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Bridge gluing and finishing
I’m curious to hear when other acoustic builders attach their bridges, before or after finishing the top?
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6 Replies
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I glue the bridge on after finishing. I go for HIgh-gloss, and I find it easier to buff everything out whit the bridge off, then clean the bridge footprint with scraping before gluing the bridge on.
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I glue it on after finish. I mask the bridge outline about 1/16″ shy of full profile and spray over the tape. Wet sand and buff with tape on and then carefully scribe full bridge perimeter and glue the bridge on.
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I glue on the bridge after finish. My finish is UV poly, about 5 mils thick. I use an acrylic template that precisely matches my bridges, and rout out the finish (plus another couple thou) using a small flush trim bit. I use double-sided tape to precisely position the template. The corners I have to correct with a violin knife and chisel. The bridge basically “snaps” in. I’ve gone to hide glue on the glue up. You need to have all the clamps set and at the ready for this, and you pre-warm the bridge to ensure things don’t gel as you do the glue up.
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What type of UV poly do you use? I’ve been looking into UV finishes, the fast cure time is very appealing.
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I have a Cure UV lamp system and use Simtec’s finishes. If you want to discuss, message me with your phone number. There is a LOT to consider, and plenty of bumps in the road to (hopefully) avoid. I’ve had lots of help, I’m not sure I would have figured it out on my own. Michael Greenfield very kindly helped me out with the overall process, a very talented local spray guy taught me how to control an HVLP gun, and a local supplier helped me get my air system in shape.
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Thank you so much for the offer. I’m not quite to the point where I’m ready to dive in, but I tremendously appreciate the offer to talk through my questions.
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