Rare Aria Pro 2 repair

[Strat]

Greetings woodies,
my 1st post here so I had better introduce my self. A Kiwi in Brizzie with 30 yrs working on superyachts, classic cars & boats, antiques & once upon a time kitchens etc. A muso for most of my near 60 yrs. I have set up guitars but just turning my hand to repairs. My general knowledge is good but needs honing for guitar repair & if I live long enough - construction.
A good friend of mine owns this Aria(pix) - from research it may well be the first ever made. A fall resulted in partial separation of the top - which has been successfully reglued(titebond). A U.S. luthier has recommended FCA ( from LMI) glue for new binding. References are excellent but it can't be shipped here. Does anyone know if avail. in Aus.
? Or any other options. I note weldon 16 has poor reviews & tests with binding shavings dissolved in solvent(advice from Stewmac) gave good but not excellent result. I have bought a stack of rubber bands from Stewmac but on dry runs have found them awkward & slow to apply - any experience with these ? Masking tape seems to be easier/quicker.
Question to moderators - am I allowed to post US site details here. I used it before discovering this one & has lots of relevant pix/ details of this guitar & repair so far. I simply don't have time to repeat it all!
I couldn'y help noticing this little fellow & suddenly my cup of tea & a bikky didn't taste so good. I do enjoy a certain Sth Aus. stout
cheers,
Dean

[kiwigeo]

Dean, no problems with the link to the US site.

[Strat]

Thanks Martin,
This guitar has a history worth checking out - details & pix posted recently on FRETS.net
http://fretsnet.ning.com/forum/topics/r ... herb-ellis
If anyone has historical knowledge on this please let us know.
The Aria in pik is lying on my maple slab table - 3.3mtrs x 0.9mtr.
A botanist once told me there are over 300 different species of mahogany - of which Q. Maple is one - hence the similarity. I doubt it's related to American (rock) maple. 2 opposites with regard to staining & other characteristics - probably why Fender necks just have clear finish.
cheers,
Dean

[Woodsy23]

I think that quite a few people use "filament tape" for gluing bindings. It's the tape with fibreglass fibres and readily available from Officeworks and ebay.

[Steve.Toscano]

Just use normal binding tape. The brown (paper? Backed) stuff. Available from als or lmi.

[Strat]

Hi Guys,
thanks for the tip. Right now my priority is to find a suitable glue for white plastic binding.adhesive. CA glue is not suitable in this case - the glue used should be restorable in future. Any advice appreciated.
cheers,
Dean

[Nick]

Find out if you have a local supplier for "Weld-on 16" cement, it's a recognized glue in luthiery for plastic bindings. It's all I've ever used, tell a lie! I did use another Acrylic glue once and it turned out to be rubbish. There must be something in the recipe that these guys use that makes it work for our purposes?
Did a quick search and it's thrown up these guys in your part of the globe.

[garryalb]

The acetone based "C23 balsa cement" sold at hobby and craft stores seems to work well with ABS and celluloid binding. You will need to test any of these acetone glues on the lacquer. Your biggest headache will be leveling the binding on the existing lacquer.

Garry.

[Strat]

Thanks a lot guys,
I intend to mask off the finish around the guitar. Hopefully if I'm careful the glue won't bleed under the masking tape. This will also give me a safe level to file the binding to without scratching the finish. I always test before tackling new skills/glues & finishes. Seems I just can't avoid solvents with this repair.
The pix here show where most of the superglue went when the owner tried to repair it after a "mates" advice. I thought it might have gone right thru the lacquer but pik shows the removal very successful. 4 pcs of 2 ply paper towel shown in pik was used as heat insulator - the heat required to bend binding was quite extreme. I will finish buffing the lacquer when repair complete.
Timeline: top pik 1st - bottom pik 2nd & mid pik last.
Thanks,
Dean