Shrunken Binding

[tblair]

I just picked up an old 381 whose binding has shrunk a bit on the back at the waist- pulling it away from the guitar (only about a mm or 2). Can Ric binding be heated to stretch, or will it require a snip and a refill of the extra space? Also, the checked binding is two strips (checked and non-checked)- are they essentially the same material with the same aging properties?

[markthemd]

This is a tricky repair and only for the old guard Pro shop.

The binding can be heated and pulled back into line ,but with little effort you can ruin the finish.

There are some tricks to doing this .I do not recommend that you attempt this on your own.

As to the types of material ,I would say they are both of ABS origin,but the black is a slightly different material as it has the colorant in it and will react differently.

The real trick is to NOT harm the finish .Also ,you have a limited amount of times that you can heat up this material before you distort it and /or make it so hard and brittle that it will never go back to it's original shape.

[rick12dr]

Mark, the Rick binding[at Least thru the time I was there in '72] was Not ABS; it was celluloid,
if you took a match to it, it would "flare" quite
readily. The stuff they use the last 12 years or so Is ABS, which, when ignited, burns, but sort of drips, and doesn't flare up. The checked binding, however, is Still like the old stuff, very volatile.FWIW...

[markthemd]

Thanks Don for that info,I am aware of that ,but this is for those that should NOT be messing with binding in the first place.

This is not to play around with.

[rick12dr]

I'll second that advice, Mark.The pld, "Don't try this at home" is often the best advice.And No, I was Not suggesting anyone should flick their Bic to see what kind of binding is on their Rick. This is "shop guy" talk, kinda like chemistry.