Re-gluing a Titebond joint failure.

[Dave Sparrow]

Hi.

I have a Simon & Patrick with a classic smiley face headstock crack on the glue joint. It's open enough to get glue in but still whole on the face of the headstock.  I checked with S&P and they tell me that they use Titebond to glue their headstocks.  I believe that any re-gluing will require something that bonds into the wood to for a good join and that new Titebond to old Titebond is no good.  Is this correct and can anyone confirm to me that the only real option is to re-glue with CA  or is there any way that I can clean off the old glue enough to use my preference of hot hide or even Titebond?  If you follow the grain line it appears that other than on the edge of the "smile", the break appears to have been in the wood rather than the glue joint so I'm hoping that with a little clean up, I might be able to avoid CA.

HELP PLEASE!

Dave

[Russell Vance]

HI Dave,

If the break is in the wood (which it should be - if a modern glue fails along the glue line it's generally the fault of the manufacturers technique, the luthier who put it together or old glue or other factors) just glue it in accordance with the schedule attached to whatever glue you wish to use - its a classical so its not like there is a huge amount of stress on the joint anyway.  Hide or Titebond Original is fine.

Rusty.

[Ned Knepp]

Rusty, I don't think it's a classical but rather a slot head steel string. That said, I agree that the joint looks like it could just be glued up again with good glue. I don't see any excess glue and I imagine that the existing glue is filled with wood fibers. Working glue throughout the joint and clamping it up firmly should work.

[Russell Vance]

Tks Ned, I have some obvious shortcomings in identifying anything which can't be plugged in!   

[Ned Knepp]

Well, wood is wood and a glue joint works pretty much the same way even if you are dealing with "those other guitar thingys".

[Christian Johnson]

I have an S&Pin right now with this same break, only not as severe.  I think they got bad glue.

[Dave Sparrow]

HI Rusty / Ned - thanks for the advice.

I guess that HHG is the way to go and if that fails, then I'll resort to CA.  My fear with CA is that it starts to bond before I can clamp tight and I'll end up with a slightly open joint.

[Kerry Krishna]

Christian and Dave What year are these two Simon and Patricks?

[Dave Sparrow]

2011 I think Kerry

[Tim Mace]

After pondering the pics I wonder if the bushings/inserts weakened that area causing these failures??Also the grain in Mahog.looks misoriented.Also since you've made contact w/ the company why not get them to send you a new neck or replace/repair it themselves?

[Russell Vance]

It probably broke along the scarf joint line Tim, which is why the appearance of some grain miss-orientation - and the bushing aren't in the break area so they are not to blame.  This appears to be just a typical (and very repairable) separation that occurs due to being dropped.  Manufacturer is therefore out of the responsibility picture.  But, they are always interesting to the repairers.

Rusty.

[Christian Johnson]

Recent.  I agree with Rusty.  I think it got dropped forward in the case.

[Dave Sparrow]

Oh for sure, there are a couple of dings on the headstock face which suggests that it fell but probably not in a case.