shizznit Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Just ordered a Boulder Creek fretless 5 and I am thinking about placing a thumb rest on the top as have a nice little piece of rosewood I can shape that will do the job nicely. What's the best glue to use that won't react with the spruce top and will be strong enough to stay in place? I have some standard wood glue knocking about...that should do the job surely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Standard wood adhesive should be fine. Just sand off any varnish and try to use a clamp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1967 Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I'm assuming that the top will have a finish on it of some sort - probably polyurethane, in which case wood glue isn't going to be your friend. PVA/Aliphatic and derivatives need open pores and pressure to do the job. You could superglue it or use epoxy but that's utterly permanent and will destroy the finish if it pings off of you want to remove it. Personally I'd use a good double sided tape. A 3M or Tesa film backed tape that has pressure sensitive adhesive. It'll stick like sh*t and it should allow you to carefully remove the rest at a later date and clean the tape off with a bit of white spirit (won't affect a fully cured polyurethane or polyester finish) HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 The top has a satin finish, so I would imagine that it would hold the thumb rest with normal wood glue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 But will the glue wipe off witouh a mark in the future if you decide to remove the thumb rest? I think you want a permanent fix that won't come out so why don't you just screw the thumb rest and stop worrying about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1967 Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 [quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1378905857' post='2206302'] The top has a satin finish, so I would imagine that it would hold the thumb rest with normal wood glue [/quote] I'm not sure I agree mate... essentially what you're doing is sticking wood to plastic, not wood to wood. What you really need is something that is designed to bond dissimilar materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borisbrain Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 [quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1378908548' post='2206351'] But will the glue wipe off witouh a mark in the future if you decide to remove the thumb rest? I think you want a permanent fix that won't come out so why don't you just screw the thumb rest and stop worrying about it? [/quote] This. But if you really want to glue, I'd go for epoxy resin. Use sparingly... BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 The bass arrived yesterday and the finish is very matte satin. I might carefully sand the the area before attaching the thumb rest. Hopefully that will help the adhesion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorris Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Assuming you want it to be a permanent thing then for gluing best result would be: remove any finish from where it will be placed (easier said than done accurately), clean any residue with white spirit or similar (and from the thumb rest too) use a good wood glue and clamp for much longer than you think you need to. Personally I'd opt for a couple of woodscrews as commonly used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 (edited) What the above posters have said about finishes. No, the satin finish is merely a treatment of the finish. It won't hold glue any better than gloss. In any event, you are going to permanently change your bass by adding the thumb rest. The least amount of change will be the double sided tape, but that is also the least durable. Edited September 17, 2013 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Okay, the thumb rest is on. I masked the area with tape to the same surface area of the bottom if the thumb rest and lightly sanded it. I glued the thumb rest into place using eproxy resin glue that was knocking about underneath my kitchen sink. I will leave it overnight to set, but it looks very tidy. Looks like it was originally fitted by the factory, so I am delighted with my handy work . By the way...the bass sounds gorgeous! I will try a set of black nylon strings next month to see how the bass responds. Sounds lovely unplugged and a lot louder than I was expecting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fumps Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 (edited) Sorry guys but I just want to clear up that most wood glues will adhere plastic to wood, they always need at least one porous surface to work but doesn't need two. Also if you are going onto a glossy surface just wipe the contact area with White sprirt & abrade for a better purchase and As long as you go for a resin modified PVA, Polyeurathane or Hybrid adhesive you wont go far wrong The only down side of epoxies are that they offer pretty much no flexibilty or flucturial strength (Great for holding two solid surfaces but if movement or vibration comes into they usually crumble over time & fail). this is why most modern adhesives offer flexibility. Edited September 19, 2013 by fumps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6v6 Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Personally I'd use a tiny amount of clear silicone mastic. It should fix pretty well, but can be removed (carefully) with a razor blade if the need arises If you want permanent then epoxy resin, clamped - as others have mentioned wood glue is no good unless both surfaces are bare unfinished wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 The thumb rest has been on the bass for three days now and all is good. The glue did not bleed around the edges of the thumb rest, so it looks pretty clean. I also applied a small strip of frosted acetate above the thumb rest to prevent my thumb marking the wood whilst playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fumps Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 [quote name='6v6' timestamp='1379661682' post='2215276'] Personally I'd use a tiny amount of clear silicone mastic. It should fix pretty well, but can be removed (carefully) with a razor blade if the need arises If you want permanent then epoxy resin, clamped - as others have mentioned wood glue is no good unless both surfaces are bare unfinished wood [/quote] Sorry mate thats wrong, as long as you select the correct wood adhesive & you have one porous surface it will work just as well as any adhesive & will offer better flucturial strength & thermal expansion capabilites than most adhesives. Epoxies dont flex that well & dont handle vibration, this is why they crack & lose strength. Silicone I'd be very careful of the extender oils & filling agents found in most silicone sealants can leech causing unsightly oily shawdowing effects. Stay well away from Mastic as thats an oil & sand mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybass 70 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 [quote name='Pete1967' timestamp='1378889942' post='2205974'] I'm assuming that the top will have a finish on it of some sort - probably polyurethane, in which case wood glue isn't going to be your friend. PVA/Aliphatic and derivatives need open pores and pressure to do the job. You could superglue it or use epoxy but that's utterly permanent and will destroy the finish if it pings off of you want to remove it. Personally I'd use a good double sided tape. A 3M or Tesa film backed tape that has pressure sensitive adhesive. It'll stick like sh*t and it should allow you to carefully remove the rest at a later date and clean the tape off with a bit of white spirit (won't affect a fully cured polyurethane or polyester finish) HTH [/quote] hi , good shout on the tesa tape, I'm also looking to fix a thumbrests to my Yamaha BB1200 and Ibanez ATK but dont want to drill, do you think this will do the job [url="http://www.tesa.co.uk/industry/products/tesa_4970.html"]http://www.tesa.co.uk/industry/products/tesa_4970.html[/url] , £19 a roll though I,ve already tried normal double sided tape and it only lasted half a gig.[size=4] [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Sh*t. Or something that sticks like it . . . . . [attachment=146171:stickslike.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 I'm struggling to resist the temptation to post this as a sticky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybass 70 Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1381790839' post='2243959'] I'm struggling to resist the temptation to post this as a sticky... [/quote] Ha Ha [size=4] do you want me to get your coat ? I,ll stick around till someone comes up with a suggestion [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1381790324' post='2243953'] Sh*t. Or something that sticks like it . . . . . [attachment=146171:stickslike.jpg] [/quote] I bought some of that last week. One word in the name says it all - and it's not 'sticks' or 'like'. It's supposed to stick to wood. It doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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