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Topic: Loose mica on Emmons |
Eric Davidson
From:
Kentucky, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 6:43 am |
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As I was shinIng up my steel the other day I noticed that the mica is pulling away on the front just in one spot. Any suggestions for repairing it? I was thinking of squeezing in some glue and gently clamping it but since this is my most prized possession I wanted to see what more experienced folks may suggest. For what it’s worth, it’s a 1972 Emmons pp. thanks in advance
Eric
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 7:12 am
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Your idea for fixing is right on. 
Erv |
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Eric Davidson
From:
Kentucky, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 8:03 am
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| Thanks! Any particular type of glue you would recommend? |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 8:33 am
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You could squirt some super glue in there or I think
just some ordinary wood glue should work.
However, they do make a glue for formica.
Erv |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 10:12 am
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Been there a few times.
You're wasting your time trying to spot glue it. You'll just end up with a mess especially if you use super glue.
Use a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen up the mica, pull off the entire piece, clean up both surfaces and re-glue with contact cement. Don't bend it or it will break...just gently work it loose and out from behind the end plates a little at a time. It should come out of there.
Just trying to save you some headache.
Last edited by Jerry Overstreet on 21 Aug 2019 10:16 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mike Scaggs
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 10:16 am
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| Jerry Overstreet wrote: |
Been there a few times.
You're wasting your time trying to spot glue it. You'll just end up with a mess especially if you use super glue.
Use a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen up the mica, pull off the entire piece, clean up both surfaces and re-glue with contact cement. Just trying to save you some headache. |
If you drip super glue on that Mica face you will not be happy! What Jerry suggested is exactly what I would personally do. Take some time and do it right. I know its a pain but the end game is worth the trouble...
Cheers
_________________
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you
Zum double Hybrid 8x9, 64 Twin (JBLs), p2pAmps Bad-Dawg, p2pAmps Tremendous Reverb, Visit my website www.p2pamps.com |
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Eric Davidson
From:
Kentucky, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 10:23 am
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| Jerry Overstreet wrote: |
Been there a few times.
You're wasting your time trying to spot glue it. You'll just end up with a mess especially if you use super glue.
Use a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen up the mica, pull off the entire piece, clean up both surfaces and re-glue with contact cement. Don't bend it or it will break...just gently work it loose and out from behind the end plates a little at a time. It should come out of there.
Just trying to save you some headache. |
Thinking of doing this intimidates me quite a bit. If I were to attempt, does everything stay in tact? For instance, it looks as if the end plates are overlapping the piece so would I have to take those off? Probably a dumb question but just curious. Thanks
Eric |
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Mike Scaggs
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 10:25 am
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| Eric Davidson wrote: |
| Jerry Overstreet wrote: |
Been there a few times.
You're wasting your time trying to spot glue it. You'll just end up with a mess especially if you use super glue.
Use a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen up the mica, pull off the entire piece, clean up both surfaces and re-glue with contact cement. Don't bend it or it will break...just gently work it loose and out from behind the end plates a little at a time. It should come out of there.
Just trying to save you some headache. |
Thinking of doing this intimidates me quite a bit. If I were to attempt, does everything stay in tact? For instance, it looks as if the end plates are overlapping the piece so would I have to take those off? Probably a dumb question but just curious. Thanks
Eric |
Honestly, I would pull em. You might be able to loosen up the screws on the ends and pull it out. While your at it, check those aluminum strips too as they commonly get loose too. If you are close to Nashville I can help you
_________________
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you
Zum double Hybrid 8x9, 64 Twin (JBLs), p2pAmps Bad-Dawg, p2pAmps Tremendous Reverb, Visit my website www.p2pamps.com |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 10:52 am
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If the piece seems stubborn to pull from out behind the end plates, I think I would probably remove the left one. That should not be too difficult. Then work the other end out from behind the right end plate, but....
I'm going to defer to Mike here. If you've seen his posts on renewing re-building Emmons steels, you'll know he's expert at this stuff. It might well be worth a trip to Nashville and let him have a look-see. His tip concerning the molding strips are right on too. If the mica is loose, there's a good chance the strips need attention as well.
He will have all the materials needed to complete the job as well as the expertise.
If you cannot make the trip and you can wait a bit, I can try to help you with it when I can. I think I remember reading that you live in Lexington.
If you feel like you can accomplish the job by spot gluing, just be sure you clean off any squeeze out etc. as you go. I wouldn not use Super glue. It will permanently distort the mica face if dripped on it. It also gets rock hard when cured so if the patch repair doesn't work and you end up having to pull off and re-cement the piece, you'll have a dried glob of super glue there that's hard to do anything with. |
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Mike Scaggs
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 10:56 am
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| Jerry Overstreet wrote: |
If the piece seems stubborn to pull from out behind the end plates, I think I would probably remove the left one. That should not be too difficult. Then work the other end out from behind the right end plate, but....
I'm going to defer to Mike here. If you've seen his posts on renewing re-building Emmons steels, you'll know he's expert at this stuff. It might well be worth a trip to Nashville and let him have a look-see.
He will have all the materials needed to complete the job as well as the expertise.
If you cannot make the trip and you can wait a bit, I can try to help you with it when I can. I think I remember reading that you live in Lexington.
If you feel like you can accomplish the job by spot gluing, just be sure you clean off any squeeze out etc. as you go. I wouldn not use Super glue. It will permanently distort the mica face if dripped on it. It also gets rock hard when cured so if the patch repair doesn't work and you end up having to pull off and re-cement the piece, you'll have a dried glob of super glue there that's hard to do anything with. |
At a minimum if you spot glue, tape off the front of the mica with some blue painters tape in case you do have a drip.
_________________
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you
Zum double Hybrid 8x9, 64 Twin (JBLs), p2pAmps Bad-Dawg, p2pAmps Tremendous Reverb, Visit my website www.p2pamps.com |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 5:35 pm
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I spot-glued a fret-board using a glue filled medical syringe with a 22 gauge, 3 inch long needle. I carefully inserted the needle down into the void and gently depressed the plunger while backing the needle out. I stopped applying glue when the needle was about a 1/4 inch from clearing the the board so it wouldn't slop out when I pressed the board down tightly.
Last edited by Tony Glassman on 22 Aug 2019 11:09 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mike Scaggs
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 21 Aug 2019 5:45 pm
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| Tony Glassman wrote: |
| I spot-glued a fret-board using a glue filled medical syringe with a 26 gauge, 3 inch long needle. I carefully inserted the needle down into the void and gently depressed the plunger while backing the needle out. I stopped applying glue when the needle was about a 1/4 inch from clearing the the board so it wouldn't slop out when I pressed the board down tightly. |
Where the "LIKE" button!
_________________
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you
Zum double Hybrid 8x9, 64 Twin (JBLs), p2pAmps Bad-Dawg, p2pAmps Tremendous Reverb, Visit my website www.p2pamps.com |
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Jacek Jakubek
From:
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 4:34 am
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Eric, I had the mica peeled off like that on a used guitar I bought. I took an exacto-knife and pulled out the blade all the way out (about 5 inches) and dripped some carpenter's glue on it, then stuck the knife blade with the glue in the crack, repeated this a few times, then clamped it. It worked great.
Use carpenter's glue because if it overflows anywhere on your guitar, it can be easily wiped off. Super glue will ruin your finish.
Taking off the whole piece and re-gluing seems like a lot of unnecessary trouble. Perfectionism where it's not needed. The time it would take you to do that can be better spent practicing music. And besides, if you've never done that before, you're more likely to mess up and screw it up even more. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 5:33 am
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My suggestion to remove and re-glue the piece comes from experience trying to do it piece meal. If the glue is loosening in one spot, it will likely get loose in another down the road and it's difficult to get it in all the right places by trying to inject and squeeze it in there. If the front apron is loose, check the back piece too.
It's best to do it one time and be done with it in my experience, and it's not that difficult or time consuming to remove just the left end plate on most guitars. With that off, you can loosen the adhesive and slide the other end out from behind the right end plate.
Contact cement is the long term adhesion product for mica. Clean up all the lumps best you can. New contact cement applied to the old will also re-activate that.
It's of no consequence to me what method you use. I'm just trying to save you headache and heartache messing up an axe you are obviously fond of. You may have good luck with the spot glue method though by being very careful, who knows.
I wish you success with your repair however you handle it. JO. |
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Joseph Myers
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 5:40 am
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I wouldn't remove the whole piece either. I would use a business card like a putty knife and load it with Tightbond and paint it down into the opening and get as much coverage as possible Don't over glue, just cover the surface well. . Press it closed and clamp it with a piece of wood across the glued area Wipe off the glue that may ooze out with a damp cloth.
Although before I glued it I would see how it closes together first. That it has come apart the old glue may be dry and you don't want it to be uneven or lumpy .
I wouldn't put super glue or epoxy near it myself.
If does not work, then removal may be necessary but the wood glue is way more forgiving in that case.
joe |
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Jacek Jakubek
From:
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 9:00 am
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| Jerry, there's no doubt your method would give the most superior results. It's a personality difference I guess: the person who wants the quick fix and worries about the additional problems later VS. the thorough type who puts in the time/effort at the start to do a super job. (There's also the rich type, who pays a pro to do the super job and plays his other guitars while waiting for it to be done.) No matter what Eric chooses, it won't affect his playing at all, except he may loose out on valuable practice time if the job takes too long and the guitar sits in pieces days/weeks/months. |
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Eric Davidson
From:
Kentucky, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2019 11:37 am
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Thank you all very much for the advice, I appreciate all of the input and help. I’m going to mull it over a bit before delving in. I don’t really have to move it much at my skill level, so no gigs haha, so it should be safe for a short time. Again, thanks for all the help and advice!
Eric |
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