Repair And Restoration
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When do you make the call to pull a lifting bridge and reglue?
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When do you make the call to pull a lifting bridge and reglue?
Hey y’all, I’ve got a mid budget lefty acoustic in the shop for some work and one of the bridge wings is starting to pull up.
I know some people are content to just squeeze some glue under and reclamp, but from what I can see underneath it the finish goes back a long way before we even start to touch the wood, if ever. So I’m leaning towards pulling it to be safe, but just making sure I’m not being overzealous before deciding on that course of action.
(Cost isn’t a concern at this point, but the risk of cosmetic damage inherent in the operation is. I’m comfortable with doing it, it’s just I haven’t seen dozens and dozens so I’m more indecisive about knowing when it’s a problem vs an annoyance.)
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2 Replies
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I’m not sure if there is a good rule of thumb for when it’s ok to slip a little glue under a slightly lifting bridge.
Couple things to note (I would only do this on a really cheap guitar) if it was glued with something like titebond, the only way to reglue a titebond joint, without cleaning the old glue out, is with epoxy. Then your joint is still a just bridge between two failed layers of titebond.
If the bridge was originally glued with hide glue, you can sometimes slip some in, but usually any bridge glued with hide glue, that is letting go, is letting go for reasons beyond a glue failure. Loose X brace, top has taken a belly and the bridge has not, glue has gotten old and crusty, etc.
If you are interested in just an opinion on this one. I’d pull it for sure, or maybe decline if that wasn’t an option financially. That finish lip is really sever and needs to be removed for most reliable results. Taking finish off, like that, for a bridge reglue is really time consuming and fraught with cosmetic peril. Figure at least 2-3 hours for the whole job. It also looks like the bridge is a little warped.
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This reply was modified 3 months ago by Ian Davlin The Looth Group.
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This reply was modified 3 months ago by
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I’m with Ian. I do a lot of bridge reglues and don’t even bother to consider injecting glue. There’s always a reason why the bridge is lifting and it has to be addressed. More than anything else, I see too little wood-to-wood contact, either an ill-fitted bridge or too much finish remaining under the bridge.
But then, I’m not working on vintage guitars so much (sporting HG), and those old-timers I get usually are in need of much more in ways of repairs.
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