Old Guitar Repair

drphilj · #1 12-22-2014, 12:52 AM

Hi All

I have an old guitar that I have had for a long time and I did learn how to play on it. My 6 yr daughter now wants to play but my old guitar has a split on the back binding. I have attached some links to photos. The split is about 300mm around the body.

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1882bb32.jpg

As the guitar is not worth much I want to repair it. I have some hide glue (out of a bottle, titebond) I have good skills in woodworking but not sure how to proceed. My questions are:

1. Should I remove the back completely and re glue?
2. Should I re glue and inject
3. Go and do something else (just joking)

Any way any advice would be great. I will take photos as I repair...

- Phil

John Arnold · #2 12-22-2014, 02:33 AM

Unless the bottled hide glue is fresh, I would use something else. Titebond Original or hot hide glue are good choices for this. You do not need to remove the back. Work the glue on with your fingers or a thin spatula. Spool clamps are a good choice for pulling it together. If the separation is not level, push on the sides from the inside or outside to level it while clamping.
Sometimes you can close this with masking tape, but be forewarned that tape may pull off some finish with it when it is removed.

redir · #3 12-22-2014, 08:02 AM

You could even use CA for something like that. I'll use it on cheap guitars to keep the cost of repair down. But CA can make a heck of a mess too. IF you don't have clamps then tie a bunch of old bicycle tubes together, you can get them at your local bike shop, work some Titebond in there then wrap it up nice and snug. As JA suggested it's best not to use the out of the bottle hide glue especially if you don't know how old it is.

B. Howard · #4 12-22-2014, 08:07 AM

I would also advise to clean the joint a bit before gluing to give a fresh surface for the glue to bond with. I put a bit of sticky back 150 grit on one of my thin putty knives and give each side a light but thorough sanding.

drphilj · #5 12-22-2014, 09:18 AM

Hi All

Many thanks for the comments. Now the titebond Hide glue is about 6 months old and has not been used. I do have titebond II and III. Which one would you suggest?.

I can make up some spool clamps for this job, keen to get it right. Sanding the join is a good point. Its very early morning here so latter today after sleep I have go.

Will keep you posted.

- Phil

John Arnold · #6 12-22-2014, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Now the titebond Hide glue is about 6 months old and has not been used. I do have titebond II and III. Which one would you suggest?.

Titebond Original.
IMHO, Titebond II and III are not suitable.

Ned Milburn · #7 12-22-2014, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drphilj

Hi All

Many thanks for the comments. Now the titebond Hide glue is about 6 months old and has not been used. I do have titebond II and III. Which one would you suggest?.

I can make up some spool clamps for this job, keen to get it right. Sanding the join is a good point. Its very early morning here so latter today after sleep I have go.

Will keep you posted.

- Phil

I know John suggests to use TItebond I, but I think titebond II will work just fine for this repair. The basic difference between I and II is that II has more solids in it, so will leave a thicker layer in between the pieces being glued if it is used "as is" from the bottle. These solids can be useful at times, if there is any gap at all that needs to be filled. Luthiers' greatest fear of Titebond II is that there will be more glue "creep" - ie: the two pieces glued will move relative to one another over time after curing. This is because these glues don't quite crystalize the way hide glue or CA will, and the extra solids which can result in extra glue thickness can introduce a thicker layer of glue causing more chance for creep to occur. IMHO, either titebond I or II can creep if the glue joint isn't tight. I use titebond II watered down about 10-15%, so I don't need to fear over thick glue layers, plus I am super up-tight about making really tight wood-to-wood joints, so I don't worry about glue creep.

Again, in the case of your guitar, since it isn't a super quality hand made axe, I don't believe you need to worry about running out to buy a new bottle of TB I just to get this crack right, and the extra solids of TB II might in fact help you out in this case.

Just my 2 cents...