Glues Used In Guitar Repair

Aliphatic resin is amongst the most popular woodworkers glue used in instrument building and repair. Titebond Type 1 original formula and various other brands such as LMI and Garrett Wade which are available in both white and yellow.

This is the glue most factories use to assemble and repair instruments and it is easy to work with. Unlike Hide glue, it is ready to use straight from the bottle. Woodworkers glue is water soluble, has longer working times than Hide glue. It softens with heat and is very strong.

Titebond Glue

I use Hide or Aliphatic glue for nearly all wood to wood repairs including gluing bridges, bridge plates, braces, necks, most cracks and fingerboards. For the novice or do-it-yourself er this is going to be the glue of choice.

On instruments most glue joint failures are hardly ever related to the glues strength. The most common culprit is insufficient glue, heat exposure or poor surface to surface contact. Glue is not a filler and should not be considered a fix for a poorly fitting joint. When repairing loose braces or bridges there is no need to seek a stronger adhesive as carpenters glue is more than ample.

Hide Glue

Hide glue is one the oldest glues used in instrument making and repair.
This glue is sometimes frowned upon because it is a little high maintenance. Hide glue is purchased in a dry form, mixed with water and then heated before use. It must be kept hot to prevent it from gelling and this requires a glue pot or other means to produce the heat necessary. There is no denying that hide glue stinks!

Hide glue will stick to itself, it is water soluble, and does not creep like aliphatic glue.

There is/was an instant Hide Glue available but you want to steer clear of that.

Super Glue (Cyanoacrylate)

Super glue happens to be an indispensable tool in this trade and it is also a very dangerous one in the hands of some.

Unfortunately someone used
superglue on loose braces

I use super glue primarily when repairing things other than glue joints. In other words, super glue is never used on loose braces, bridges (when they're wood gluing to wood), end pins, open seams, pickguards etc. Its most popular use is fingerboard cracks, bridge cracks, inlay repair and the like. It can be colored and used in many applications but because it is permanent it is not suitable for wood to wood glue joints. 
Another dangerous but wonderful use for super glue is finish chip repair on some of the newer finishes. It is clear, dries hard, shrinks very little and is sandable, a perfect candidate for finish repair and used by most factories.

Epoxy

Most of the warnings that come with super glue apply to epoxy. It is a permanent adhesive that you must sand to remove once hardened. Like super glue it should not be used on joints and seams.

Epoxy can also be tinted and used to fill chips in bridges, fingerboards and the like.