Binding question

[LEOKV2]

Hi guys

I wanted to know, is binding UNDER the clear coat? I can look at my KV-2 but I don't really know for sure.

Is it supposed to be under a clear coat, like, you'll never "touch" the actuall binding?

If so, then I suppose that white binding will never turn CREME unless it's not clear coated, right?

[straycat]

The binding IS under the clear coat and yes it will yellow over time.Even if the paint is urethane it will yellow over time.

[Bengal65]

The binding IS under the clear coat and yes it will yellow over time.Even if the paint is urethane it will yellow over time.

+1 I agree It's the binding material that yellows.

[straycat]

I have an 98 MIM strat in olympic white(urethane ) and it has yellowed quite nicely.That is for those who say urethane does not yellow.

[Bengal65]

I have an 98 MIM strat in olympic white(urethane ) and it has yellowed quite nicely.That is for those who say urethane does not yellow.

Oh, sorry my statement didn't come out correctly. Didn't mean to step on your toes. I was stating that the binding on the Jackson's turn yellow. This is what Mike Shannon and Tim had said at the Jackson Charvel clinic. I forget what the material they said it was made of?

[straycat]

No prob.

[Nazgul]

I read on the internet that the clear coat is what turns it yellow. If you take it off, you get the white binding again, then just re-clear coat it and it will stay white again.

Take a look at Henrik's Fernandes RR:

http://audiozone.dk/images/image443.jpg

[kelly user]

i thought binding had the paint scraped off of it.

[sully]

the top of it (that is flush with the fretboard surface) is scraped and has no clear on it.

[skorb]

the top of it (that is flush with the fretboard surface) is scraped and has no clear on it.

why is that, sully?

[kelly user]

i saw a gibson video where is show a guy scrapping off the paint. the binding is intended to protect the guitar, so it only makes sense not to have paint on there so it wouldn't chip. well the binding on the body at least.

[sully]

why is that, sully?

so that the playing surface is smooth. when the guitar is ready for clear, the binding is exposed (on the side of the neck) but the top surface of the fretboard remains masked off to keep the clear off of the fretboard (see bad pic below). so the fretboard surface portion of the binding never really gets clear on it.



after it's cleared, peel the masking off, which will then leave some cleanup on top of the binding (the clear won't be a smooth surface). so you scrape the top of the binding so that it's flush with the fretboard and is comfortable to play. if you look closely, you can see that the clear is scraped from the top, yet remains on the side (you can see the color difference:



you may also notice that guitars that have binding over frets sometimes have a ridge or a slight gap where the fret ends and where the binding begins. as these kind of guitars are played over the years, the gaps become more prominent from use. sometimes the little "nibs" get worn down as well. you can fill those little gaps in (and rebuild the nibs) by making some "binding sludge" by taking some MEK (works a little faster than plain acetone) and a strip of binding. if you cut a piece of binding into little pieces and dissolve them with MEK (methyl ethyl ketone), it will turn into a consistency that's not unlike elmer's glue. with some sludge and a toothpick, you can fill those gaps in, let the sludge cure for about 24 hours, then cleanup the excess.

sully