Stripper found crack in pocket

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punkin

punkin

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Hey Chance...got a sec?

I picked up a cheapie Ibanez RG320 guitar a couple weeks ago for $15.00 . The body and neck looked really good but I just couldn't stand the color so, I stripped it down to bare wood. While doing so, I noticed a hairline crack that starts at the outside of the neck pocket and runs well into the pocket upto one of the screw holes. (I'll try to post some pics a little later).

Is there anything a DIY'r can do to salvage this? I was thinking of a screw plate like some of my fenders have to help stabilize it or maybe even drill out a portion of the crack and inject some epoxy. My expectations are realistic and realize this never was and never will be a high-end axe. I just thought it would be fun to mod another RG. I'm calling it "Radius-G". I rounded over all the edges with a 1/2 round over bit using the trusty old router and have put several hours of elbow grease into it. I'd like to finish it but if it's done for, so be it.

Hey Light! If you're out there...sure would appreciate some advice.
 
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punkin said:
Is there anything a DIY'r can do to salvage this? I was thinking of a screw plate like some of my fenders have to help stabilize it or maybe even drill out a portion of the crack and inject some epoxy.
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NO EPOXY FOR GUITAR REPAIRS, EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Get that tattooed on the inside of your eyelids before you start trying to fix guitars.


I'm serious here, epoxy has no place in any guitar repair, period. Ever.


The best thing for that kind of stuff (though I can say for sure, `cause I haven't seen the guitar) is to work some glue in there (hide glue is great, but a major pain to work with, so you can just water down some Tightbond a bit and it will work fine), and then clamp it up. Of course, if it is really fine and in a structurally unimportant place (which would not include the neck pocket) you can just run in some thin cyanoacrylate (Super Glue), but that isn't the case here.


ez_willis said:
This thread had soooo much potential!
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I was pretty curious about that too.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I don't anything about the Ibanez RG320 but I would second injecting the crack with titebond. It sound as though this guitar doesn't use a plate for attaching the neck so I would also drill out and plug the existing holes in the body and neck. Then I would redrill in new locations and use a strat or tel neck plate.
The plate will reinforce the crack repair. You might want to check the fit between the neck and neck pocket it may have be a bit to tight causing the problem your found. Sounds like a fun project.
 
This is one of those threads where a picture would be really handy. My instinct from what you describe would be to either close it with hide glue, or if the crack is not moving fill with CA and dust. It really depends on how bad it is and how cosmetically good you want the repair to be. If the crack is really bad and it looks like causing a future structural problem it would need to be cleated inside the pocket. To do this you'd route away a section on top of the crack and glue a piece of timber across the crack with the grain running against the existing timber. Not a big job either way. It would also be hidden buy the neck.
 
Thanks all.

After I get my eyelids tatooed I'll head over to Home Depot with my "Epoxy Is Evil" sign :D

I'm posting a couple pics but they're pretty shoddy. Simply couldn't get a good and up close photo. The crack is tight...no gapiosis to speak of. To get any glue to flow into this crack is going to be next to impossible unless there's a product out there thats really really thin.
 

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punkin said:
Thanks all.

After I get my eyelids tatooed I'll head over to Home Depot with my "Epoxy Is Evil" sign :D

I'm posting a couple pics but they're pretty shoddy. Simply couldn't get a good and up close photo. The crack is tight...no gapiosis to speak of. To get any glue to flow into this crack is going to be next to impossible unless there's a product out there thats really really thin.
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Thin CA is you best bet. It will "wick" in no problem. Don't use a kicker to set it off let it cure n it's own. I wouldn't Imagine you'll have a problem with it opening up more once it's bolted up. If you do then you'll need to cleat it as I described.
 
muttley600 said:
Thin CA is you best bet. It will "wick" in no problem. Don't use a kicker to set it off let it cure n it's own. I wouldn't Imagine you'll have a problem with it opening up more once it's bolted up. If you do then you'll need to cleat it as I described.
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Yeah, probably true, though since it is already been striped, I might do some reenforcement around that one screw hole just to be sure. Then again, once you get the screw ferrules in there the weight is pretty well distributed.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
punkin said:
Thin CA?

What that? Is that like super glue?
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CA = Cyanoacrylate = Superglue.

You can get it in different strengths and viscosities. You need to find the one on the shelf that says "thin" and not "gel" of something like that. The kicker is used to set it off and is just an accelerater in a spray can. You don't need that.
 
Ok..but you're not gonna like it.

I'm the stripper:eek:
The crack was free but, now it's gone :(
You can still check my pocket if you like :D
 
muttley600 said:
CA = Cyanoacrylate = Superglue.

You can get it in different strengths and viscosities. You need to find the one on the shelf that says "thin" and not "gel" of something like that. The kicker is used to set it off and is just an accelerater in a spray can. You don't need that.
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Right - I've had thin CA used on cracks in my granite countertops - the cracks are very thin with no way to spread them and the CA flows right in.
 
Turned out excellent! I picked up some "super glue" and it flowed right in. Sanded the surface after it dried and looks great! Thanks all.
 
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