binding repair

[scottie b]

what is a easy way to get a vintage yellow color on a small area of binding? it's on an old l-4 and the binding has a goldish bright yellow to match .thanks scottie

[bmac]

Are you referring to a replaced missing section of the binding? and if so how big a section has been replaced or is going to be replaced? If not a replacement section of binding needed then what happened to the original to cause the discoloration? Was the color "of" the binding material of "on" the binding material?

In either case artists' oil paint thinned with the binding thinner can be used to "paint" the binding or if a very small section of binding is missing or chipped then the binding matrerial melted in solvent and a tiny bit of oil paint can be mixed into the replacement binding coloring it to match as closely as possible.

It will be next to impossible to get a perfect match but you might be able to come close.

The best and easiest thing is to find a new piece of binding the same color or very close and use that either to replace a section or melt a bit of it with solvent and replace the missing chip, if that is the problem. Oil paint can be used to color the liquid binding material if need be. Powdered artist pigment can be mixed with liquified binding material as well.

[sunburst]

The easiest and best way I've found to "age" bindings is with the same amber dye that I use for staining instruments (Transtint in alcohol) and an air brush. Orange shellac, sprayed with the air brush, looks good, but sometimes it turns sort of pink on plastic bindings, and after having to remove it a few times I no longer take that chance and stick with the sprayed dye. Of coarse, some sort of finish has to be applied over the color to keep it there, but that can be anything from lacquer to oil to varnish to shellac to whatever. I am unable to brush color on bindings and end up with a uniform color coat, so I reduce both the air pressure to the air brush and the fluid to the minimum that will still spray, work very close to the surface, and spray the color until I have a good match.

[J Caldwell]

Here's something that has worked for me. I use Z-Poxy Finishing Resin to porefill most of my instruments. When I'm going for a vintage look, I just apply it over the bindings and leave it. (no scraping as I would do if I wanted the natural ivoroid look). It has a very nice amber finish that can be made darker with TransTint dyes or lighter by thinning with alcohol. You should be able to match the vintage yellow color with the Z-Poxy and then finish right over it.

[Darryl Wolfe]

The easiest and best way I've found to "age" bindings is with the same amber dye that I use for staining instruments (Transtint in alcohol) and an air brush. Orange shellac, sprayed with the air brush, looks good, but sometimes it turns sort of pink on plastic bindings, and after having to remove it a few times I no longer take that chance and stick with the sprayed dye. Of coarse, some sort of finish has to be applied over the color to keep it there, but that can be anything from lacquer to oil to varnish to shellac to whatever. I am unable to brush color on bindings and end up with a uniform color coat, so I reduce both the air pressure to the air brush and the fluid to the minimum that will still spray, work very close to the surface, and spray the color until I have a good match.

Or the lazy man way. I do all of my pickguards with this. Available in so many colors that you can match any binding

[sunburst]

I bought a set of art markers, Darryl, tried them for a few things, didn't like the results, and now they've all dried up in the package. To each his own, as they say. What works for one does not always work for another.