but somehow, you'll end up a 1/4" too short and have to order a whole new piece?
Nah, I'm sure you'll nail it.
Is this your first binding job?
I go back/forth on whether I like it enough to ever do a bound guitar, or just leave it alone and admire it from afar.
My thoughts exactly. Looks awesome when other people do it, but seems like an incredible faff when I think about doing it myself.
- Apr 18, 2008
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- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Binding serves a structural role on an acoustic guitar, where it reinforces and protects the kerfed edges. On a solid body, it’s purely decorative. Not that there’s anything wrong with being purely decorative!
^^ Same thing crossed my mind.
Good to see you back in the saddle GiG.
Good to see you back in the saddle GiG.
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
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- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
So what you're essentially saying...
.. " solid body binding is g...
... er... um...
...fabulous.
So what you're essentially saying...
.. " solid body binding is g...
... er... um...
...fabulous.
LOL, nah. The Seinfeld thing just instantly popped into my head. Come to think of it, more that half of the instruments that I've built have binding, so I'm a fan.
That's hilariousSo what you're essentially saying...
.. " solid body binding is g...
... er... um...
...fabulous.
I did a ballet twirl across the living room one evening (don't ask) and when I picked up my phone, my daughter had texted me that gif after observing the scene from her room. 
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
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- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
@Gilmourisgod You will do just fine, make sure you have a heat gun nearby and a bunch of binding tape. Binding is super easy!! Use the heat gun to soften the binding, bend it along the shape of your binding channel, then tape it to the body.
Although there are a few different techniques for adhering it to your guitar. Use acetone dripped behind the back, push it against the body and tape it down really tight. The acetone slightly melts the binding right to the wood. You need to use enough acetone (but not too much) so it melts properly.
Besides if for some reason you don't have enough, I have a brand new roll of Stew Mac cream binding that's yours if you want/need it!
Obviously if you have any questions, just ask!
Although there are a few different techniques for adhering it to your guitar. Use acetone dripped behind the back, push it against the body and tape it down really tight. The acetone slightly melts the binding right to the wood. You need to use enough acetone (but not too much) so it melts properly.
Besides if for some reason you don't have enough, I have a brand new roll of Stew Mac cream binding that's yours if you want/need it!
Obviously if you have any questions, just ask!
I have a decent handle on binding from my two Ric builds, I may use my original headstock template as a bind form, like I did for the F-Hole, gonna be some pre bending to do. The challenge on very tight radii is getting the binding to bend without distorting or “stretching” the surface, which makes it look white instead of cream. The color looks more “ivory” to me, at least the Allparts version. The Stewmac cream binding is that weird baby doll “Caucasian Flesh” tone you see on Les Pauls. I like the celluloid binding better, but I’ve read it can get binding rot over time. Agreed on the acetone technique, it leaves no residue, and you can make color matched filler by dissolving chips of binding in it.
I cobbled up this form to pre-bend the binding the Hossenfeffer II, it worked pretty well. You always get some "spring back" on the binding, so the radii have to be over-bent a little. This one was 5 separate pieces of binding with four miter joints, the Fauxlembic will have two be two continuous pieces meeting at the little point in the Heart Omega cutout. Ouch. You can see a piece of cream binding that distorted on me in the photo. I think it took me three tries to get this one right.
Has anyone ever attempted to put a little acetone on it and then use a roller to smooth out the pre-bend? Obviosly the application of acetone would go on the inside so it won't stick to the template.
Please shoot me if I ever attempt to bind a radius this tight again. This was HOURS of work to get half of it done, and far from perfect.
I prefer .060" binding because it's a lot more forgiving, easier to miter, etc., but there was no way binding that thick would bend to these radii, so .040" it is. It's finicky stuff, the difference between "hot enough to bend" and "hot enough to irreparably distort" is about 1 degree, apparently. I got it close to my final radius by bending around a 5/8" dowel, which ended up being a hair TOO tight, it didn't spring back as much as I expected. 9/16" would have been perfect, but I couldn't find any dowel stock in that diameter. I drove a screw into the waste end to have something to work against.
Heated and pre-bent the rest of it..
And went to town on it. The outside edge was easy, the tight radius Heart Omega.... not so much
I had used zip-ties before on the F-Hole, and it worked pretty well, but what I didn't reckon on was that getting them tight enough to hold was also tight enough to do a little damage. The zip ties kind of dented the binding, so I may have to do a little trowel-in with more binding dissolved to paste in acetone, we'll see how it looks after it's scraped and sanded flush.
I think on the other side, I'll pad the zip ties with a few layers of tape, hopefully that will minimize any denting.
I did the initial body edge roundovers with a 1/2" bit, but I think the original Balance K bodies are more like 5/8-3/4" roundover, guess I'll have to buy a bigger bit. I can't cut out the Heart Omega at the heel until the body wings are glued on, and I want to do the bulk of the neck carve before that, so it may be a couple weeks before I glue the body wings on.
I prefer .060" binding because it's a lot more forgiving, easier to miter, etc., but there was no way binding that thick would bend to these radii, so .040" it is. It's finicky stuff, the difference between "hot enough to bend" and "hot enough to irreparably distort" is about 1 degree, apparently. I got it close to my final radius by bending around a 5/8" dowel, which ended up being a hair TOO tight, it didn't spring back as much as I expected. 9/16" would have been perfect, but I couldn't find any dowel stock in that diameter. I drove a screw into the waste end to have something to work against.
Heated and pre-bent the rest of it..
And went to town on it. The outside edge was easy, the tight radius Heart Omega.... not so much
I had used zip-ties before on the F-Hole, and it worked pretty well, but what I didn't reckon on was that getting them tight enough to hold was also tight enough to do a little damage. The zip ties kind of dented the binding, so I may have to do a little trowel-in with more binding dissolved to paste in acetone, we'll see how it looks after it's scraped and sanded flush.
I think on the other side, I'll pad the zip ties with a few layers of tape, hopefully that will minimize any denting.
I did the initial body edge roundovers with a 1/2" bit, but I think the original Balance K bodies are more like 5/8-3/4" roundover, guess I'll have to buy a bigger bit. I can't cut out the Heart Omega at the heel until the body wings are glued on, and I want to do the bulk of the neck carve before that, so it may be a couple weeks before I glue the body wings on.
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Just a Wagner heat gun on Low setting, held around 4" away from the binding. it's really hard to judge the timing on the heat, like I said, a couple extra seconds too much and it's toast. I've seen people do it with hot water too. Any binding technique suggestions appreciated. I've seen radii this tight on mandolins, so somebody must know how to do it better, nothing useful on YT that I found anyway.
