Regluing a Bridge

[telel6s]

I've got a Taylor Baby where the back of the bridge is starting to pull up. So I'm looking into doing the fix myself, because to pay a professional to do it might cost over half the value of the guitar.

I've found several good step-by-step instructions including pictures on the good ol' internet. It definitely seems within my skills to do this. But I wanted to ask a couple of questions if anyone can jump in. Thanks in advance.

1) Applying heat to remove the bridge: All the instructions/pictures I found show luthiers using a special steam heat source with shaped end to fit directly over the bridge; some had a metal end and others were a rubber steam fitting. Is there some other (i.e. cheaper) way to do this? If I protected the top of the guitar with something like those silicone oven mits and then used a hairdryer directly on the bridge, would that provide enough heat to soften the glue to pull it up?

2) Hide glue: It seams that this is the traditional glue to use. Are there any other reasonable glues that can be used -- like Elmer's white or wood glue? I could order hide glue on line, but just thought I would check.

Thanks again.

Joe

[jazzguitar14]

1. hairdryer is a bad idea!!! you cannot control the heating zone, even if you are using overn mitts... dont do it.

try building a steam gun w/ a teapot, cork and some tubing to a fairly precise blow valve... Or, quite often you can simply score around the bridge, align a piece of scrap wood / 2X4 to the side and give it a wack... (dont try this without confidence in you wood skills)

Hide glue is great for violins and other bowed instruments that are made to be taken apart for repair, but generally you want a permenant bond in a guitar bridge application. I recommend plain old carpenders wood glue...

A neat trick for final alignment when gluin is to simply bolt the bridge to the body through the bridge pin holes before clamping...

good luck...

[telel6s]

That's why I ask these questions. I may not be real smart, but I'm smart enough to ask lots of questions before I do something too stupid.