Got a crack in my back!

[t-roy211]

Ok, so i have this crack in my back. I left this guitar sitting for bout a year unfinished, bout half way done, and somehow it got this crack in it. Its about 1\4 inch...maybe a lil further, from the seam of my 2 piece back. So should i try to fix this? Redo the entire back? Cover it up with plastic? What do yall think?

BTW, that back hasnt even been trimmed yet, so if it looks funny to you, thats why lol!

[tippie53]

I think it got too dry and the low Relative Humidity got to it. You want to try and keep your parts in an area of 40 to 50 % Rh is possible. Still you can fix this , Try allowing to rehumidify or fill with dust and use CA to fill.
Keep going it is work the effort

[t-roy211]

So even if this crack is all the way through? And sorry, i have been out of the game for a while, what is CA?
The only problem i was thinking that i would run into by patching it, would be that it would be very visible on the back, after i finish it. But at the same time, not too many people are gonna see the back, and also, it would give is some character, especially since its my first build lol!

[tippie53]

CA is super glue .

[Ken Hundley]

The pros will correct me if I am wrong, but start with humidifying the wood. Once it gets back wo wher eit should be, the crack may close up. You could put a couple of small cleats on the crack on the inside to keep it from spreading again. If the crack doesn't close up all the way, you could mix your CA glue with sanding dust from the wood. Once it dries and is finished, it may not be distinguishable at all, may look like another grain line.

[kencierp]

Actually, filling the crack is the way to go -I'd use a sliver of wood rather then dust (however you can make an invisble patch in Rosewood with dust and CA) Ken, in my opinion, the wood gave him a warning. so if the humidity drops again it will crack again --- glue alone (likely) will not prevent the crack -- the key is increasing the surface area. In his repair publication Don Teeter covers this concept well. I suppose you could let the material puff up a bit, CA the crack and then put on a couple of cross grain patches $.02

[Ken Hundley]

Told ya they'd chime in...thx Ken!

[tippie53]

See there are more than one way to do things . Do invest in a hygrometer and keep the wood in as stable environment as you can. I think as wood ages it seems to settle in . Using CA and dust will not work with all woods. Rosewood is a good candidate but mahogany , maple , it often leaves a signature .

[t-roy211]

Thank you to all of the replies! I will figure out what i am going to try and let yall know what happens with it. Hopefully it will turn out good since this is my first build!

Thanks Again!

T-roy

[Kevin Sjostrand]

So how did your repair turn out Roy?

Kevin