A bad decision has been made

[blakejcan]

Somewhat positive updates today.

Truss rod seems to work. Loosens and tightens. Probably needs a little lube or something but it does stuff.

I took the staples out today without screwing much of anything else up. I was happy none of them broke off. After doing that I slightly tweaked the headstock around a bit and you can definitely see that one of the areas that was glued is opening back up again. Would be great if it was rock solid but pulling it apart, cleaning it and re-glue'ing it with quality glue is likely a better longterm bet. Given the nails and staples and bondo who knows what type of glue was used on this.

I also gave the body a pretty close look and I think this must have been resprayed at some point. Likely just overspray but there are for sure some runs and bigtime orange peel all over. Not sure how to tackle that but it's way down my list.

 

[GuitarDoc]

this is over or people get vacations. thank you.

:headbang:​ YAY! Cancun for me, please. :naughty:

 

[ICTGoober]

Is the joint really opening up or was it just poorly joined the first time?

 

[solspirit]

:headbang:​ YAY! Cancun for me, please. :naughty:

Never gonna happen. . . I've tried. . Oh how I've tried.

 

[blakejcan]

Is the joint really opening up or was it just poorly joined the first time?

Could be a bit of both. When I flex it, it definitely opens up more.

 

[ICTGoober]

Ah... Well, go slow and good luck. Let's hope the guy used a water soluble glue.

 

[blakejcan]

I scraped out some of the glue and left it in water. It didn't seem to dissolve at all. I only left it in for about a half hour though

 

[ICTGoober]

You left it IN water, or you left water ON it? Sometimes glues break down with heat, around 180 degrees for most.

 

[blakejcan]

In water.

I'll try some heat

 

[blakejcan]

Mr. Pile--how would you undo the glue here? Steam it off somehow? Can I use an iron and a wet towel?

 

[ICTGoober]

I start with boiling water in a syringe, injected into the crack. The usual warnings about hot stuff apply.
If that doesn't work, get a blow dryer, work the joint and apply some water with a syringe now and then.
For tough nut cases, wrap the affected area with an electric heating pad and let it heat soak a bit.

Most yellow or white glues should yield to your ministrations. Fish glue takes time, too.
If it's C/A glue, your only choice it to break it by force. I try to avoid that if at all possible.
I've yet to get a joint glued with Gorilla glue or Titebond II. Those are permanent glues and should not be used.
The whole point in luthiery is to be able to repair the whole guitar, which is why the adhesive of choice is Titebond or other yellow aliphatic resin used by woodworkers.

Keep us apprised of your progress!

 

[blakejcan]

appreciate it. I'll hopefully have time to test some stuff tonight

 

[blakejcan]

Wiggled the headstock off this evening. First I had to take out the nails that were remaining. Those came out without incident which was great. Headstock also came off very cleanly. Thanks for the guidance Chris.

Bad news.....it's a hot hot mess. Take a look. All the glue just peeled right off too.

 

[jeremy]

dang! thats fuckin ugly lol

 

[Mincer]

Wow, that's one compound fracture!

 

[solspirit]

[No message]

 

[ICTGoober]

Jeremy is correct. That is one ugly break.
Well, clean it all up, let the pieces dry, and then you can start putting it back together.
There will be a lot of dry fitting, stops and starts, etc.
It does look repairable, but if it was on my bench - I wouldn't make a profit at all.
You don't have that problem.
Make it work, and have no fear.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Wow.
I'm thinking that it probably can be repaired...but at what cost. Meaning...even if repaired, how durable is it going to be?; how straight and aligned is it going to be?: how are the esthetics going to end up?

If repairing it turns out to be a total fail, you'll have to replace the neck (which is what I would recommend in the start, because , like Chris said...there's certainly no money in it). But if you've got the time and desire to try to make it work and learn a little in the process, then it is going to be a good experience. I personally would be inclined to try the repair simply because I just can't resist a challenge.

 

[blakejcan]

I'm doing it for the fun of bringing something back to life so my time is not a big deal. I also want it as a player for myself so kind of same thing for the value aspect.

Right now I'm thinking I'll do my best to piece it back together and then see what it looks like. I could make it pretty again by smashing veneers on the front and back.

If I can't get the headstock to look like something halfway workable then I'd consider trying to scarf on a new headstock before I went with a whole new neck.

If I can get past the headstock I feel like everything else will be a breeze (relatively).

 

[GuitarDoc]

If I can get past the headstock I feel like everything else will be a breeze (relatively).

I'd say you are correct about that.