guitarist
11-18-2006, 09:43 PM
A loose bridge is not an uncommon sight and can be caused by heat, insuffient glue, stress, a crakced bridge plate or gluing the bridge to a painted surface.
For an invisible repair it is essential to:
Protect the top while heating the bridge for removal.
Read the top's grain run out (direction) and remove the bridge accordingly.
Thoroughly clean the surfaces of the bridge and top before re-gluing.
Fit the bridge to the top if necessary.
Loose bridges almost always require complete removal in order to properly repair. The only time I may opt not to remove the bridge is when only a very small amount is actually loose like the tip of the outer wing for e.g. otherwise you are probably just postponing the inevitable.
For an invisible repair it is essential to:
Protect the top while heating the bridge for removal.
Read the top's grain run out (direction) and remove the bridge accordingly.
Thoroughly clean the surfaces of the bridge and top before re-gluing.
Fit the bridge to the top if necessary.
Loose bridges almost always require complete removal in order to properly repair. The only time I may opt not to remove the bridge is when only a very small amount is actually loose like the tip of the outer wing for e.g. otherwise you are probably just postponing the inevitable.