Splintered Headstock Repair

[mnbaseball91]

So, how exactly would I go about fixing this? Strip the finish and try to glue down the chips? I'm pretty much at a loss. The only thing I can think of right now would be a veneer right over it, but I doubt I can find a piece of rosewood that will match the rest of the neck.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

In a nutshell I would:

1. strip the face
2. reglue what I can
3. if possible fill any other chips with rosewood dust and glue
4. and then sand off as little as possible
5. and then comes the refinish

Again, it´s a bit more in depth, I seem to have a knack for making things sound easy these last few weeks :laugh2:

 

[mnbaseball91]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Thanks for the fast reply.

Would you recomend stripping the entire finish or just the area that needs to be repaired? I still have all the original finishing stuff so I can get it to blend pretty much perfectly.

I don't think I'll have a problem with the big pieces, but on the side closest to the nut I'm worried about how salvageable the pieces will be. It will be especially difficult because of the way the lacquer is all over the chips. What can I use to completely disolve the finish (nitro lacquer)?

Edit: Oh, and what's the best way to mix up a batch of rosewood dust if I only have a few extra splinters? And do I use plain superglue or try to find clear epoxy?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Boy that sure is an odd break... I guess the tuner has been damaged too if it was pushed into the wood like that....

WhoFan

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Thanks for the fast reply.

Would you recomend stripping the entire finish or just the area that needs to be repaired? I still have all the original finishing stuff so I can get it to blend pretty much perfectly.

I´d strip the entire heasdtock face.

I don't think I'll have a problem with the big pieces, but on the side closest to the nut I'm worried about how salvageable the pieces will be. It will be especially difficult because of the way the lacquer is all over the chips. What can I use to completely disolve the finish (nitro lacquer)?

Soak the chips in a glass of nitro thinner for a day or so

Edit: Oh, and what's the best way to mix up a batch of rosewood dust if I only have a few extra splinters? And do I use plain superglue or try to find clear epoxy?

Hmmm. with only splinters it´s admittedly hard.... what I use is an epoxy based wood filler paste... it´s "naturally "white, and you just mix wood dust into it until the color-tone is correct.. there are also pre mixed filler pastes, but they´re often not exact enough..

 

[mnbaseball91]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Alright, I guess I've got my work cut out for me. Thanks for the advice.

And whofan, that was the result of me trying to enlarge the tuner hole with a drill that was MUCH too powerful for the job. I know what to do now though: use a less powerful drill, start from the top, not the bottom, and clamp the headstock to another piece of wood so the bit goes through both pieces. Then, if anything splinters, it will be the other piece.

Adding a veneer is seeming quite appealing right now. If I were to do that, do you guys think I should use another piece of rosewood or should I use flame maple and finish it to match the body?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Alright, I guess I've got my work cut out for me. Thanks for the advice.

And whofan, that was the result of me trying to enlarge the tuner hole with a drill that was MUCH too powerful for the job. I know what to do now though: use a less powerful drill, start from the top, not the bottom, and clamp the headstock to another piece of wood so the bit goes through both pieces. Then, if anything splinters, it will be the other piece.

Adding a veneer is seeming quite appealing right now. If I were to do that, do you guys think I should use another piece of rosewood or should I use flame maple and finish it to match the body?

I have had that happen to me on home made necks.. your not alone.

I kind of had the same thing happen to me in a way years ago... But in my case i had a cheap 94 Mexican Made Squire neck in my hand and was using a drill press to widen the tuner wholes.... One second the neck was in my hand and the next it was gone.... Then i heard it smash into a wall on the other side of the room.... scared the sh*t out of me.. I had never seen a drill press throw a piece of wood like that before..... The neck i was able to save and i'm still using it.. I used it at a open Jam last night in Toronto. No reason to take a good guitar to these Jams to get beat up.. I still have some repair work to do to the tuner hole that the drill press grabbed... But i have it to the point the tuner stays in place...

At a guitar shop i work for a few months for extra money have some neat tools. They use a "rimmer" to widen tuner and volume pot holes.... It is a long metal tapered spike that shaves the holes bigger.. since you turn it by hand you have total controll... I have been looking to buy one for myself but they are not easy to find! The guy at the repair shop told me he found his years ago at a Home Depot but they no longer have them.

Until i find the "Rimmer" tool the guitar store had i find that if i use a countersink bit on tuner holes on the front and the back of the neck i have no spliting when drilling larger holes... You have to be extremely careful with the countersink that you do not take too much off... But if you just shave the opening of the tuner wholes with a countersink you do not get and finnish cracks and less of a chance of spliting...

GW

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Look for "REAMER" and you should find them quite fast online

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Look for "REAMER" and you should find them quite fast online

Yikes! Got to be careful looking that one up....

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

I did see some peg hole reamers on Stewmacs web site.... Not quite the same as the local shop has but the same idea! I'm going to check with a wood working place called Busy Bee and see if they have them.

WhoFan

 

[mnbaseball91]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

For $82? I'll take my chances with a drill, thanks!

 

[mnbaseball91]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Alright, I keep trying and I'm convinced there's no way to do this with a drill. Is it really worth buying the reamer from stewmac? Is there not a better way to get a hole in this thing?

 

[mnbaseball91]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Wait, wait... what if I run the drill backwards. That would prevent the sharp bit from snagging on the grain and tearing it out...right?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

Wait, wait... what if I run the drill backwards. That would prevent the sharp bit from snagging on the grain and tearing it out...right?

A lot of the trouble is when the drill bit is coming out the other side...... As the bit is coming thru it spliters the wood... When using a drill i use a countersink on both sides of the tuner hole.. Then when i drill thru it does not tear out. Running the drill backwards may work but do it backwards to both sides of the hole and when drilling thru do not push the drill too hard...


WhoFan

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

For $82? I'll take my chances with a drill, thanks!

Ya that is why i have not bought one.... The one the guy has in my local shop did not cost him that much at all and it has i nice long taper to it and a solid metal handle... I'll have to find one.

WhoFan

 

[mnbaseball91]

Re: Splintered Headstock Repair

It was just recomended to me that I wrap sandpaper around a dowel and go at it with that. Between that and running the drill backwards, I think I can do this!

Thanks for the support.