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Chip in body - How would you repair?

B

BillyJackDavis

Nov 6, 2018
42
38
#1
Hello all,
I have an Ovation Magnum II which I bought new in 1978 or 9. It was never used much because I mainly played guitar. I bought it for home studio use. I brought it out of storage and I’m fixin a few minor issues. I was told it would be a good idea to bounce this part off the experts here in Luthier’s Corner.
There’s a chip in the body at the thinnest point of the cutout for the tailpiece. It's roughly 5/16" high x 5/16" thick x 1" long and doesn’t involve any working or mounting parts. It's mostly where the darkest part of the finish is. I wish I had the little piece that came off but its ancient history.
I would appreciate any ideas on your method and material of repair. I was thinking I might be able to form up the inside and out and use epoxy but I'd rather get the proper advice. Thank you!
chipped1.jpg chipped2.jpg
 
#2
Maybe tidy up the gap into a nice square profile with a chisel or similar, then glue in a chunk of wood of a similar type and grain orientation? The lacquer could be touched up at this point, though I'm not sure how well it could all be blended together.
 
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#4
Axstar said:
Maybe tidy up the gap into a nice square profile with a chisel or similar, then glue in a chunk of wood of a similar type and grain orientation? The lacquer could be touched up at this point, though I'm not sure how well it could all be blended together.
Click to expand...

barking_spider (<ha),
That's definitely an option but my mind keeps going into "less is more" mode. I'm eager to see what the consensus is on that.
Thanks
 
#5
Not a luthier, but a quick 'n dirty fix might be to fit a pre-shaped/sanded piece of wood in, paint it a matching color, then lay some of this stuff over it:

PledgeFloorGlossFuture.jpg

This is what used to be known as Future floor polish. It's not as durable as a real poly clearcoat, but it's an acrylic finish, self-leveling (i.e. no brush strokes remain), *really* easy to work with, dries quickly, and it's cheap. If you need to remove it, ammonia (glass cleaner) will take it right off. I've used it for a few minor repairs, and with a little bit of work you can get the gloss to match with the poly fairly well.
 
#6
If you were going to fix it "right" then, yeah, get the sides and bottom flat and find a piece of, looks like mahogany, that's close in color and grain and shape it and glue it in, then a finish touch-up. Having said that, I have used epoxy on something that is going to be a solid color but that looks like a rather big section for epoxy.
 
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#8
Easy fix, but it does take work and a bit of skill. You need to shape the damaged area to make it easier to fit a similar piece of wood to fit. For example, use a large diameter dowel and sandpaper to make the chip have an even radius to it, then contour an endgrain piece of similar wood to fill it in. Trying to fit a piece of wood to fit a jagged broken edge is a real PITA...since the chip is mostly under the black of the edge, finishing and shading is easier than you may think.

This isn't exactly your situation, but it demonstrates the advantage of making the damaged area easier to fit a repair piece of wood.
 
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#9
Tim Rinkerman said:
Easy fix, but it does take work and a bit of skill. You need to shape the damaged area to make it easier to fit a similar piece of wood to fit. For example, use a large diameter dowel and sandpaper to make the chip have an even radius to it, then contour an endgrain piece of similar wood to fill it in. Trying to fit a piece of wood to fit a jagged broken edge is a real PITA...since the chip is mostly under the black of the edge, finishing and shading is easier than you may think.

This isn't exactly your situation, but it demonstrates the advantage of making the damaged area easier to fit a repair piece of wood.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Makes a lot of sense.
 
#11
CGremlin said:
Not a luthier, but a quick 'n dirty fix might be to fit a pre-shaped/sanded piece of wood in, paint it a matching color, then lay some of this stuff over it:

View attachment 3212601
This is what used to be known as Future floor polish. It's not as durable as a real poly clearcoat, but it's an acrylic finish, self-leveling (i.e. no brush strokes remain), *really* easy to work with, dries quickly, and it's cheap. If you need to remove it, ammonia (glass cleaner) will take it right off. I've used it for a few minor repairs, and with a little bit of work you can get the gloss to match with the poly fairly well.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I don't play the instrument and it's been like this for decades so I'm gonna "take the long road" so to speak : )
 
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#15
cheechi said:
building it up with bondo then sanding/shaping is an option.

sanding it to a radius you can measure and putting a scrap piece of the same radius might be an option for part of it, but looks like you will have a lot of carving with that part that goes into the body.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Cheechi. I'm going to go mahogany hunting soon. Since Tim Rinkerman mentioned a large diameter dowel I've been contemplating that method as well. I don't think the inside of the tailpiece cutout will give me much trouble really. At any rate I'm abandoning the form and fill idea.
 

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