Official Luthiers Forum!

So, I'm getting a guitar ready to string up and I'm "reaming" the bridge pin holes with my round file...I sometimes use it chucked in my drill...sometimes not...today, it was in the drill...well, I forgot to use it in reverse...the file tried to hide inside the guitar body, but the ebony bridge stopped it...problem is, THE FILE BROKE OFF IN THE BRIDGE PIN HOLE AND I CAN'T GET IT OUT! But, like I said, I'm not gonna panic...I'm going to sit here and think about how I shoulda bought a bridge pin hole reamer while you gurus out there bail me out yet again! TIA.

_________________
http://www.presnallguitars.com

go inside with a pair of pliers and push up whilsr twisting it gently...

I take it that tis broke off and inside the gutiar - if so, Get a set of locking vise grips, hand inside the guitar and lock them on - I would think you should be able turn/twist it back up and out.

As for a reamer, out of curiosity today I took the micrometer, measured and checked the angle on my cheapo 6 buck plumbers reamer, available at most tool places. Some one had mentioned that they are about 10 degrees, well the one thats slightly less than 1/2 inch at its largest (actually mine measures .166 to .468 over a length of 2.990 inches, thats 2.9 degrees) , about 3 inches of cutting surface is 3 degrees.

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Okay Michael, I just have to find a small pair of locking pliers...good excuse to buy them, and I'll try that! I guess while I'm at the store, I'll check out the plumber's reamer Tony!

Thanks guys

_________________
http://www.presnallguitars.com

Good luck Larry... I'm sure it will come out fine....

_________________
Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I'll let ya know!

_________________
http://www.presnallguitars.com

Larr,

first ya get a some water. take a sip. Pray. Get yer torch out. Light the torch. Pray. Keep water handy in case of fire. heat the file from inside. Pray. Closely monitor that the wood stays at the "Char" level and does not overheat/ignite. And watch where that flame goes!

Grab them pliers and give er a little twist. Vacuum charred wood.

Praise.

Buy a reamer. Smile and enjoy your ever expanding wisdom and tool collection. We're rooting for you

This bizarre suggestion seemed appropriate.

Don't try this at home kids. We're trained professional luthiers

Leave it in there and call it one of those fancy bridge doctors thingies that keep the bridge in alignment with the soundboard.
Or not.
My first thought was vise grips while twisting and pushing from the inside. I had no second thought so I'll have to stick with that.

_________________
http://www.presnallguitars.com

Good luck Larry, it sure is a bummer but i'm confident you will undo it nicely with the good advice you got here! you have the water now, i prayed!

I would chisel around the file carefully, going through the bridge and sound board, that way you won't damage the file anymore!

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

I'm sure if you've got enough to grip inside that the locking pliers wil do the trick Larry.

A similar thing happened to me recently but with a lute bridge. The holes that pass from front to rear of the bridge for the strings are only 1mm diameter, and have to be drilled, of course, before the bridge is fitted. Well I Had the bridge carved, all hand carved takes a while, and was drilling the holes in the drill press when at about the 12th hole the bridge slipped in the vice and the drill broke! . You guessed it a piece of the drill was completely broken off inside the bridge. Nothing to get hold of no way to press it out. Final solution, start from scratch and make a new bridge.

Colin

_________________
I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Larry the way I see it you have two choices, pack her full of dynamite, bung up the sound hole, light the fuse and stand back and block your ears...or do the vice grips thing maybe lubed with a bit of wax melted in with a heat gun. The wax can be clean off OK later.

Cheers

Kim

yeah! Yeah! dynamite!

Humm might be time to invest in a "T"-handled reamer MichaelP38875.3942361111

[QUOTE=Terry Stowell] yeah! Yeah! dynamite! [/QUOTE]




Heck yes I will!
Okay, now how do I pack him inside the guitar!?

_________________
http://www.presnallguitars.com

Bummer Larry! Let us know how you get it out. By the way, I use a machinist reamer that I bought in Japan for about $7. I just saw the same one in a MSC catalog for about $5. Mine is a 3 degree reamer. I use it for bridge pins and peghead tuners. Good luck!
Tracy

Larry, have you tried sticking a fretting hammer or something inside and giving the end of the file a few gentle taps? It might not be wedged in there as tight as you think it is. Worth a shot, just don't hit it too hard.

_________________
Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Hi Dave,

Well, I just walked away last night and came in and put this post up...didn't wanna get silly and do something dumb...I don't know if I have room for a hammer...we'll see with the plier twisty thingie, and then go from there thru hammers and on to dynamite!

_________________
http://www.presnallguitars.com

Okay, no go on the plier twisty thing...it's really tight in there, and I can't get them to lock any tighter because I can't apply the force to the handles with the limited room in the soundhole...at first the insides of the file looked to be some kind of resin and I thought of drilling it out, but no go there...it's steel...I cried a little...inside....any other thoughts?

_________________
http://www.presnallguitars.com

Hi Larry

Its going to be held firm by the bridge, how about working the bridge free and turning it to release the file from the top and the bridge plate. It will be a sod to lossen the bridge around the piece of file, but should be doable.

Larry, sorry to hear of your situation. One thing you check into are technoques used to remove broken taps, happens to machine shops all the time. They make special remove tools You might try an internet search on tap removal techniques.
Good luck nad keep us posted.

_________________
Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

The only other thing (and I'm thinking out load here) is to pack ice around the file and try to get it to contract a little, Larry I'm really not sure if this would work as I don't know if it could contract enough.

Oh one other thought, you could remove the bridge and the file would probably come with I think. Probably not what you wanted to hear however.

_________________
Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Well, the file's broken off flush with the top of the bridge, and only 1" or so remains below the bridge plate...so I'm limited there...the screw extractor thing might work if I can get a hole drilled in the file....maybe start with a Dremel and dental burr?

_________________
http://www.presnallguitars.com