Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Toxicity of Odorless Superglue Questions: Toxicity of Odorless Superglue by Bill Hunter Originally published in American Lutherie #82, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Ralph from Austin, Texas asks: I recently read on a luthier e-mail list about a guy using odorless cyanoacrylate glue for filler. The brand he uses is by Satellite City, maker of Hot Stuff™ and UFO™, which stands for “user-friendly odorless.” I know from experience that vapors from CA glue are not friendly to the eyes or to the respiratory system. My question is: if it has no scent and you don’t have any skin exposure, does this mean it’s rendered totally nontoxic or nonirritating? The bigger question is: how are products made odorless? Are there just blocking agents so that we are unable to detect them, but they’re still there, and therefore still irritating or toxic? Bill Hunter of Simi Valley, California, cofounder of Satellite City, answers: “Toxic,” in general implies a lasting or long-term harmful effect. Cyanoacrylate adhesives are not toxic except to those who are allergic to them. The same could be said of milk, peanuts, and grains. “Irritating” is comparable to the feeling one gets in the eyes and nose when dicing onions. The scent is not what irritates the eyes, nose, and throat, it’s the fumes. And, of course, if the fumes are masked, a product can give the unrealistic impression that there will be no irritation. In fact, the scent of many chemicals is a good gauge by which to judge exposure. If, on the other hand, there is no scent because there are no fumes, you have the best possible working conditions. Hot Stuff “UFO” instant adhesives have been relied on by folks who have allergic reactions to typical cyanoacrylates since 1988. Many of these people can’t be in the same room where an instant glue is being used without a violent reaction. No problem with “UFO.” It’s the only CA they can use. Regarding skin exposure: Skin exposure, even for typical cyanoacrylates, is not a consideration for 99.99% of users, and in thirty-five years, I have never, ever heard of anyone being bothered in any way by skin exposure to “UFO.” Note: Mr. Hunter also sent me the MSDS on CA glues, which didn’t help me understand. I tried to follow-up Mr. Hunter’s answer and he repeated the above information. I’d like to hear from some of you with sensitivities to the regular stuff and perhaps others who understand the chemical lingo. A product so seemingly integral and essential to modern lutherie certainly deserves a little scrutiny.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Typical Instrument Dimensions Questions: Typical Instrument Dimensions by R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #83, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Jacob Tarnowski from cyberspace asks: I am a CAD drafter. I found the object library in the computer program I am using is sadly deficient in musical instruments, and so I was wondering if you could let me know who to contact to get some typical instrument dimensions for guitars (acoustic and electric), mandolins, violins, and so on. Are there books you’d recommend, or any manufacturers who may be willing to provide such information? R.M. Mottola of Newton, Massachusetts responds: The short answer is, unfortunately, that there is no short answer. To my knowledge there is no comprehensive source for dimensional info. Which of the many sources to go to would depend on just how accurate you need to get. There are a smattering of sources for CAD models, but these vary in level of detail, accuracy, and file format. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Brushing Varnish Questions: Brushing Varnish by Wade Lowe Originally published in American Lutherie #70, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Ray Thompson of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania asks: What would you recommend for a good brushing varnish, either oil-based or spirit-based for guitar? Or do you know of recent written material on this? I have tried Behlen’s 4-Hour Rubbing Varnish. It did not seem to dry hard enough on test pieces. I tried the French polish (shellac) but now I’d like to try a brushing varnish for its ease of application as compared to spraying or French polishing. I have thought of trying to brush shellac. I read that if you do very thin 10% coats it can work. Then just fad level and spirit it off after build up. But that might be as tricky as French polish. I want a finish I can brush on, let dry a prescribed amount of time, steel wool it back; and repeat as necessary. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Guitar Top Grain Orientation Questions: Guitar Top Grain Orientation by Alain Bieber Originally published in American Lutherie #83, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Alain Bieber from Paris, France asks: Did a serious luthier of the past ever consider building with any other option than a strict classical “longitudinal” spruce grain orientation? A French patent of 1829 by a luthier named Lacoux is about a “guitare perfectionnée” whose main point is to have an “harp like” orientation of the soundboard, tilted 90° from the classical one. I never have seen that oddity, but Joël Dugot at the Musée de la musique (Paris) told me he thinks he saw it. Such old patents are stored in an old attic.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Product Reviews: Tusq Martin-Style Bridge Pins Product Reviews: Tusq Martin-Style Bridge Pins by Fred Carlson Originally published in American Lutherie #70, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Graph Tech Tusq Far away at the ends of the earth is a beautiful country called Plasticland, filled with marvelous plastic trees and flowers and peopled with a rugged but gentle folk, some of whom bear striking resemblance to those little plastic Cowboys and Indians many of us grew up with. Here plastic dinosaurs roam rolling hills verdant with AstroTurf, mingling merrily with plastic cows, chickens, and deer. Lots of wondrous items in everyday use in our modern culture are the products of this little-known country, including that which I review for you here today. Sustainable Plasticulture. I’d heard of the material called Tusq before; it’s used for guitar saddles and nuts, and sold by acompany called Graph Tech. But it never occurred to me until Iundertook the extensive research necessary for this review (readers have come to expect this level of expertise in my columns) just where Tusq comes from. Turns out the Graph Tech people have connections with a sustainable plasticulture program in Plasticland, with profits benefiting indigenous Plasticlanders. Using traditional skills passed down through generations, workers harvest the tusks of the plastic elephant that has inhabited their forests since plastic began. The tuskless elephants are confined in giant breakfast cereal boxes until the tusks regenerate, at which time they are reintroduced to the wild. In my travels researching this article, I photographed the actual harvesting process so that our readers can observe this phenomenal event. I also observed numerous other wondrous things on that trip, which I haven’t made up yet, and so I move on to... Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
