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1st build with beech fretboard: compatibility of glue with Tru Oil finish?

Hello from France!

I have started my first 3-string, fretted CBG, using salvaged wood from some old furniture from the 30's. The wood is believed to be beech, which I am using for my guitar's neck (solid neck and fretboard are a single piece of beech).

Since I plan on finishing the neck with Tru Oil (single layer on the fretboard, multiple ones on the neck and head) and that I want to add mother-of-pearl markers, I am wondering what kind of glue I should use for the MOP markers: Cyanocrylate/Super Glue, epoxy, wood glue/Titebond, ... ?

My concerns are:

- may any of these glues leave marks/stains on the wood in the long term (remember it's light-colored beech, not mahogany) because of capillarity?

- how will a Tru Oil finish behave with any of these glues?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Au revoir,

Ciguitar

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on February 2, 2016 at 7:51am

Any glue seepage will affect the way the finish takes, so try not to use too much, and clean it off immediately and sand it all clean. Titebond works fine and can be cleaned up with a damp cloth. I use TruOil all the time and there's no problem with compatibility, but as I say, you need to keep the work free from glue contamination, as you can get lighter patches in the finish where the glue effectively acts as a grain filler/sealer.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on February 2, 2016 at 12:22pm

As has been said, any glue (titebond, epoxy, or other) will leave residue.

So I would suggest that you tape over the area where you plan to place your mother of pearl dots before drilling. Use painter's tape and press it down pretty hard to prevent seepage.

Drill your dot-holes through the tape. use a very small amount 5 minute epoxy on the bottom of the dot before slipping it into it's hole using tweezers.

You don't need a lot of epoxy and being careful, you can avoid any epoxy in unwanted areas.

While it is possible to clean up unwanted glue/epoxy, it's easier to just avoid having unwanted glue in the first place.

Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Ciguitar on February 3, 2016 at 7:05am

ChickenboneJohn, Wayfinder and Tom T: thanks a lot for your comments and advices, will definitely follow them and will try to post pictures of my completed CGB later on!