1931 Kay Kraft archtop end block problem

[Kerry Krishna]

 The following pictures tell the story. I know that there is some work that can be done to help, and I am just needing some adult supervision here Thanks Forum members!

[Kerry Krishna]

Next few photos

[Kerry Krishna]

Is there no help here?

[Ned Knepp]

Perhaps you can describe the problem a little better for us and give us your thinking on the issues. What approach do you think would work?

Does this have the adjustable neck? Do you have a functional wedge for it? What about the interior conditions, is the block coming loose from the top or sides? What effect has this movement had on the face and sides? You posted nice pictures but didn't give us anything else. The instrument isn't in front of us.

Ned

[Kerry Krishna]

Sorry Ned. These axes all have the adjustable neck, the wedge thing is 100%, block is 100% glued to top sides and back. The face on the upper bought is quite distorted, and the sides are also pulling a bit in that direction. Starting a few months after this guitar was built, they started putting in a batwing shaped brace that went from the end block, to both upper points, to the sound hole. I have a later guitar that has this brace and I will take the side to side brace that is on the top, make and glue in the same kinda brace I just outlined, and put in small sound hole reinforcement braces too. This 'batbrace' thing, I will use my other guitar as a template for sanding the side that will be glued to the underside.I will put some 100 grit sandpaper on top of that section of the other guitar, and sand one side of the bracing wood until it conforms to the good top. Then I guess, I will ??? I would think that I should figure out a way to humidify the underside of the top so it will conform, but I will be worried about blushing the lacquer! I wonder if some heat would do it instead? Maybe Frank will pop in for a min and give us his thoughts... I can't really think of anything else to do. I hope it should straighten out somewhat, but I realize it will never be perfect. Any thoughts? Thanks too!

[Ned Knepp]

Humidifying the top is fairly easy. Place a damp rag or sponge in a plastic bag. Put some holes on one side. Lay it inside of the guitar (hole side up, of course) and stopper up the sound hole with a balloon. Leave it setting on it's back somewhere for several days, though you may want to make sure the rag/sponge stays damp.

These are some thoughts I have. Take them for what they are, the thoughts of someone that doesn't do this for a living that hasn't seen one of these guitars in person ( though I did rebuild ono of the mandolins last year.)

Since you have another of these guitars available, it might be helpful to use it to make a cast of the original shape of the top. You might be able to use it to reshape the distorted top. A plaster cast of the original shape may be useful as a clamping caul if it is backed by some wood. It would probably need to be done slowly in conjunction with the humidification.

I don't know about pushing the neck block back onto place. If it's still attached to everything securely I suppose that means that everything else moved. I don't know if trying to push the top back into shape will move the block back onto position or not. If it were mine to do, I might try slowly pushing the face back into shape but monitor the position of the head block at the same time. If it isn't moving, but the top is changing, the movement in the top may be causing deformation elsewhere in the top. In other words'; take it slow and careful, monitoring the whole process to make sure it is actually working and not making thing worse.

Ultimately, it may be that the guitar needs to be disassembled to fix this problem. In the end it might be better to stabilize the top as it is and use the neck adjustment to compensate for the difference ( if it is possible to do that).

Those are my thoughts right now.

Ned

[Kerry Krishna]

Thanks Ted. I will consider all that you said here. It's not like this needs to be done tomorrow right? T do like the plaster idea too. Thanks for that. Anyone else?