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| Broken Headstock Repair - Question http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10137&t=54301 |
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| Author: | Wineshop [ Sat Aug 07, 2021 5:36 am ] |
| Post subject: | Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
Hey, guys. First post! (Long time lurker, though). So I received this guitar in the mail with a broken headstock (FYI - it’s a Firefly. About a $200 guitar, although honestly very nice except for the whole being in 2 parts thing). I’ve already received a full refund and thought - what the heck? I’ll see if I can make it playable again. Note: I’m not concerned with looks. I'll sand and smooth it out, but I could care less if the repair isn’t pretty. Here's a photo. I did some cleaning to make as much wood to wood contact as I could. And I feel ok with the contacted areas. The part I’m concerned with is this open gap, which obviously will weaken the repair. Would there be any benefit to just filling it with glue, or maybe some wood putty? Or is it just likely a lost cause? You can't tell from the pic but the pitch angle is perfect and the repair was a nice fit, like puzzle pieces. I used some Titebond and clamped it for about 20 hours. Haven’t put any tension on it yet. Thanks! |
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| Author: | Glen H [ Sat Aug 07, 2021 9:37 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
If it were mine I’d fill it with epoxy and string it up. Like you say, there is not much to lose. |
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| Author: | Chris Pile [ Sat Aug 07, 2021 12:26 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
Don't use putty. Put more wood in there if you can, then fill the gaps with epoxy or superglue, sand flush, and play. At this point, there's no good way to complete the job, only ugly ones. Doesn't mean the instrument won't be fun to play and sound good. Suggest you do a search for broken pegheads... LOTS of stuff on this forum. |
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| Author: | phavriluk [ Sat Aug 07, 2021 1:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
If OP has all the slivers, I suggest using them to fill the gaps - - - try to test fit them and epoxy them in. |
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| Author: | Wineshop [ Sat Aug 07, 2021 3:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
phavriluk wrote: If OP has all the slivers, I suggest using them to fill the gaps - - - try to test fit them and epoxy them in. No, unfortunately I do not. It was really strange. The extra splinters were nowhere to be found in the box and neither was the nut that had broken off. So either someone at the warehouse broke it BEFORE they boxed it or someone at UPS did something. The box was not taped very good. It could have easily been opened and re-taped. So IDk - but very strange. Thanks, guys for the epoxy suggestion. I can find some wood shards and make that happen. Even if it doesn't help a whole lot, it'll likely help some and it sure can't hurt. Much appreciated. |
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| Author: | Conor_Searl [ Sat Aug 07, 2021 4:26 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
You don't care what it looks like so... If this was mine, I'd glue and clamp the crack closed. Then I'd remove wood around the chip until there was a flat area to glue a new piece of wood onto. (perhaps bringing it up onto the headstock area, creating a type of backstrap/scarf joint type thing). Once that had set, I'd clean the patch up bringing the shape into line with the surrounding neck. Then it's just a matter of finishing. Not so simple and probably overkill, but it should be sound if done properly. And probably more then stuffing bits of wood and epoxy into the void.. |
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| Author: | Wineshop [ Sat Aug 07, 2021 11:03 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
Conor_Searl wrote: You don't care what it looks like so... If this was mine, I'd glue and clamp the crack closed. Then I'd remove wood around the chip until there was a flat area to glue a new piece of wood onto. (perhaps bringing it up onto the headstock area, creating a type of backstrap/scarf joint type thing). Once that had set, I'd clean the patch up bringing the shape into line with the surrounding neck. Then it's just a matter of finishing. Not so simple and probably overkill, but it should be sound if done properly. And probably more then stuffing bits of wood and epoxy into the void.. I considered something like that. I thought about getting a router and routing out room for a dowel and have that little dude stretching across both halves and gluing that in. Then fill with epoxy and then sand it to just make it smooth and playable. But I thought it just might be overkill. Also ... I don't have a router, so I have to hunt one down. Although, I bet a good chisel would do .. hmm. We will see. Wheels are turning. Thanks! |
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| Author: | Barry Daniels [ Sun Aug 08, 2021 9:36 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
You are talking about a spline. Make is rectangular instead of a dowel, so it will have good contact with adjacent surfaces. Leave it proud of the surface and level it after the glue is set. Use two splines, one on either side of the truss rod. But if you have never used a router before this will be a huge challenge. The router has to be guided with a jig to make a straight cut. |
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| Author: | phavriluk [ Sun Aug 08, 2021 12:15 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
OP: I think it's best to stay away from powered tools until you're proficient at using them. Power tools can make an unrecoverable mess in very few tenths of a second. |
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| Author: | Lukehofer588 [ Sun Aug 08, 2021 1:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
Attachment: IMG_0255.jpg A jig like this works to cut in splines Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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| Author: | Wineshop [ Sun Aug 08, 2021 3:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
Lukehofer588 wrote: A jig like this works to cut in splines Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Man that looks great. As for using power tools, been a chemical plant/ construction guy for 20 years. I've used everything. That being said - I do NOT have any jigs like that so I'll be skipping that whole thing! I appreciate the picture and the warnings. Thanks for all the info. I'm going to just go with the wood pieces/ epoxy option and hope for the best. I think it'll actually be fine. I may even tune it down a half step to ease the tension a bit, something not all that uncommon for me, anyhow. |
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| Author: | Barry Daniels [ Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:36 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
If you are good with hand tools you could cut slots for splines by hand using small chisels. I did that once before I got tooled up. It would definitely strengthen the joint. By the way, you can remove the glue squeeze-out with a warm damp rag and a lot of rubbing. |
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| Author: | DanKirkland [ Sat Aug 21, 2021 4:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Broken Headstock Repair - Question |
With a chunk that big I doubt splines would really repair it. Maybe shoot for a backstrap overlay since you can easily make it big enough and deep enough to cover the broken area. |
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