Quote:
Originally Posted by Rvl  How much to repair this break?
Any rough estimates and level of difficulty (for a beginner DIY guy)
From what I have researched the glue should be syringed into the crack and then clamped. Later 2 dowels should be inserted. Is that about right? |
It's hard to tell from your photo, but is there a screw going through the side of the nut possibly from an old repair?
This is not an easy repair to do properly. With this type of break, there is almost always more damage than what is shown in the photo. Before you do anything, remove the strings and the nut and look for additional evidence of cracks inside the peg box below the inside edge of the cheeks. Removing the tuning machine plates will give you more room to work. If there have been previous repairs , all the old glue must be cleaned out. Before you attempt to glue the crack(s) - do a "dry run" first to make sure your clamps will pull all of the crack together and stay in place. (It's no fun to discover your clamping method won't work after you already have glue in the joints). Unless you want your work to look amateurish, with a capital "A", remove the fingerboard from the neck before you drill your dowel holes so they will be hidden once the fingerboard is reinstalled. A drill press should be used if at all possible so the holes will be straight and true. If you must use a hand drill, buy a new drill bit made for drilling wood. I prefer to use one large (1/2" or larger) dowel and one smaller one. The large one for strength, the small one to help prevent twisting. Commercial dowels very greatly in size, so do a "dry run" with them too. Some repair persons use epoxy for this type of crack, but hide glue is more than strong enough and has the advantage of being reversible (which is especially nice if something goes wrong while you are doing the repair).
