How do i glue plastic to the face of a headstock?

[Atomic Dave]

Super glue? Epoxy? Something else? I'm guessing Titebond is not the way to go!

I played a near-mint Harmony today at a local shop that had w/b/w/tort glued to the face of the headstock and I really liked the look. It was still stuck on quite well after all these decades. What the heck did they use to glue the plastic to the wood?

 

[Peegoo]

It depends on the plastic type. Harmony probably used a solvent-based adhesive like Duco Cement because it partially dissolves and softens a thin surface layer of the plastic sheet. It also bonds extremely well with wood.

If you cannot find Duco Cement, Alene's adhesive is good, as is E6000 adhesive. These are available in little toothpaste-like tubes.

 

[Finger Blister]

Maybe Self-Adhesive.

 

[stratisfied]

Spray the mating surfaces with an aerosol contact adhesive. 3M Super 77 works great.

 

[Lonn]

That E6000 is serious stuff.

 

[Boreas]

Trying to produce a Cooder Caster look, I purchased self-adhesive tortoise film. IIRC, it was sold in 18" sheets. I ended up not doing the headstock because I didn't want to cover the Squier decal. The film works better if you use a white backing, otherwise it can be quite dark.

Otherwise, if you are using something thicker, Duco or E6000. Best to squeegee the glue to uniform thickness before placing the plastic, then use a roller to ensmoothen it after mating the surfaces. It is very easy to use too much glue and create an uneven surface.

I suppose a quality automotive spray adhesive would work as well - probably a 3M product.

 

[58Bassman]

Super glue? Epoxy? Something else? I'm guessing Titebond is not the way to go!

I played a near-mint Harmony today at a local shop that had w/b/w/tort glued to the face of the headstock and I really liked the look. It was still stuck on quite well after all these decades. What the heck did they use to glue the plastic to the wood?

Model cement/glue- the stuff that's in a tube and fairly thick- it's Acetone (or other solvent)-based and it's still available for many uses.

 

[Freeman Keller]

If its something like pickguard material I would use double back carpet tape, I can get that off with a little heat. If I wanted it permanent, I would use acetone based glue (Ducco cement) or medium CA if its fairly small. I have stopped using acetone for plastic binding and only use CA now.

 

[pypa]

I just had to do this. My first attempt with epoxy did not work. I tried again by rough sanding the mating surfaces with 100g sand paper This time it worked well.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I'll add another comment to the last one. If I was going to use glue I would also use a glue resistant caul to clamp against. UHMW or a layer of waxed paper.