As part of my Xmas feast recovery I remained secluded from humanity for about 36-48 hours. I'm certain this R&R will rejuvenate me in preparation for a NYE gig. It's from 9 to 1, very local and the fact I haven't sliced my hand open working on the braces is a very good sign.
To occupy myself during the seclusion I cut, carved and fit new bracing. I thought I would sand an end profile with my 3X21 belt sander but as it turned out I just used the sander to remove large amounts of stock when needed and carved the rest with whatever worked best, chisel, utility blade, x-acto, etc.
I'm probably very close to gluing but not before I address the concave profile of the top around the sound hole, and then the cracks.
I clamped the top between two old braces overnight and not the pick-guard side of the sound hole is very close to accepting a glued brace. When I removed the clamps this morning I was so surprised to see that the top had responded so well. The two braces I used are like baseball bats and seemingly just as strong.
The upper bout adjacent to the sound hole has a more severe dip over a shorter distance. I don't want more cracks so I broke out the expresso machine and hose attachment. I applied modest steam and frequent mopping to the underside of the top. Then I clamped the section to address the very specific dip. Everything pulled up tight and I'm leaving it for a day.
Yesterdays Braces and Clamping
TODAYS CLAMPING
