[ArchtopLover]

Originally Posted by RustyMcdangles

Thanks for the help guys. As far as I know there isn’t internal damage. I’ll definitely look, I’m not sure the crack goes all the way across both sides. Do you recommend squirting it in the crack, clamping it and wiping excess? How long does this stuff typically take to dry?

If you do decide to purchase and repair this guitar, do NOT use a pallet knife to poke and jam glue (Titebond original recommended, do not use CA glue, wrong application) into the crack. This repair tool method is used for smooth parallel surfaces, like a top and brace joint only.

When the crack joint is irregular and splintered, if you were to use a flat bladed tool, you will tear, break loose and distort the wood grain, causing the crack to be uneven and no longer be a clean and symmetrical mating surface.

In this situation, you want to use an very old violin repair technique, which is a small, maybe 1" diameter or so, plastic suction cup to apply the glue and pressure squeeze the glue into the neck heel crack.

Begin by taking the strings off. Then apply a line of glue to the crack, while applying a moderate amount of force, use the suction cup like a piston pump, and push the glue into the crack with a pumping motion. This trick works wonders. Once you have glue squeeze-out appearing around the crack, gently apply pressure to the neck to lever the crack open, slightly and closed slightly, so as to squish the glue into the joint by compressing the liquid, and then releasing the pressure. Do this a few times to evenly distribute the glue (you can't do this with CA glue, this is why it is inappropriate in this situation).

Once this is done, clean up any squeeze out with a damp cloth.

Then, it's time to clamp up. My advise here is to have a clamping scheme devised first, before you apply any glue; and of course have access to as many clamps, cauls, and protective pads, like pieces of leather and sheet cork as you can get your hands on.

I've done a few repairs like this, so I am familiar with the process, and this is one of the easier types of repair to make, since the parts have not completely separated yet .