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RE: Restoration of a 100 year old Fl... (in reply to Firefrets)
So I've done some work on the seam, and pushed a little Garnet shellac in to the disturbed area. I'm not wiping gently. I'm actually rubbing through the stick somewhat. It just protects things from oxidising until I do the final cosmetics.
I had to do a bit of carving around the cap to compensate for the extra width. I did start with a chisel but decided to use my Dremmel, before detailing. The rest of the guitar was done by hand, using blades, sanding, and a bit of patience.
I haven't cleaned the guitar yet, quite deliberately. Once the work is done, then that will get done, before some French polish where needed.
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RE: Restoration of a 100 year old Fl... (in reply to Firefrets)
I start the day adding a little filler to the headstock, again just wood dust and glue, and can leave it alone while I do other jobs.
I decide to get the fretwork out of the way. I hate fretwork on antique guitars. It's never ever straight forward, and a pain in the backside, but has to be done.
It's a much nicer job when you can cut your own slots, and the frets will sit nice and tight. On an old guitar, especially one this old, it may have been fretted a few times already.
You end up having to press the frets in and glue them at the same time. I don't have a fret press yet, so I often use a piece of wood with a slight groove, accumulated from rubbing the block over the frets. It helps to get them to sit down, but you always end up chasing your tail a little. It's just the nature of the job.
Ignore all the Youtubers who portray flawless simple fret jobs. They live in a fantasy world. In the real world you have to work a bit harder with vintage guitars.
I use the edge of a square file and run it across the slot. The fingerboard is old and dry, so it will just help the next guy to remove the frets without lots of chipping.
I don't always, but on this occasion I used a Dremmel to take down the fret ends, to make it easier for my files. I cut the flat edge, and will then do the angled edge once I've levelled and happy.
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RE: Restoration of a 100 year old Fl... (in reply to Firefrets)
This is what you face in the world of restoration. Again, ignore those who try to make it all look like it always goes smoothly, for their ego. Rarely does anything go smoothly. That's why it's fun ... kind of.
Likely the tapping of the frets has sent a shockwave to a weak spot.
If something is going to fail, the best time for it to happen is when I've got the guitar in pieces. The next best time for something to fail, is while the guitar is still being repaired and prepped. The worst time is when it's in the hands of the new owner, but we'll be doing our best to limit that.
There isn't anything that can go wrong that scares me. It's all part and parcel of being a restorer. You just deal with it, and fix it. She's just dry. Ideally I need to stick her in a bag for a few weeks with some water.
Guitars are just wood glued together. It can be frustrating, but you get used to it. It's not like you can call somebody for help - that person is you!
If it had happened when the back was off, I'd have driven a dowel through everything, (I may still) but for now I'm able to catch it quickly, so glue and clamp will do until I reassess tomorrow.
I like to offer genuine insight. Not an ego trip, so this is the real world of repair - not the BS world of Youtube.
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RE: Restoration of a 100 year old Fl... (in reply to silddx)
quote:
Is that a strange place to fracture? Across the grain? What may have caused that? Is the wood extremely dry?
Lot of questions :)
No, it's quite common for heels to crack, but all taken care of now. It's the first time one has opened on me while fretting, but I've repaired many over the years.
As to the cause, who knows. She's lived a long life. The guitar is dry, yes, but she's in good hands.
You can never guarantee the stability of a 100 year old guitar, but once you get on top of things it's just a case of respecting the instrument in terms of moving forward, and dealing with any future repairs in the normal way.
You're welcome to ask questions.
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RE: Restoration of a 100 year old Fl... (in reply to silddx)
Here's a different heel break on a guitar I recently restored. This one was much more complicated, as the crack had gone in to the block and sides, but the hardest part was dealing with a previous repairer's efforts.
Yet another enormous restoration, with loads of interesting repairs, and solutions, but it can take a long time to properly document a big restoration, so I'm limited as to how many I can share. Probably 60% of the jobs I do are massive. They're great for the learning curve, as you only learn repair by doing it.
Even on this restoration, I'm only scratching the surface with what I show. You could write an individual book for each guitar built, or restored, as a lot to cover.
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Posts: 15821
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Restoration of a 100 year old Fl... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
ORIGINAL: estebanana
In photo #4 I can’t see the glued crack - explain
I can see it. It is the apex (heel/sides) of the 4th diagonal line below the neck/heel join. You can follow it left to right from there...almost invisible.
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