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I haven't had to fix a crack before until now. What is the procedure? From what I remember reading, do I just fill it with CA and dust from the same wood? And if so, do I put the CA in first and push the dust in?

Obviously, I am clueless.FrankC38687.4247106481

Frank

How big is the crack? Are we talking hairline or something a bit bigger? Is it in the back, side, or someplace else? What kind of wood are we talking? Do you know what caused the crack? Answers to these questions will be helpful for people giving advice.

If it is a hairline you probably don't need the dust. But if it is bigger you may have to do something else.

josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
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House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

And depending on the type of wood you are using I would be careful of the CA. That is fine for rosewood and some species, but on others it will leave a very distinct line.

LMI white and Titebond are decent alteratives.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Hot hide glue make an almost invisible repair in woods like spruce and cedar too.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Its on Honduran mahogany. Along the back seam about an inch or two. Dropped it pretty hard

I would NOT use CA on Hondo Mahogany. I would probably use LMI white glue and clamp it up. I have done that before and it has worked out fine -- provided the seam closes up really tight.

But Dave's idea is probably the safest bet.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

What Brock and Dave said, but even regular old Titebond should work okay too. I've used Titebond in the past on mahogany repairs and, when done well, they're all but invisible.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

all else fails...it's hammer time!

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Trust me, if all else fails, thats exactly what i will do. wouldn't be the first or last time

Just to add to this thread:

Have any of y'all gotten the new International Violin Wholesale catalog yet? On the back page is an article about repairing cracks. It is from the perspective of repairing cracks in violins, but a lot of it is applicable to stringed instruments in general. Good, generalized advice, and especially good advice about how to fill the crack afterward when touching up that spot. Worth a look.

Best,

Michael.

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Live to Play, Play to Live

For the record: I always look up Frets.com when I want some info on a repair.

Oh, and yeah, hot hide's the best choice, but since I'm still gearing up to test out how that works, I'd use titebond.