BW binding

[John Morton]

Does anyone know a supplier for ebony binding with a white strip? LMI lists such a thing, but I returned my order when it arrived with the white strip on the narrow edge. I want thick black (.06" or .08") with thin white (.02"), 1/4" wide.

This is for creating a white line at the edges of the fingerboard. I currently build up this combination from strips, but I have become impatient with the process.

thanks
John

[Paul Hostetter]

Can't Michael Gurian manage that for you?

[John Morton]

I don't know Gurian personally. His online store does not stock simple binding, only some random fancy marquetry styles. You can design anything with his cute software tool, but that carries a $200 minimum.

[Paul Hostetter]

I don't know what material you wanted for the white strip, but Axiom has .02" cellulose nitrate in strips or sheet, dead white, ivoroid, whatever. You could make your own ebony strips on a table saw with a fine blade, by cutting strips from a thickness-sanded sheet.

[crazymandolinist]

Get a strip of 0.24"x0.25" purfling, and glue it to your binding..........

[Bill Snyder]

... I currently build up this combination from strips, but I have become impatient with the process.

thanks
John

I interpret that to mean that he does not want to have to glue anything up anymore.

[Paul Hostetter]

I interpret that to mean that he does not want to have to glue anything up anymore.

Then ol' John may be up a creek.

[Bill Snyder]

Could be.

[John Morton]

I interpret that to mean that he does not want to have to glue anything up anymore.

Right, that's the China solution, which solves a lot more than gluing problems.

My post was prompted by how suppliers sell all manner of bindings, purflings and backstrips, from simple to elaborate, and don't offer what to me is the most obvious and useful item. I admit I'd be happy to spend $5 per instrument for this trivial production item. While you are happily milling sheets and gluing up your bwbwb purfling strips, I'll be happily out paddling up that creek.

[Paul Hostetter]

So John—you want .08" in ebony? Or just black? Off-the-shelf ebony binding is hard enough to find, and with an .02" white (of thus far unspecified material) already attached sounds useful, but not obvious. Axiom has black in celluloid in .06" and .09" and he does other laminates and could probably make some for you, with the .02 white you want.

[John Morton]

I do think ebony looks better - LMI has .08"x1/4"x32", and it's cheaper than Axiom's celluloid. I have made strips from LMI's "fiber veneer" - the white is great, but the black has sort of cloudy grey areas.

I avoid slicing precious materials in general, but for the right price I'd get a 1/32" carbide sawblade for a reasonable kerf.

[Paul Hostetter]

Let me know if you have any leads on a carbide blade with a kerf that fine. The thinnest I've found is .080", which is about 3/32".

I do like the look of ebony as a binding, but am equally fond of celluloid, which I think is actually more resilient than any wood. I see sumptuous black celluloid binding on old Lyon and Healy instruments.

[John Morton]

Let me know if you have any leads on a carbide blade with a kerf that fine. The thinnest I've found is .080", which is about 3/32".

I do like the look of ebony as a binding, but am equally fond of celluloid, which I think is actually more resilient than any wood. I see sumptuous black celluloid binding on old Lyon and Healy instruments.

Carpenter blades are changing all the time with the new cordless tool designs. Now they're down to .059", e.g. http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/NNSRIT...-SearchResults

I agree about celluloid, and I had forgotten it comes in black. I've never felt there's a glue that works well for both wood and celluloid - I'll review forum opinions on this and maybe give it a try.
thanks
John

[John Arnold]

I've never felt there's a glue that works well for both wood and celluloid -

I use Duco.