PVA glue for case lining repair

[Jonathan Reinhardt]

can anyone point me in the right direction to find out the importance of ph neutral vs a more common PVA glue (ph 4.5-6)? I have searched fairly extensively on the subject and looked over MSDS info where available, and yet am still unsure if it really matters. I even found one article by archival specialists who tested a respected a commonly used neutral PVA and found it to still outgas slightly in closed environment, whereas another PVA, which they did not name, did not. I will try to contact that researcher for info, but meanwhile I am unfortunately not moving forward on this repair.

is contact cement, or latex adhesive acceptable? or is rubber also bound to be a problem on metal parts in a closed case? I have read that as well on other instrument type forums.

any help/clarification would be appreciated. some of you must have done this type of project, or be skilled repair persons who are knowledgable about such things.

[Loudloar]

PH-neutral is important for paper items but I can't imagine any problem gluing fabric lining in a case. Maybe if we're talking about a 300 year-old Stradivarius case, then caution would be in order. But for a normal vintage or modern case it seems like overkill.

Outgassing is more than a PH issue. Something like solvent-based contact cement will give off very strong fumes that can act like paint remover on an instrument's finish. Water-based contact cement (Latex) will not cause problems. If you really want to be safe and authentic use hot hide glue, like all case builders did until the early 1960's. It's more trouble to prepare but adheres quickly and any excess will clean up with water. I normally use white glue for small repairs and water-based contact cement for a full relining job.

Steve

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Steve - "...use hot hide glue,...". You could use the 'purified' (sort of ) version of hide glue - Gelatin,to use as an adhesive. A Cafe member & e-mail friend of mine has just used it to repair a broken mandolin headstock,so it's certainly strong enough for case linings & it should be readily available at a decent food store. Frank Ford of 'Frets.Com.' was the first person i read of to use it as a glue & he's one of the very finest instrument repairers going - http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luth...tchenglue.html,
Ivan

[Jonathan Reinhardt]

thanks Loudloar and Ivan. maybe I will try hot hide glue. I just needed a little encouragement.

[Loudloar]

Hey Jonathan, give us a report on what you do with hide glue. We're interested.

Steve