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Well, I finally did it - I braced a top when it was too wet (52% according to the caliber) and accidentally left the heater on in the shop for 3 days straight which dropped the humidity to about 42 (again according to the caliber) which resulted in a nicely pringled top. I shut off the heater, turned off the dehumidifier and opened the door and it's already come most of the way back (at 49%).

I really want to just re-humidify and slap her together as this instrument is a prototype for another instrument but I might try and peddle it off to make a few bucks. Anyhow, I have no desire to cut new braces for this thing and am wondering if anyone's ever successfully removed braces by using a steam type cloths iron or something like that? Braces are glued on with HHG. If that's possible, I'll probably re-do it. If not, plan B is a warning label.

p.s. yes, I just won a sling psychrometer on e-bay ($37 with a built in slide rule- not bad) and I promise this will never happen again. I also know that leaving the space heater on with the dehumidifier for a few days does a nice job of drying the shop out.

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I had to remove the braces on one top. I used a chisel to cut them off.

I took the braces off of a back successfully recently with a household iron. They were glued with LMI instrument makers glue, not HHG. They came off just fine, once I got the temp high enough to really loosen the glue.

Chris.

A chisel is easier.

But that destroys the braces in the process no? I'm trying to avoid having to re do all of the braces.

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What did you join the top plates together with? HHG? Steaming a brace off is also a good way to open the center seam of the plates.

So what do you want to do? Make new braces or redo the whole top because parts of the center seam opened up?

I'd just chisel them off personally.

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Andy bro if a claymore is not appropriate I would chisel them too.

I'm in the "chisel em off" camp also. It goes really quick.

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Jim Watts
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I've removed braces a few times using a heat gun and a syringe with hot water - carefully avoiding the center seam, which was also glued with HHG.

If you're careful and lucky you can do it without destroying ALL the braces

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Walter Lay
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Are you trying to save the top? If not, careful application of a heat gun works for me. I had a goofed up harp guitar top. Braces were fine, so I slowly heated each brace and pulled them off. Actually, the only damage to the top was finish bubbling.

I'd actually like to save the top and the braces if at all possible. I've re-humidified the top and it's much closer to the original radius now. The thing is that one of the braces is capped with carbon fiber and I'd really like to save that one as it's about a $10 brace (or something like that).

This instrument is a prototype and I'm trying to do get it finished without too much work as the commission will be plenty of work. I'm also trying to make it nice enough that I can sell it if I want to. This instrument will be of little use to me because it's a different style of bandura than I play or am interested in.

Right now I'm leaning toward "Plan B" and just warning whoever buys it (if I sell it) that it's imperative to keep it humidified over the winter time.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

You will spend a lot less effort and less risk if you just chisel them off and make new ones.