Official Luthiers Forum!

If you bought a set of EIR mail-order from one of the big companies, and one of the two back pieces had a 6" long crack in it, about 1" from the centre edge, would you glue the crack and keep the set or would you send the set back and exchange it for a new set? Unfortunately the cracked area cannot be trimmed away because there is not sufficient width.

Unfortunately the crack repair would end up right beside, but would not be covered by, the edge of the reinforcing backstrip (this is a classical guitar).

I know a repaired crack should be as strong as the original wood, but it makes me nervous to have a repaired crack in that location. Sending the set back is a big PITA, but building a guitar that later develops a crack is a bigger PITA.

I'd return it because you don't know how long it's been cracked.
If it's been awhile, the wood can oxidize and not glue well.

Offer the seller the choice of replacing it or giving you a discount. Most likely they'll do the discount, since they won't be able to resell it at full price, and it's a waste of shipping money.

As for the wood, it depends on the crack. If it closes up perfectly, glue it and use it. If not, make a harp ukulele

Big suppliers will replace them no questions asked... I had a cracked fingerboard and they replaced it free of charge, and let me keep the broken one.

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I have no worries that they won't accept the return - their service is excellent.

I hesitate to send it back because I like the colour of the set and don't know what the replacement set will look like, and I live in Canada so shipping the goods back to the States is a pain, and I recycled the packing material before I found the crack, so I have to scrounge packing material.

I think I'll send it back. Having the repaired crack in a high stress location worries me too much.

I was kind of hoping that someone with experience would have replied "just glue it up, it's as strong as the wood, I've been doing it for 40 years and you don't have anything to worry about".

+1.

Frankly a crack in a set of EIR wouldn't bother me anyway, as long as goes with the grain and is flush when you push it back together. A well-glued repair is stronger than the wood surrounding it, and can be invisible under the final finish, anyway.

I'd work some titebond into it and clamp it up. And then I'd forget that there ever was a crack there at all.
I had a side set with a crack in it, and I did this with titebond III, then bent it. No problem at all. You guys worry too much.

Yeah I'm with Nils on this one. IRW is a dark wood so the crack won't show most likely. But I use CA glue. Flood it with medium for a bigger crack, or thin for a hairline crack, clamp it up, then let it dry natural (no accelerator). Keep an eye on it as you begin to build with it.

You say it's 1" from the center edge...could you get a decent looking book match on the flip side? That would put the crack out of the template.

Filippo which observation are you disagreeing with? If it is mine then i will explain further.

I mentioned clamping up after gluing which would close up the gap as long as it's not too wide of a crack. It's difficult to get a hand clamp to push the edges together of a thin plate without it wobbling around, so I would use the Cumpiano plate joining method. Get a flat board that is 6" or so wider than the cracked back piece, clamp a long caul to one side of the board, lay the cracked piece on the board butted up to the edge of the caul, on the other edge of the cracked piece get another caul and clamp it in the area where the crack is but leave a gap for a wedge, make a wooden wedge, flood the crack with glue, lay a hefty weight on top, tap in the wedge between the space of the caul and the edge of the cracked piece until the crack closes up. Let dry, undue the clamps, THEN take off the weight (not the other way around). Oh, you should put some wax paper on each side of the glue joint. This was kind of hard to explain but hope it makes sense.

Yeah Filippo, a large crack might be difficult to close up completely but this should get most of it, if you can't get it all closed then sand in some dust to help close it up and add strength. This should close it up enough to get a closed crack within the template. Unless it's a wide crack.

I would probably ask for another set. But I would not hesitate to use that one either. There are only so many trees in the forest.

If you bought first quality stuff you should get first quality stuff. It's up to the seller if they want the original piece returned.
Not knowing why the piece cracked in the first place I would be reluctant to glue and use. I would try to find a project that could use the wood with the cracked portion trimmed off. If it were joined on the opposite edges as Gil mentioned, would that take the crack out of the template? If it is nice vertical grain stuff joining it either way should work.