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#31
11-03-2021, 11:51 AM
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I have not given up on this old top yet! Just having some life issues along the way. Refrigerator decided to stop cooling! Sometimes it just aint no fun...LOL. But now i'm trying to get back to it. I have made some good progress with the cracks in the top. Thanks redir for your suggestions on clamping. Worked out great for the more difficult cracks.
Next I have to deal with the hole under the bridge and decide what kind of bridge plate I'm going to go with as the original is in very poor shape. I have read of others going to a smaller maple bridge plate. I am thinking that I am going to have to have a larger plate than the patch I need under the bridge to act as a structural anchor between the old and the new material under the bridge. I want the top material to be as one again as much as possible. I think I should carry the plate a quarter inch larger in front of the bridge(maybe more??) and on the opposite side I am unsure just how far is enough. What do you all think is appropriate here. I have read of others using a smaller plate than Martin originally placed just due to the original size being overkill I guess. This original plate is 2 3/4" front to back of bridge. That gives me about 1 1/4" of glue area behind the bridge from its original plate. Should I maintain that amount in light of the damage the top has undergone or can I do less and be fine? My feeling is that 3/4" might be fine but honestly that is just a guess. I do want to give the top in this area all the freedom to be a great soundboard as is reasonably possible and structurally safe. Any and all opinions would be appreciated. My other issue is with the back which has a crack running off the neck block back along the grain to just before it gets to the first brace. That seemed to stop the progression of that crack as far as the portion which actually you can separate. The remaining visible stationary portion of the crack from this point on shows an indication through the finish on the back beyond the first brace by about 3/4" beyond it. The brace does not seem to be loose at all and there is no visible crack on the inside. Its only evident from the back outer face and can be felt but does not move when the other part of the crack is flexed open. I guess I could try to force some glue into that area with a suction cup just to be safe or possibly from the inside put some thin CA glue on it. I honestly do not know if that is even necessary as it totally looks fine from the inside leading me to think its only a stress crack in the finish only. I am cleaning up the glue on the side to neck block contact area and hope to figure how to glue all of that side and the back to the neck block and glue and clamp this crack up all at once. Here again any advice would be appteciated. Thanks Jim 
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