binding..scrape or mask

[dmraco]

What is the best approach when finishing a guitar with binding, scrape or mask?  Scraping the binding seems a scary activity.

 

[Cagey]

If you're talking about real binding, you end up doing both. You have to scrape it to make it flush with the body after installation, then mask it to keep it clear of finish. If the mask fails at all, then perhaps a little more scraping before clear coat.

 

[Jusatele]

Art major it

seriously, a slow and painful masking job, and all should be fine.

 

[pabloman]

Scraped binding does away with tape lines that you sometimes get with masked binding. It also allows for a transition line on a compound curve where masking would be much more difficult.

 

[dmraco]

thanks for the tips.  I was looking to get some painters pinstripe tape to help with the masking.  everyone tips seems well thought out.

 

[anorakDan]

To prevent bleed-through, once you mask the binding, shoot a coat of clear to seal the edge of the tape. Then you can apply any color you want and there shouldn't be any pesky paint creeping under the edge of your mask. Also, burnish the edges of the tape with something smooth and firm, like the back edge of a spoon.

Good luck!

 

[jlegnor]

I read somewhere that it's good to leave just a tiny portion of the binding unmasked.  That way you can scrape the paint off outer edge of the binding, and don't have to worry about not getting the paint applied all the way to the edge of the binding.  You know, and end up with small sections of exposed wood.  A little bit of paint on the binding you can remove, but having a line about the size of a hair of exposed wood around the binding would be much harder to correct.

 

[pabloman]

This is about what is also referred to as natural binding. It is a method of leaving a strip of uncolored wood exposed. It's not about a routed channel with plastic glued in.