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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Acoustic → It is a sad, sad day.
My newly aquired 12er had an accident today due to my own stupid clumsiness. As you can imagine the air was blue for some considerable time but I have calmed down now and have to think about a repair.
Has anyone successfully completed a similar repair? Any advise would be helpful.
Roger
Ouch. I can't help yopu, but I am sure there are those out there who can recommend a good fix. Ow!!!
Roger.... I feel your pain!!!
Mahogany huh? Nice straight grained stuff and although it can be a bit resinous, should be able to be re-glued. It doesn't look like it splintered too much so you might be able to get the broken piece aligned to the point that it should pretty much disappear. It would be nice to sneak a dowel joint under the beefy end of the break though to get a bit of shear strength so you don't have to totally rely on the glue joint. I have often considered that the strings should wind towards the center on slotheads so the stress is mostly on the center of the head, and more winds on the tuner posts to make it so. How'd this happen, impact?
In Sympathy;
Doug
They'll tell you that the glue is stronger than the wood, but ouch!
I just got me a new 12 string, too, and I think I'd cry if I saw that.
brings back memories of one of my disasters but I agree with Doug if you can use a dowel and some good Gorilla glue and a coulple C clamps it could be saved good luck with it 
Sorry Roger , hope you can get her in the right hands and get her fixed up.
Ouch...so sad. So sorry to see that
Clean break so an expert luthier will have no trouble with that and making it look good to boot. Still, the unexpected expense is painful, and seeing something damaged that you were so pleased to get is disheartening at best.
- Zurf
Oh man hate to see that Roger.....
I agree with doug on all points... I'd use Titebond interior wood glue for the repair and remember not to clamp it too tightly and squeeze all the glue out. Gorilla glue is good stuff but I wouldn't use it for this repair... Alignment is key and gorilla glue has two disadvantages here IMO. You have to wet both sides for the glue to activate, and once it activates it expands like foam and can shift parts if you're not careful. The glue also has a tendecy to foam up and spill out of the repair which can be bad for the finish. Titebond is tried and true... Again use interior though because the exterior doesn't have the same holding power. Just my .02... -Pix
So sorry to see this Roger! I am really surprised to hear the answers here though. I wouldn't have thought glue would be strong enough to hold that with all the tension of 6 strings. Wow! Good to know guys. I hope the solution you use works well for you (much better suggestions than duct tape, which would have been my answer lol)
Hey, duct tape and good old country tunes, Thats what I'm talkin about.
Hey Pix,
Have you tried Titebond III ? It's supposed to have a superior bond to the II product and still have moisture resistance making it suitable for exterior applications as well. I've used it in some Antique restorations (on recommendation of a friend/cabinetmaker) with good results. The only drawback is that it doesn't dry clear and won't stain true to color in cases where you don't get ALL the excess washed off. In a good tight joint though I think it would be a pretty good choice.
Take Care;
Doug
I believe you may be talkin about the late great Blaze Foley Aka The Duct tape Mesiah
Hey, duct tape and good old country tunes, Thats what I'm talkin about.
Hey Doug, I like titebond III, It does have a stronger bond (rated at 4000 psi). The original titebond is rated at 3600, which is slightly less but I still like it more because of the lower viscosity (especially on softer woods like cedar or spruce)... Seems to get more penetration and is easier to work with when injecting into tight spots IMO... I think either glue would be fine for this application though. I just trust the original formula from using it for so long with good results I guess... Now the titebond II, I've had fail several times on bridges when I first started doing repairs. I stay away from it now. -Pix
Thanks,
How did it happen? An ex-student had been in the shop and seen her so I let him play with her and instead of putting her back in the stand he leaned her against a table and got talking about other things. After he had gone I was moving stuff around and knocked her over, face first. Had she landed on the carpet she would have been fine but a chair with metal legs (you know the ones with 5 horizontal wheeled legs) was in the way and you have seen the result.
As for the repair, unfortunately I have never seen Titebond adhesive either in the UK or here in Portugal (the standing joke here is that Portuguese workmen use silicone sealer to fix everything and it is surprising the uses they find for it). I do have some Ronseal PVA adhesive that is advertised as being 'stronger than the wood itself' and I have had excellent result with it. I am a bit concerned about the alignment of a dowel but I am hoping that I can drill a small pilot hole from behind the machine heads so it will be hidden.
I guess she will the have to be then tuned to D instead of E to keep the stresses down.
Roger
I'm sorry about your accedent, the good news is you still have six strings(ROCK ON)!!! Unless your a betting man(and I'm not) I would take her to a good Luthier.
Good Morning Roger,
I had forgotten that you yourself are a cabinetmaker (or was in another time). Naturally you would have the skills to do this repair yourself, and I'm sure with good result. Tools might be another matter, but if you are like most craftsmen, the tools of your trade are the last thing to be shed of.
Titebond is a brand that might not be readily available globally, but I do believe that it is a PVA formulation, likely not too much unlike the Ronseal product. Good thought on the tiny pilot hole however. It would not have to be terribly large to guide your drill true with care (personally I'd be sweating bullets over the alignment in such tight quarters) but highly doable.
Once again Condolences, and best wishes on the repair. Please post a pic of the results if you would, we are all learning something here.
Take Care;
Doug
Jcellini, sadly playing power chord on a half strung 12er does not really do alot for me, I am greedy I want them all .
Doug I am planning to start the repair next Monday at the music store. I am there on my own and as some of my students are on holiday I will have some quiet times to repair her. Relating to your mention of the stringing method and stresses on the headstock, I am considering a slight modification. I had noticed when I stripped her previously that the metal pins that the strings wind on to are 6.0 mm diameter going into a 7.5 mm hole in the centre of the headstock and also the pins hardly enter the holes therefore the centre of the headstock is taking none of the strain at all. I am looking for some brass (or similar) tubing 7.5 mm O.D. with a 6.0 mm I.D. to insert in the centre holes to relieve some of the stress on weaker outer sides of the headstock. I might end up having to contact a friend in the UK who is a toolmaker and has the lathes and the skill to make them for me. The holes are only 5.0 mm deep so I will want them at 7.5 mm to hold the pins. Making them will be a rather fiddly job but I feel that it will be safer to wait until I can carry out this modification before I restring her, particularly after this mishap.
Roger
That hurts just to look at it...
I do believe that it is a PVA formulation, likely not too much unlike the Ronseal product.
Only the Titebond II is PVA (polyvinyl acetate) and it's the one known to fail... Original Titebond is an aliphatic resin emulsion and Titebond III is an advanced proprietary polymer.
Just thought Roger may want to know in case he needed to compare them with whats available in his area...
Roger let us know the out come, please..
nasty break, I"d try a buiscut instead of the dowel, may be easier to flush joint. good luck Roger..
badeye
wow that is worse then getting teeth pulled with no t much to help the pain,I saw russells suggestion of dowels and gorilla glue,that is what I would try.
I have been studying building and repairing guitars for several years. Ship it to me and will repair it no charge (except to ship it back) Depending on the extent of damage to the wood itself the repair could be almost unnoticeable. Don't handle the damaged part, gently wrap it in a soft cloth and store it safely!
Bob Wyman
Pix, thanks for the info on the adhesives, I will bear that in mind.
Badeye, a biscuit certainly would make the alignment of the joint easier but there is insufficient width of material for me to cut the slot.
Dino, it was very painful indeed. Mind you a few beers on Monday night helped somewhat .
Bob, welcome to Chordie. I am a stubborn old Taurean who has worked with timber most of my life and determined to do my own repair but thank you very much for the offer. Incidently at the age of 18 I made an acoustic guitar as a project for a woodworking exam which I played at many gigs in my youth.
Roger
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