I Need help with regluing a snapped-off headstock

[Frank Capo]

Hello.

I reglued a snapped off headstock with titebond recently. It was previously glued but appeared disjointed and i pulled it apart. It came apart nicely and fit back together like a hand-in-glove. But I do not think I cleaned it properly.

It was a break somewhat parallel with the nut - so I believe it could be considered an endgrain joint... It is a far-eastern-made  guitar and appears to be some type of lower-grade mahogany .

 

I strung it up to full tension yesterday and it popped right off in about 12 hours.

I would appreciate advice on 1) how to properly and completely remove any old glue from the wood and

2)how to properly reglue.

 

I saw a recent thread that mentioned end grain joining and polyurethane glue. Thanks.

[Grahame Myers]

Then I'll give the answer that Hal, the supercomputer in Douglas Adams' book The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy gave to the question about Life, the Universe and Everything (after deliberating for a number of years) : 

42  :-)

 

Grahame

[Frank Capo]

Well, strung up to the suitably somber DADGAD, the joint began to fail immediately - coincidently at the point where the most side-grain is present. I think that if perhaps I used Titebond at that point (and GG at the endgrain points) it may have lasted longer...but without the benefit of a spline or overlay likely would fail anyway.

So I backed off the tension in order to salvage the neck for another project. I am in the process of obtaining another neck for this Regal tricone.

I can't say I was not warned that this would happen, but there seemed to be enough evidence that GG might work (though I should have been wary of Art Bell and George Nori's endorsement).

 

Sincere thanks for all of your time and advice. 

 

Gorilla Glue MYTH BUSTED

[Grahame Myers]

I have an idea how rescue this job :-)

 

Grahame

[Frank Capo]

 

There really is not a good place to put a fastener. There is not much in parallel surface to work with. The solution would be to slot and spline, or probably better to plane down the back of the headstock/neck area and install a cap/overlay, but I don't have a shop or appropriate tools or skills to apply. At this time I am in the process of obtaining a replacement neck.

The subject neck also has a repaired heel break - though holding up fine - so a new neck, if priced right, is in order. This Regal tricone actually has a pretty fine tone - I was able to play it for a day before it snapped - so a replacement neck in the range of $150 or so is worth it.

[Tom Krebs]

If you don't have a hand plane, you could just grab a block of wood and some aggressive paper to complete the overlay idea.

[Terry Chapman]

IMG_0110%20copy.JPGI ALWAYS route out two slots,inlay with square carbon fibre rod and then insert two maple oversized caps.Sand and reshape etc.Ive never had one fail.

If you look at my avatar thats one that I repaired in this fashion.The other pic is the finished job.