Side Crack on a Cutaway Martin

[stephenT]

I have a Martin OMC-15, the all mahogany OM w/ a cutaway and have a crack that runs from the waist to the cutaway and all the area where the crack starts and ends is curved. Not really an easy place to glue a cleat.

I remember Martin used to use a fabric to strengthen the sides but I can not find a product anywhere that's similar. A fabric tape w titebond seem like the best backing for the crack,.. any ideas where I might find a suitable fabric?

BTW, the crack has been glued, no issues there.

[JCave]

Interesting project. Would fiberglass cloth work for that repair?


https://www.lowes.com/pd/3M-Fibergla...Fc2Bfgod4KcDgQ


Jerry

[Howard Klepper]

There is no problem with gluing a small cleat to a curve on a guitar side, and that is an easy area to access.

Fabric strips are installed in new guitars in order to stop cracks from spreading. They are not as good as cleats at stopping a previous crack from reopening. But if you glued well, you may not need any backing at all.

[M Hayden]

If you do decide to use cloth despite Howard's caveats - and he is correct - I have found that linen tape used for backing for sewing works wonderfully.
A friend who sews gave me some tape that similar to what's in the link below; I use it on new instruments and like how it adds an antique look as well as some crack resistance.

ps nice guitar - I have one and it has shiny spots from years of playing.

[mirwa]

I concur with Howard, no issue with a small cleat or two along the crack

Steve

[Mr Fingers]

Cleats, I believe. Cloth is, I think, redundant if the crack seems closed by the glue. Cleats should keep the crack from reappearing (as can very easily happen) as the guitar ages. Fabric is not so effective. With the right clamps, cleating is very easy.