Split Headstock

First Post! Thanks for providing a great place for learning and sharing repair and restoration techniques.

So I have a headstock that split clean through due to what i suspect is a lack of PVA adhesion to the rosewood lamination. I plan on pulling some p220 through the split to clean out the old glue. I will then re-glue it with hot hide glue.

Now the big question I have is, would there be any other option for finish touch up besides just straight up respraying the whole headstock? I've been searching the forum about Cellosolve Butyl, but, many threads suggest it is not worth the health risks? Will Toluene or Acetone work?

I have attached a photo. My primary concern is getting the color coat to melt back as the crack is very small and there is no missing chips of finish. Perhaps I could use the airbrush to spray one coat of color, spray something to amalgamate the finish, then a couple coats of clear?

Thanks,

Rob

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kerry Krishna on September 23, 2013 at 2:39pm

And I think this will work too Rob. How will you mill the top for a plate?

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on September 23, 2013 at 4:27pm

If it was me, Id use a good bevel up handplane with a high angle blade and tight mouth to avoid tearout, being unable to work parallel to the grain. Check with good straightedges frequently and touch up with a stiff card scraper. Shouldnt be a fight to get it nice and flat, or take any longer than setting up a power tool. Thats me, though.

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Permalink Reply by Russell Vance on September 23, 2013 at 11:49pm

A scraper will work just fine to remove the lacquer and flatten the new glue joint - then a solid flat sanding block with some 220 Stikit or just paper wrapped around the block to key the maple surface. Wet the surface to raise the grain a bit, let dry and clamp on the new top plate with Titebond Original or whatever you feel like in this application - it's not critical. Try and get the new frontplate as close to size as possible (allowing for some slip when you are gluing) and AB it with a follower bit in a router or laminate trimmer if you have one - back cutting as required to go with the grain.

Anyway, I often hand finish the edges with a scraper or block and use a spindle sander for the radius stuff (avoiding the router in these confined cuts and changing grain orientation)as its just as quick as setting up a router and you can flip it to get the scraper running with the grain. Probably a "good fun woodworking" part of any repair is this sort of work. Stanley Knife blades make good utility scrapers in this application, use em straight out of the box.

Clamp the new headstock face to a flat piece of perplex or lexan and use the existing tuner bores to guide a same size forstener bit from the back until the tip of the forstener just breaks through the new top plate surface, flip the headstock over and use the new pin hole from the forstener tip as a guide for the bit to complete the hole from the other side - this way no tearout around the new top plate tuner bores. There are other ways but this one is easy and works for me.

Go get em,

Rusty.

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Permalink Reply by Rob Gray on January 25, 2014 at 9:04am

Okay it's been awhile, but I've just about finished up. I epoxied the delamination. I made a router sled to take the face off and I glued up a piece of ebony for the head cap. I am currently in the process of refinishing the headstock. As soon as I get it done I will post more pictures.

Thanks for all the help!

Rob