Official Luthiers Forum!

I just received some highly figured Myrtle back and sides that was listed as 2nds due to two small cracks in the lower back bouts. I closed the cracks with CA, and am thinking about flooding the whole back with CA in case of any more hidden cracks. The back wood is also bending and cupping. What is the best way to flatten it? Right now I have it under plywood and weights. I am confused about the order in which to do the following; Flatten, flood with CA, sticker, and thickness sand. Also, what method do people use to flood the back with CA....in other words how do you spread it around? Thanks for your help, Wendy

Got photos?

You may be better off not putting the work into building with this set.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

What Howard said. And I'll add that gluing cracks with CA in clear woods will most likely result in visible, greyish lines.

_________________
Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

If it is the bending & cupping you are most concerned about, be patient. Wait a week with the wood stickered in a warm, low humidity space. It is likely not very dry & will need some time to settle. After a week or so, you can decide if the set is worth your time & effort.

I agree with Howard , this set is not a quality set and not all wood wants to be a guitar.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Well the cracks that I glued with CA don't seem to show, but I had been considering the possibility of making a 3 piece back with a different wood for the center piece, which would have eliminated the cracked area altogether. The questionable area is only at the outer inch or so. Also, I thought that it was fairly common for figured wood to move when it first arrives in a new environment. This wood came from Oregon to AZ, although my shop is controlled at around 45-50%. The sides though are fine. I hadn't really been that concerned about it not being flat, it's not extreme, and I was wondering the best way to flatten. It sounds like I should just go ahead and sticker it. Don't people sometimes flood brazilian rw backs with CA to deal with possible cracks? I guess I'm surprised at the consensus to not use it. Maybe I'll just sticker and decide in the future. Wendy

You might want to sticker it with weights for at least two weeks in your build enviornment. Then recheck it for warpage.It might have just been not dry enough when shipped.I would still wait 6 months before building with it though.

I should have stated that the wood at this point is questionable and choose better words and didn't mean to be as abrasive I came across so except my apology as that wasn't my intent.
Still with that being said , with the wood being compromised it may be best to do as you were thinking and make it a 3 pc back and take it out of the game all together. I have found that often when trying to make something work when you know there is an issue , it often comes back and bites you in the butt.
no hard feeling on my end sometimes we all can pick better words

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

No apologies necessary, I wasn't upset at all by the responses, just surprised. I wish I could post photos, but my camera is broken. I purchased the set from someone on Ebay that other people on this forum do business with. It was very acurately described with pictures showing the cracks and some small knots. I got it very cheap and thought it was worth taking a chance, for the price, for nicely figured Myrtle. I decided to go ahead and sticker it, the warpage was not at all excessive, and it flattened easily when stickered with weight on top. I will just leave it alone for 6 months or more and then probably make a 3 piece back and not worry about the cracks at all. By the way, I did some heavy duty forceful flexing after CAing the cracks and it is very solid. Even if I do a 3 piece back I will probably flood it with CA just to be safe. I did find some other posts about how to go about doing that. Maybe I can download and post the picture form the ebay listing. Wendy

The area outside the crack looks a lot different than the rest of the back so my vote would be for a three piece back. I'm not so sure that flooding myrtle is as effective as it is with woods like ziricote or Madagascar rosewood. Another option would be to use the scrap from the waist and the upper bout to add wings to the lower bout. It would give you a four piece back but if done well can be hardly noticeable if you follow the curves of the grain. A joined section has less stress than a repaired crack.

_________________
Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Thanks Ken, I would not have thought of using the waste from the waist to add wings to the lower bouts. I might just try that. How would you reinforce that joint from the back, if at all? For now I am just going to leave it stickered for a while. Wendy

Sorry, should have said how would you reinforce from the inside.

Use short crossgrain cleats, or a full length crossgrain strip, just like the centre joint re-enforcement.

Judging from your template very little of the joint would not be supported by the linings so a crossgrain cleat as Daniel suggests should be enough insurance for a good joint.

_________________
Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com