Repair And Restoration
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Please share your processes for cracks that need splints
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Please share your processes for cracks that need splints
Hello good people,
My shop’s in Quebec City, so I get to repair an ungodly amount of cracks thanks to our brutal winter and customers being largely unaware of the requirements of maintaining proper RH.
Now for the first time (call me lucky) I have two very good guitars in the shop whose cracks won’t close up after having been rehumidified for a few weeks. I have tried over-humidifying and it does it, but once returned to proper RH (50%) those cracks reopen fast. The owners have confessed to having kept the guitars in overly dry premises, and the tops were rippled like mad on both. Plus, both have had those cracks repaired in the past and guess what? They reopened AND more cracks appeared.
So I brought them up to normal RH and fixed the new cracks all right. Now those pesky and dirty old cracks will need splinting (and cleaning as one had plastic wood put in by the owner…). The guitars will have to soak up more RH to get them where they won’t move anymore before I attack the large cracks, so I’m preparing my plan of attack in the meantime.
Which brings my question :
From Teeter, Sloane and Dan I learned the way they did it, in the latter’s case using the tool he made from a Swiss file to work on cracks that need splints installed. I’m surprised StewMac never got around to making such a tool. I know Ibex makes a pair of tools for this very job but they are very hard to find, and I wonder if you ever used those, and what’s your opinion. Do you still use the method outlined by Teeter or have you found a better way to skin this cat?
And yes, I do assume that matching wood grain and color will be a nightmare. 😉
Photo just to have something for you to see. Yes, the bridges will have to go. Thanks everyone.
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14 Replies
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I never could get the hang of the ibex tool. Most of the spline I have done I fit a strip of spruce to the crack. This is super duper, extra duper in fact, tedious. We did a looth pro segment a while back, when it was still Ding Kings, on splints and splines. Doug Proper, I believe, did one on the use of the ibex splinting tool.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/58199980?collection=202459
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by Ian Davlin The Looth Group.
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Great link, many thanks, that’s just what I needed. And thanks for your opinion on the tool. I might be interested in giving it a spin should you want to unload it.
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It seems like there is talk of humidity going on, so I thought I’d throw in my two cents on that.
I have a 50s D18 in the basement that has no cracks and I guarantee has never been babied with humidity. My hypothesis with most cracks is that they have to do with manufacturers pushing wood cure, but that is beside the point really. There is also some skuttle but in the Martin community about winter built guitars being more stable and I have to say that makes sense.
In general, if cracks don’t normalize to glue up status with normal shop humidity, (which I consider to be between 30-50), I fill the crack. A spline, from somewhat carefully selected wood and fit well can look halfway decent. Here’s another small one.
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by Ian Davlin The Looth Group.
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187 likes, 20 comments - ianhatesguitars on June 19, 2019: "Dan Erlewine aka @monsterfret is having me out to teach some me touch up techniques. If you are interested, reach out to @that_wanker for the deets. It will be broad … Continue reading
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Those two tops look just like those split ones I got here, a Gibson Songwriter and a Martin GPC-something. One dark, the other very pale, with much larger splits though. I’ve reached out to the esteemed Mr. Di Burro to inquire about his technique involving full TJ cleats and tinted epoxy. Waiting for a reply but in no hurry as I’m not touching those until I’m sure those cracks are at their smallest. Maybe May.
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by
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I gave up on those decades ago. Always looked like a piece of wood added and stuck out like a sore thumb. I think an epoxy fill with appropriate color added (earthtone powders) to match the color of the top looks better than any spline. Pat DiBurro is really good at it! Or like I did on this one just route a channel and add cut a perfect fit from another piece of spruce.
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Thanks Dave, I’ll dive back into Pat’s book to see if he covers his technique in there.
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Not sure if it’s in there or not. He showed us at Taylor how he does it.
If not, you can always privately message him on here, he’s very gracious with his time and advice when it comes to repairs.
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by Dave Staudte (rhymms with "Howdy") NB Guitar Repair (New Braunfels, TX).
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by
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This is the brand of pigments he uses to tint the West Systems:
Obviously get a variety of the “Spruce/Cedar” Colors
Non-Toxic Pigments, Mica Products, and More | Earth Pigments
earthpigments.com
Non-Toxic Pigments, Mica Products, and More | Earth Pigments
Earth Pigments is your source for the best selection of non-toxic Pigments, Decorative Mica Products and Mediums, plus Free Recipes and Consultation.
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Hi Pierre! I too live in an extreme humidity situation (see the pic) but in the opposite climate. I’m in the high desert. I think most repair people live in areas that don’t have extreme humidity fluctuation. How I handle cracks (and like you, there are many!) is: 1. Most customers don’t humidify their instruments. I DON’T re-humidify. As you mention, they will simply re-open during low humidity so I repair cracks at there most open time. I have repaired all-ready-repaired cracks brought from other higher humidity areas that simply open further when faced with extreme low humidity. So I fix the cracks for the lowest humidity to this area. 2. I also, like you, perform many set ups. Customers are often upset when they pay for a new guitar bought online, say from a Sweetwater or the like, have them set up from the seller, only to find that their new guitar is almost unplayable on arrival. I tell customers that are thinking of buying a new instrument to wait and have them set up locally to fit this areas climate. Conversely, I tell customers that if they bring their instruments to areas that have consistently higher humidity, that their instruments will change, could swell considerably, and force cracking and /or set up changes. If a crack is splinted in as wide as possible configuration and is brought to a much higher humidity, I found that this may cause the splinted area to swell much higher than if un-splinted because we have slightly enlarged the surface area of the crack by widening that area with the splint. Tricky! So this is what I’m finding in my early days of crack repair in extreme fluctuation. I now (except for very wide cracks, 1/8″ or wider) glue and cleat (full length TJ Thompson cleats) every crack no matter how long and drop fill with something flexible. I’m experimenting. This is tough to do if you are wanting to stay with a traditional glue on a vintage instrument as most like hot hide etc. are not very flexible. And finishing over this, as you mention, is a concern. I don’t know if this is helpful as you’ve been at this much longer than I, but I think we all have to learn techniques to fit unique situations. Please keep in touch with what you discover!
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Hi Tony,
Your RH chart looks like what we got here, only in reverse. 😉
I shoot for a 50% RH as an average target between extremes, and all “offending” customers are billed non only for the repair, but also for an in-case humidifier, tested case hygrometer and a lecture from myself. 😉 Repeat offenders get billed accordingly. Guitar neglect is a crime round here.
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Ya, those humidity levels are insane! If the customer has had the guitar un-humidified locally for years, I fix in place. I have noticed that, do to extreme levels, everything can change, as in the case of action, at least a 64th to a 32nd, after something leaves the shop. In my case, I use measurements as a guide. For instance, if I do a set up in my shop (no humidity modification since hardly any of my customers humidify), I add a 64th to my height, because most take home to an A/C (or worse, a swamp cooler) controlled environment in the summer, which throws off everything, including what they humidify their guitars at, if they do. The lows are so extreme that I think the minute they take their instrument out of a humidified situation, the instrument changes instantly. Case in point: A women brought a beautiful ’33 Gibson in for crack repairs. She lived in the Bay Area where the humidity rarely goes below say 65%. I think she said “the night” she arrived, she was in bed and heard sharp cracking noises. Went out to find her baby had two full length cracks on the top. So I think the so called “seasoned” instrument and using all sorts of humidity tricks and such don’t work very well here. There are differences in our climes. It gets to 110 degrees here in the summer, and when a performing guitarist gets on stage, takes the humidifier off and has the guitar slung around his or her shoulder for any length of time, all bets are off. Scary!
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my first thought about clients not humidifying ( being as common as it is ) makes me think that a regularly scheduled email newsletter reminder about the importance regionally ( with photographic evidence as shock value ) would be beneficial, but as well, offering up alternative resources to humidification that are not of the commodified ilk…a once a month reminder of “ did you remoisten your spongy soap keeper “ would keep the crack keepers at bay ( perhaps) but also create an atmosphere of “ I care about your instrument too “ which can create better continued business without crack recidivist issues? I think that the repair warranty Issue regarding RH dovetails with this in some aspects…
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Nice idea. I already have a page about RH issues that gets republished at the top each year when the season comes. Getting an email sent to thousands of customers is another thing so you don’t get fragged as spam, though. This would required using the services of one of the specialized outfits to are known as legitimate bulk email senders. I might look into this…
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Hi Sean,
Agree 100%………However (does there always have to be a however?), I think it needs to start even before the customer receives, purchases etc. their instruments. And information needs to be tailored to specific areas (like the “known to cause cancer” warnings required in Cali). With the advent of the majority of instruments being purchased online, there is little to no information passing from the seller to the buyer on humidity and humidifying (and more then likely, not even if they buy in a store from a salesperson). The customer sees the sales pitch, possibly goes to the spec sheet, reads up on what is offered, and nowhere is there a conversation on humidity. We repair people are on the other end and that is the first the customer ever hears about humidity. And I think this is because, in all fairness (or not?) to the seller, the majority of locations they are shipping to have humidity levels that are close to what wood can tolerate without too much movement. So it usually comes down to the customer not being educated until it’s too late or they are vets who have lived and learned in their particular climes about humidity and how to handle. My talk to customers is evolving as my business is new and I learn myself about what works in this area and how to deal with problems with customers. When a heartbroken customers comes in either angry or sad about why their brand new instrument looks like a pretzel, I empathize completely as no-one was around to give me the talk when I first moved to the area and opened the case on my acoustic (coming from an average of 65% humidity, so I never thought about it) after a couple of months, only to find cracks all over the place. And I took it to a local repair person and still never got a talk on humidity even though I researched and got caught up on my own. So my talk is now this: Your new bass started out in San Louis Obispo where the average humidity is 64%! (just looked it up) and then it was shipped to Sweetwater (or Reverb or whoever) in Indiana where the average humidity is 58% . Then you purchased your brand new bass, they did their 55 point check, set up the bass, then you requested the extra peck set up, and they shipped it to you here where the average humidity is 48% but can have months where it’s 28% and within months (or days if timing is right, or the day it comes in the back of the UPS truck where it’s 120 degrees), your new bass looks like a pretzel. Set up gone, and fret sprout or worse. I show them the above picture. Sure, If the customer comes back after the talk (or, as you suggest, a monthly email with pic of mile wide cracks), and they didn’t listen, you could give a lecture or worse, but a large percentage of stuff coming in is fairly new, and the rest never were educated because there is no education at the front end. And even though humidity is a large part of my business, I empathize and feel bad for them and do my best to educate. When a person asks about buying a new guitar, the first thing out of my mouth is about humidity and to be ready with the sponge or don’t get a set up until it’s here and set it up after a month. Humidity is the big one where I live. Addendum: And unfortunately, we humans ( I think innately) tend to be reactive, not proactive.
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by Tony Lewis Skypilot Guitar Repair.
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by
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