Hiding glue and crack lines after repair

[gip111]

So I just glued a couple of cracks on the top of a Taylor Big Baby that was given to me as a project. All went well and feels smooth, but the lines are still there. I'm sure the guitar is/will be very functional, but I was wondering if there was anything that could be done to hide the lines? There is no gloss on these guitars, its a natural like finish. The glue used was Titebond original. Any advice appreciated and I will post pictures a bit later.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I do nothing to ”hide” a crack when repairing it, and believe there is little to be done than isn’t uglier than the the crack itself. I’ve never been a fan of Noxema. I do make an effort to level the finish over the repair. Finishing over Titebond is always ugly, and HHG is a MUCH better choice in that regard . . . Among several other advantages.

[redir]

You almost only ever make those types of things look worse when you try to make them disappear. There are some that can and they deservingly command a very high price for that kind of work.

If it's glue squeeze out then obviously it's best to get that problem solved in the cleanup stage, but you can get it with a very sharp 'glue chisel' or use a product called De-Glue Goo.

A razor blade with two strips of Scotch Tape wrapped around the sharp edge and about the width of the crack makes an excellent scraper. You scrape down to the thickness of the tape then have less to deal with.

[mirwa]

Hiding cracks is pretty hard to do, its all about an illusion to the the eye, so you have to manipulate the crack line to look like something else

Not a job for the faint of heart

[gip111]

Thanks for all the replies. I did remove all the squeeze out with a blade and tape on both sides, a bit of steel wool and it's actually smooth to the touch, but the lines always drive me crazy. Thanks again guys!

[LAPlayer]

They are repairs. Nothing to hide as they will almost always be disclosed so leaving them visible is a sign of not trying to hide the repair. Consider them battle scars and play on.

[gip111]

Again, thanks all for replying. This probably shows my inexperience. This will be my own personal guitar and my reasoning behind the question is not so much to "hide" or to not disclose the repair, as it is to finish the job.

[Howard Emerson]

Get some gold leafing, and do as the Japanese artisans do: Celebrate the imperfection.

HE

[redir]

Originally Posted by gip111

Thanks for all the replies. I did remove all the squeeze out with a blade and tape on both sides, a bit of steel wool and it's actually smooth to the touch, but the lines always drive me crazy. Thanks again guys!

FWIW there is a Japanese concept called wabi-sabi which is an aesthetic ideal, a philosophy, an art or a way of life. It is to experience beauty in simplicity and calmness.

The practice that exemplifies the spirit of wabi-sabi is called Kintsugi. The art of golden joinery, in which broken objects, usually ceramics, are mended with gold-dusted lacquer. IOW they accentuate the repair rather than try to hide it.

It's just a fact of life that things, and people, get old and eventually break so why not embrace it

[gip111]

Wow, this thread has definitely taken a turn I wasn't expecting. But it's all good.