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Double Bass Busted seam help!!!

#121
As someone has observed, "it ain't rockit-surj'ry, man!" Pretty sure old Tony Stradivari didn't have a thermometer. If you get it all liquid, and uncomfortably warm, it's time to glue. You can do this!

Best of all, hide glue is completely reversible. If you decide to rework something, then a little work, and you are right back where you started. You can hardly go wrong
 
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#122
A special thank you to @1st Bass for offering to let me call so he could talk me through this. He made it sound so easy that I felt that maybe even a klutz like me could do it. Here are the pics just for fun:

The open seam:

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Mixing the glue. I decided to go the microwave route as described on the phone:

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Applied the glue into the seam and clamped just tight enough to hold the clamps in place:
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Cleaned up the extra slop:

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We'll see how it goes in about 4-6 hours, unless anybody thinks it needs more time.

Thanks again, Chet!
 
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#123
The thing with hide glue stirring is basically the same as making a sauce with flour. If there is a bigger flour heap getting surrounded by the water it is impossible to get the water inside the heap unless you destroy it. And even then the granules are only smaller. If you don’t know by personal experience ask your kitchen master to teach you.
Fast stirring can avoid that, but even making an instant soup with flour in it starts stirring with cold water for a reason.
 
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#128
The original advice was "overnight," which is what I do, too. In this case, the (plywood) bass showed no inclination to actually open, and had to be coaxed open enough to insert the glue. Hence, after the 4+ hours, I felt he was prolly ok. But, yes, I like overnight for dead-solid joins.
 
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#133
1st Bass said:
Ok, Chris! You have officially begun your Lutherie training! Time to get a sound post setter. After that, we can talk about wood for a new build! :)
Click to expand...

I actually own a sound post setter, but thankfully have never needed to try to use it. Sound post setting is one of the voodoo dark arts even in the best of hands!
 
#138
1. Did you close up the first batch while it was still hot?
2. Has it been kept in a cool place?

if yes, then you are fine to warm it up and use the remnant.

Left open (subject to mold contamination, drying out, etc.,) or too warm, it can deteriorate fairly rapidly. Cared for properly, it will last a long time. (Should smell about the same, as well.)

But if you are unsure, why take a risk? Gelatine is pretty cheap, compared to your time.
 
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#139
I covered the jar with Press-n-seal (it didn't have a lid) and stored it in the pantry, which is very cool this time of year. I'll give it a shot, since I'll be doing this repair in my office and it would be easier not to have to mix a fresh batch. i do have a microwave in the office, so there's that.
 

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