Gluing on the bridge prior to finishing?

sharp21

sharp21

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I'm at the bridge attachment stage on my grizzly build. The instructions say to measure it out but then tape the area & finish the uke before gluing it on. The stewmac kit instructions say the same thing.

Why can't I glue the bridge on, tape it up, then apply the finish? I'll already be taping off the fretboard... Seems like 6 & two 3s to me.

S.
 
I believe it's because it's tough to get a smooth polish around the bridge if you glue it on first. It may not matter
if you're planning a hand rubbed french polish,....but lacquer finish will end up with scratches you can't polish out
around the bridge.

Also depends how fussy you are, if it's for yourself. I'm not as picky with a finish on a "player",...as it's likely to pick
up more fine scratches and tiny (hopefully) bumps here and there. But it's nice to get a fine instrument with a mirror, flawless lacquer finish, just ask any Moore Bettah owner.

Anyway, pros do it "that" way because their work is expected to look,...well,....professional.

I may not build'um,....but i sure can appreciate all the effort that goes into makin'um! :D
 
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It'll leave a little space around the bridge, the thickness of the tape, that is unfinished. Like a little moat of bare timber.

If you're going for a high gloss finish, you'll need to glue the bridge on after to make it easier to buff the top.

If you're going for a satin finish then there's no rule that says you cant glue the bridge on first and just finish the whole lot.
 
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Well that makes perfect sense!

I'm off to measure twice & glue once

S.
 
Classical guitar builders often glue the bridge on and finish over it. Of course that makes no sense to me, but that's how they do it. They do lots of crazy sh.. like that...like gluing in back braces and then gluing on the back!
 
As the others have said. Depends on the finish you are going with.

If it's an oil finish then I'd put the bridge on first. On my low gloss lacquer jobs the bridge goes on first and they all get a finish on them. High gloss on the other hand means that the bridge footprint is either masked off prior to finish, or scraped clean of finish prior to glueing on the bridge after the instrument has been buffed. Lots of ways of going about it, and you're sure to try most of them to find out what works best for you.
 
In the few builds I've done I have always finished first and then scraped away the finish to glue on the bridge. I tried it the other way on a soprano I'm about finised with. I glued the bridge on and, taped it up and started spraying the laquer. Doing the wet sanding and leveling the finish etc. was a real pain with the bridge in the way. Won't do that again.
 
Just as an aside...... I've long heard that Goodall Guitars used to remove the finish under the bridge with a router. I never had the cajones to try it until recently. I'll never go back to scraping or melting again. Not for the timid...... ;)
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Just as an aside...... I've long heard that Goodall Guitars used to remove the finish under the bridge with a router. I never had the cajones to try it until recently. I'll never go back to scraping or melting again. Not for the timid...... ;)
Click to expand...

Demel with a base works great, but I usually just tape mine off.
 
Exactly. I mask off the area surrounding the bridge and also put tape on the bottom of the base. Scotch (not Frog or any other brand) makes a new green tape that is safe for lacquer. I've been waiting years for this stuff.
 
What about using a small dot of glue to hold down a scrap piece with the same footprint as the bridge? Then you could spray your finish & then remove the piece.
S.
 
Why reinvent the wheel?

Man, I'm forever seeing people want to do things some new way just for the sake of not doing it like others do. It's the contrarian approach.

That piece of wood is going to be in the way when you sand and rub out the finish, and if you remove it, you'll be buffing bare wood and getting wax on it. Not good.

Keep it simple.
 
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