scraping celluloid bindings

[dave vann]

I'm getting a lot of different answers to the question , "How long do you wait to scrape celluloid bindings?" I trust the mandolin cafe more than most forums. How long do you wait?

[bradlaird]

I assume they are glued in and you have done any staining/dyeing. My thinking is to apply a light coat or two of finish, give that a day to dry, then scrape away. Seems like a bit of finish on there helps the process. Maybe it attracts the dye.

Good luck. It is like brain surgery. Don’t get in a hurry. Or else you will nick the wood and be touching up color.

[dave vann]

I need to clarify. I'm asking how long should I wait after gluing celluloid bindings with duco cement before scraping. I know they swell when glued. How long should i let them "cure" before leveling sides and scraping.

[rcc56]

I would give it at least 72 hours, though I know some people only wait a day.
Also, use your nose. Duco gives off an odor as it cures. If there's any hint of a lingering smell, wait longer.
The longer I'm in the repair business, the more I learn that when it comes to glues and finishes, extended curing time is always better.

[Dale Ludewig]

I'd give it at least 72 hours also. And the odor is a sign. Patience. You can speed it up a bit by putting it in front of a fan.
If you level/scrape the bindings too soon, you're not saving yourself any time in the long run. If you level too soon, then top coat, and that all is shrinking along with the un-gassed off celluloid underneath, you will spend more time at the end trying to get everything level: to where it will be a month or two from now.
Can't cheat the piper, so to speak.

[amowry]

I give my bindings at least a few weeks and usually at least a month before scraping/sanding flush after gluing with solvent-based glue. I build necks during that time. Celluloid basically shrinks forever, but a lot of it happens in those first few weeks.

[sunburst]

At least a week, prefer two weeks or more.

[HoGo]

I prefer gluing binding with CA because of this. You have to work extremely precisely though as any voids will show. I sometimes use a dot of celluloid mud on miters and wait a day or two.
If I were to do a replica of old Gibson I would use solvent based glue and scrape too soon to get the step visible like on those (likely partially result of too aggressive scraping after color).

[amowry]

Agreed-- I use CA for binding fretboards, pickguards, and headstocks. I may make the leap to doing bodies that way too, it's just a mental barrier I haven't overcome yet . Some well-known mandolin builders use CA for all of it.

[sunburst]

When I'm under time constraints I use CA for celluloid bindings instead of Duco for the simple reason of speeding things up. Otherwise, I've used Duco for over 30 years, I'm familiar with the process and the results, and I'm sticking with it so far.

[Dale Ludewig]

yeah, I use CA on the fingerboard bindings. Sometimes the headstock, but even there I'll use a little Duco and the slurry at the miters. Which is a compromise. Not wild about it on the body where there's going to be dyeing and such later. It's all duco there, except when I want to get a miter done while I watch it. There, it's duco, CA, acetone, slurry, and fingertips, some of which are partially left behind on the miter.