Guitar case repair

Subject: Guitar case repair
From: GUEST,Pat Darlington
Date: 09 May 03 - 01:26 AM

I have a guitar case in need of repair, more specifically the hinges are knackered. Anybody know of anywhere in the west of Scotland that could replace the hinges?

Subject: RE: Guitar case repair
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 09 May 03 - 02:08 AM

An instrument case is basically a piece of luggage so any shop that repairs luggage should be able to fix a guitar case. I don't know about Scotland, but around here most shoe repair shops also do luggage repair.

Bruce

Subject: RE: Guitar case repair
From: GUEST,Pat Darlington
Date: 09 May 03 - 05:04 AM

Never thought of that Beedub, will give it a try, thanks.

Subject: RE: Guitar case repair
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 09 May 03 - 05:28 AM

There's always duct tape. Then you'd really look like a folkie! Do they have duct tape in Scotland? They probably call it gimberkillie, or haggis, or something like that. [Insert silly little smiley face thing here...]

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Guitar case repair
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 09 May 03 - 08:07 AM

G'day Mark,

Being a photographer, I've always sworm by real Gaffer tape ... the durable, tenacious, horrendously expensive silver tape sold by cine lighting firms. (This is named for "The Gaffer" ... the head lighting person on a film site ... at least, in US parlance.) I always thought UK film/TV types would use the same term ... as we Aussies do ... but close following of a few David Attenborought tributes and documentaries suggest that they (the BBC lot, at least) call this "camera tape" ... probably from all those film magazines cautiously sealed with the same tenacious tape.

Just a bit of thread drift (International folklore of terminolgy) ... but if Pat Darlington has any media contacts, a short remnant roll of the real cine tape (woven sub-strate, generally silver finish, VERY sticky!) will repair all sorts of things ... and hold for years!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Guitar case repair
From: GUEST,James H. Silver
Date: 10 May 03 - 08:45 AM

If only broken hinge or hinges. Should be able to purchase similar small hinges at any hardware store or hobby shop along with small screws. simply split the covering with a razor blade or hobby knife and remove the old hinge. install a new hinge, apply some contact cement to both the covering and the hinge area (making sure not to get the cement on the hinge pin) and press the covering back in place. The covering will usually stretch enough to make an almost invisible repair. I have on occasion used doubled sided carpet tape to stick the covering down in place instead of the contact cement. Re screws: might have to cut them to length so they do not protrude through case into the inside. Hope this will be of some help. If hinges are exposed, simply remove old hing and replace with new hinge. Might be necessary to plug holes from old hinge with some tooth picks and glue.

Subject: RE: Guitar case repair
From: GUEST,Claymore
Date: 10 May 03 - 09:55 PM

There is another way which works for me.

If the actual hinge still works and you cannot get another, consider drilling through the hinge into the case. If possible, try to find two places diagonally across the detached portion of the hinge. Drill the two holes and use two stainless steel 1/8 bolts and nuts to fasten the case to the hinge.

Here is the important part. Start the bolts from inside the case using a couple of fender washers (washers with a wider shirt than normal washers) to bind up more of the case than just the screw head or screw head and washer. If the fender washers overlap each-other, use a pair of tin snips to flatten the mutual sides so that they appear to be two "Ds" facing each-other. Run the bolts out through the holes in the hinge and use the nuts to snug down. You may want to use additional washers on the outside, if the hinge metal is weak, but if not, then the rest is relatively straight forward.

Mark the protruding end of the bolt and either cut it off with a Dremel tool (small hand held drill) or just before you snug up the nut, dab the threads with super glue, snug down the bolt, and then use a grinding bit on the end of a drill to grind the bolt down to the surface of the nut. (Stop periodically to ensure the bolt is not overheating the case).

You are left with a solid working hinge and the smooth bolt head on the inside, where it can be covered with a felt dot, to prevent damage to your instrument.

Incidently I have used a similar technique to put an eye bolt at the top and bottom portions of my cases, to attach web slings to. This allows me to sling my longneck banjo over my shoulder like a rifle or both the banjo and guitar for long carries. With a double eye snaffle hook at each eyebolt you can use your instrument strap as a case strap. Good Luck!