Broken Bakelite Richenbacher

[Don Daringer]

I've got a Ricky Lap steel with a broken neck. It is a clean break where the tenon/neck joins the body. Have any of you had any experience with fixing one of these? Some questions: What type of adhesive would you use, curing time, and your experience in using it. I'm seriously considering once glued to drill and secure pins, lag bolts... or whatever from the neck to the tenon or to the body: has anyone tried this? What type of drill bit would you use material wise? I've read that Bakelite crumbles. Thanks for any replies.

[Taffy Evans]

Hi, I hate repairs that are not timber. Could you, if nobody has suggestions, drill in areas that are under/in the neck cavity to see what works, same with glue types.

Also a reinforcement similar to this...

Good luck Taff

[jbbancroft]

Two glue types that should work, thick super glue or epoxy. Not sure about reinforcement, possibly a carbon fiber rod.

Jim

[Taffy Evans]

Hi again, carbon Fibre is a good suggestion. I use it a lot, I find that a flat bar [on edge] offers more resistance to bending than a round rod, in the same slot dimensions. Maybe, if you could carry the two slots already in the back of the neck into the tenon part, then you could glue and pin through from the sides using either brass rod or carbon fibre rod. Carbon rod would blend in better, possibly.

Taff

[Frank Ford]

My first order of business would be to look into salvage value for any original parts.     You might get away with the biggest possible splines routed from the back side and potted in epoxy.    I'd say that glue alone, or even bolts or dowels would be precarious with an instrument this heavy and brittle.

[Redacted]

Don please contact me PM.

[Steven D. Wilson]

There is some good info on repairing necks on Ric Postwar B6 Bakelite steel guitars just like yours in the Steel Guitar Forum. This repair is more common than you might think.  Anyway, you will see using only a product called Acraglas is the preferred method and further reinforcement is not needed. The primary use of this product is repairing and stabilizing gunstocks.

https://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/007137.html

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=232502&sid=6318...

[Taffy Evans]

Hi Steven, that's interesting info, thanks for sharing. I had that Ric model for 30 years it cost me $120.00au, I sold it a couple of years ago. I'll get on to the new owner and warn him of this potential issue. 

Taff

[Don Daringer]

Steve I've seen those, thanks for the info.

[Don Daringer]

Thanks for the reply's!  After thinking of 1. Parting it out, I've had offers. 2. Repairing it. 3. A new neck. 4. Using the parts to make a new guitar. I've decided to repair the neck, glue it, dowel it or something with threads and possibly put in 2 biscuits. If anyone has a neck to sell let me know. It is a fine sounding lap steel.  Thanks again.