The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #40194   Message #573710
Posted By: GUEST,Al
16-Oct-01 - 06:32 PM
Thread Name: Help Repairing Old Archtop
Subject: RE: Help Repairing Old Archtop
Go for it! What harm can you do? At worst it can go back to the dumpster. Whatever you do, do not use pre-mixed hide glue. Use only hot hide glue, which you buy as crystals, mix with water, and heat in a double boiler. There is a short learning curve with this stuff, so do some practice on scraps first. For cracks around the F holes that are not structurally important, use a dilute solution of glue. Heat the area to be glued with a hair dryer before applying glue. Consider using popsicle sticks as levers in the F hole instead of clamps to hold the crack closed. Clean up what you can right after gluing with a brush or rag dipped in the hot water from the double boiler. What remains can be cleaned up the next day after everything is dry. Good luck. This kind of work is lots of fun to do.