how would you fix this?

[Mark McLean]

My son, Jack, obviously has too many nice guitars sitting around in his bedroom. The Gilet custom strat had a fall but fortunately was not damaged since it landed on something soft - another guitar. It was a Vicente Sanchis classical which took a blow from the strat headstock to the bass upper bout. It has a 12 x 9mm hole punched in the side (Indian Rosewood), very close to the front binding. It actually punched the kerfing off on the inside also.

Unfortunately, I was away at the time that it happened and Jack didn't keep the splintered bits that ended up inside the guitar. I have some EIR that could make a patch. The finish looks like nitro and that will need repairing also. There are a couple of smaller dents to the wood binding, BWB purfling and the very edge of the cedar top. They might steam out alright. This is a nice classical but it is nothing like mint condition and we are not trying to restore it to new. Any suggestions for how to do a reasonable repair?

I have a bit of experience with guitar building (have built two and a half steel-strings), and some amateur repairing. My first thoughts were to file/sand the hole to a regular shape with clean edges and angle (undercut) the edges slightly. Then introduce a patch from the inside which is slightly thicker than the side material and with a bevelled edge to match the sloped edge of the hole. Fit it so that there is a reasonable grain match, and the patch sits a little proud on the outside. Cleats across it on the inside and clamp it somehow while it dries (maybe magnet clamp?). Then sand it flush. But then how do I repair the finish? Would CA glue be an option for patching the gloss finish?

But maybe someone has a totally different method to suggest? Perhaps this guitar just needs a new soundport..........
cheers
Mark

[FRANK]

rose wood cut a square/ rectangle plug it with another piece of rose wood and finish tadah

[FRANK]

put an l.e.d. light behind it and call it modern art

[Antonio Cotichini]

Mark, I'd shape the patch as a pointy oval. CA isn't a good option for such a size; better try to match the colour, fine sand, re-spry with nitro and buff.

[Tim Mace]

Take that strat,grasp it by the headstock and smash it against a concrete floor Townsend style!Dang it!

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

I would make a pointy oval patch too with a very tight fit. I would sand a spruce block to the side radius and use it as a re-enforcement inside. Everything would be clamped using magnets. Then pore filling (that would help fill any void left around the patch),spraying and buffing. I made a patch for a Gibson some month ago. You'll find pictures at the following link on my website (comments are in french... sorry...) :link to an article on my website.

[Frank Ford]

If you have the pieces you might be able to fit them roughly back into the hole, glue with C/A, fill with more C/A, sand very slightly below the surrounding surface and touch up with lacquer. Almost any collection of original fibers fitted back in there will look less obvious than new wood.

[Mark McLean]

Thanks for the advice guys. I will try the patching technique - and the trick of shaping it to minimize the contrast across the grain is a good tip. Pierre-Antoine, that 125 restoration is really impressive. Thanks for the link. My patch will be much smaller, but I won't have a stain or a sunburst to hide it under. Frank. unfortunately none of the original fragments were preserved (sigh).

If all else fails - soundport! (On another forum I got the good suggestion of multiple small soundport holes, similar to Adamas Ovation - to cover for the off centre location of the accidental hole)
Have a Happy 2010
Mark

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

Thanks for the nice words.

[Howard Klepper]

You need to replace the lost linings anyway, so make them a little longer to back up your patch. As for the patch itself, for a little hole like this I'd consider making an exception to the usual football (American football) shape, and going round. This has the advantage of being relatively easy to get a perfect fit, by reaming the hole round to a standard plug size and cutting your patch with a plug cutter. Back up first, then plug a bit proud of the side, then level, then retouch. Don't use CA glue as a finish; too easy to mess things up. I'd paint on shellac or lacquer, depending on what the finish is. Level and rub out the finish, and it will be hard to see if done well.

[Mark McLean]

Thanks Howard
The idea of combining replacement kerfing with backing for the patch is very clever. And I can see your point that it is easier to make a circular hole and a circular patch, rather that 2 perfect matches of a less regular shape. The fit is probably more important than the shape for trying to make a not-too-visible patch.
Happy new year to all - We get it first here in Australia (OK, after NZ, but before most of you).
Mark