where to clamp and how?

[billkilpatrick]

thank you to those kind and knowing people who told me how to remove a dud bridge from my charango without causing damage - it worked a treat!

now the problem is gluing another one on to take its place.

i've got a charango with a curved wooden bowl at the back and a flat sound board on top. #the clamps i have will only press something together (up and down) at 90°.

i thought of applying the glue to the bridge, placing it carefully on the sound board, putting something like a flat, ridgid strip of metal over the bridge, looping a rope over the ends of the metal strip and gently twisting the rope at the back (bowl side) to exert pressure on the top (flat side). #

anyone with other and/or better suggestions?

also - any advise on what glue i should use?

thanks - bill

[Bob DeVellis]

If I understand, your plan is to apply pressure to the entire body of the instrument. Stressing the whole soundbox seems inefficient and perhaps even risky. I would think it would be better to put a long-throated clamp into the soundhole so that the only things between the jaws of the clamp are the bridge and top plate (and some padding to protect the bridge). If I've misunderstood what you said, please excuse my error.

[billkilpatrick]

do you mean sticking one finger of the clamp into the sound hole to exert pressure on the sound board from inside, under where the bridge is and the other finger (with pad) outside, on top of the bridge? #i'm unfamliar with the term "long throated" clamp.

i can see that exerting pressure on the whole instrument is not such a good idea - thanks.

- bill

[Bill Snyder]

See clamps (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Clamps,_support_tools/Soundhole_Clamps.html) or more clamps. (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Clamps,_support_tools/Bridge_Clamp.html) Or you could make your own using bolts and hard wood.
I am not familiar with a charango bridge, but it will probably take more than one clamp to clamp it well.

[billkilpatrick]

excellent, thank you - bill