Hello from Michigan. Interesting coincidence. This technique worked like a charm on two guitars of mine. I practiced on my old classical. Then repaired my favorite Taylor. Thanks again for sharing your expertise.
Kind of late I know, but if he would have just sanded and cleaned it up a little, it would have looked better. The CA glue is clear and you can see it was applied over dirt. also I would have found a little piece of wood or some sawdust for that hole in the binding. Not trying to cut your boy down, he is 10 times the Luthier than I'll ever be.
i'm able to refine my technique every time i watch one of your videos. if i were able to access your shop in my area i'd just bring my instrument to you. thanks again.
Learning this trick has brought a lot of return business. I haven’t been successful though with Yairi, and Gibson’s.. thinking it’s the nitro but not positive
Well, I suppose some would find that exceptable, but the discoloration would drive me nuts.I know that without refinishing the whole surface, not much else can be done, but that's just me. I guess that's the perfectionist in me. BTW, I use crazy glue instead of CA glue. Works well.
excellent video, would you consider doing one on identifying different finishes? i've done a lot of patch repairs like this, but now i'm wondering how many i should have used lacquer for rather than CA.
Nice video. Not trying to be ugly, but couldn’t you have cleaned the dirt out before sealing it in permanently with super glue? Or perhaps clean and lightly stain it to make it less visible? Just curious as to why you didn’t do this? You obviously took your time and put a good effort into this repair. Just wondering why you would leave out this crucial step? Was it at the request of the customer? Would it have caused more damage? Thanks for any input.
In hindsight, it probably would have been better to clean the area before proceeding with the finish repair. A lot of what you see in the video is wood oxidation too and not dirt. Many times I would do things differently if the client would let me. Most are on a tight budget so I am limited as to how much work I can do on the instrument.
Before sanding down the filled area, should one not mask off the surrounding good area and then use a much smaller size sanding block and paper? In this demo, were you not unneccessarily scratching a large area of good existing finish during the sanding process?
taab7 I'm guessing her did that so it would match the rest of the guitar and so it wouldn't look like a patch job. As you can see after he buffed and polished it the guitar looked incredible
Is there a way to repair a dirty-ish, discolored crack (like this one) to a more invisible state? Diligently tweaking the colors, etc. If so, I'd love to see you do a video on that one day. Keep it in mind. And thanks for all the vids regardless, they are priceless.
I noticed that the finish on the back & sides of the guitar appears to be delaminating. I have a customer's guitar (a Tacoma DM18) doing the same thing. The top is okay, but the back & sides are peeling like a bad sunburn.
great tip. love the razor blade trick :) ..why would anyone not want to refinish their guitar? it seems re-varnishing would be the best fix..am I wrong? I've got a few damaged string instruments coming my way and I really wanted to preserve their wethered look so this is PERFECT for that. really appreciative.
You spoke briefly about a catalysed finIsh versus a lacquer finish. Is there a way of discerning what kind of finish an acoustic guitar has just by looking at it or does one have to try to contact the manufacturer (which could be impossible given that so many of them no longer exist.) Have you posted any videos showing minor repairs to a lacquer finish?
All I know is that lacquer gets really sticky when it warms up , for example when you play a gig for an hour or so, you can put your fingerprint into the neck finish. Catalysed finish should not do this, but I'm no expert.
This way can make the surface smooth ! Great! you use CA glue to replace missing wood, could you have another method to recover to orginal color of surface also? it will be perfect.
alfre wong Yes, There are techniques for coloring wood to match the old patina but that wasn't the focus of this video and the client didn't want to do that due to cost.
Thanks for showing this process, used it on my 1969 Höffner 12 string to fill some damages on the top (only had superglue, but it worked pretty good). But I have a Gibson classic guitar, about the same age, which was left in the case for too long and got too dry , with a crack at about the same place but right next to the kerfing so I can't use cleats. As the crack on the guitar in the video looks very similar I wonder how you fixed it. Just gluing and clamping? What, if any, reinforcement would be appropriate to keep it from cracking again. Once the crack is fixed your video for fixing the outside is a great help, thank you ! BTW I am from the Netherlands
It is difficult to cleat a crack that is right p next to the kerfing. Usually the CA glue trick is enough. Also keep the guitar humidified. Greetings from Colorado!
Does this method work for both lacquer and polyurethane finishes? I’ve done quite a few of these before on polyurethane but never tried on lacquer. I’ve got a Martin with a crack on my workbench now and just want to confirm that it is the correct method before beginning the repair.
I own a guitar with a similar crack. Is there a video showing how you repaired the crack itself before moving on to the finish repair? Thanks! Awesome video man!
Since it's been almost 4 years since this video has been released, can you list the proper Maguiars polishes that you use now? Not sure I can find exactly what you have in this video, so I thought I'd ask. Thanks!
if CA were not available, would you use hot hide glue for this type of repair?? Im glad you made the distinguish about poly and lacquer finishes using CA for repair and drop fills.
dear Robert, thanks for all of your hard work and sharing I have a question - Can shellac finish be applied onto (or over, whichever makes sense) CA glue?
Thanh Huynh Thank you for watching my videos. I am glad you are finding them useful. Yes, shellac can be applied over or under CA glue. I usually do a shellac seal coat and then apply CA glue to the area I am trying to repair. Once level you can applly more shellac over that. Hope this helps.
Hello Robert. I just came across your channel watching this seven year old video and now I have subscribed just to see how things are done by a professional luthier. I am not one but just a guitar nerd. I do have a personal question about my Martin 1971 D35. I am the original owner and it’s in remarkable shape and I want to keep it that way. Are there any particular cleaners and polishers that she would recommend. I have used Martin’s cleaner and polishing, Gibson polish and even car polish but I want to make sure that I’m not doing the wrong thing. Thank you very much
Thanks for this video Robert. When I’ve done this with cracks before I can get to a great smooth finish, but I’ve noticed it seems to darken the spruce top along the crack line. Is there any way to avoid that?
I am an amateur but I have a couple of inexpensive guitars that need dents/dinks taking out ofthem.I would like to attempt to do this myself and will be studying video's like yours as I go along: I have one question-how do you know when to move from one grit of paper to another?
+beanoalbum1966 Be careful that you do not make the defect worse. This is easy to do so proceed with caution. You move to the next paper to remove the marks from the previous grit paper.
Most types of glue will be darker when repairing a crack. The exceptions are fish and hide glue. They are less noticeable if done right.The moral of the story here is to take care of your instrument so it doesn't get cracks that need to be repaired.
Great stuff.....I have a question, i've got an old Epiphone model 6830 bolt on neck, with the all to common problem of the neck pushing back on the rosette and it raising up, Is there a way to fix this or should I just retire this one to it's case ? I mainly have this for sentimental values, it was my Dads.........Thanks any advise will be helpful.......Thanks
There is a way to fix it but I probably would have a professional luthier that deals with kind of stuff on a daily basis take a look under the hood to see if it is salvageable.
I am curious without any credentials to promote my suggestion. Being that there was a whitening effect due to the disruption of the original finish lifting from the wood (flaking), wouldn't it have been effective to supply a vibration to the instrument after the application of the various 'glues', especially the lightest viscosity, in order for the liquid to migrate under and into the furthest recesses possible? Connectedly, in as much as the CA glue is capable of being the final 'finish' in the repaired area, might it not have been a workable idea to start the repair process by eliminating the currently flaking edge by use of wet sanding or whatever degree of abrasion or 'cutting' as you see fit, and then proceed with the repair? By doing that I was thinking it would eliminate any chance of a whitened seam where glue did not get fully under the original finish, as well as making for a flatter even surface as it will not consist of the original along with a CA level atop. Just ideas, and again, from a wholly unqualified source.
you're doing it so cool that it seems everybody can do it! thanks for sharing this. i have Ramirez(CG) sadly i found a crack just along side the neck on the finishing. it's not a deep crack i guess it doesn't reach into the wood part. how can i repair it? is it ok if i fallow this method of yours without damaging the finishing?
DEAR Robert 2 things you know the part of that top that was brownish sort of oxydizwd or roted dont you want to try to scrape down the the whiter wood is it ok to leave it that way ? now i tryed some thing that worked great for me! i took# 1500 sand paper and rubbed a small amount of compound on it then whith circular motions rubbed it till it burnished to a high gloss on shellac took elbow grease and time but it worked like a charm could see my reflection and ialso want to ask lets say you tune the b string to pitch and you play D on the third fret and its a little off can that be fixed? how and why dose that happen even on new guitars?
Bruce, there are always several ways to do things. The best course of action is one that you and your client agree on. This client didn't want to spend much for the repair. Once the structural issue was addressed the cosmetic issue wasn't much concern for him. So, I took the approach I did in the video. It was the least invasive and least expensive.
What you are experiencing on the 3rd fret of the B string is due to compensation, or should I say the lack of it. The builder or factory that made your guitar probably didn't add compensation to the overall scale length and this could be why your guitar plays out of tune. If this is the case it gets worse the higher up the fretboard you go. As someone famous once said, "there's no money above the 5th fret anyway." haha
my guitar has a crack on the neck it not that big but it big enough to feel it it's really bothering me can i use this method to like patch to the point where i cant feel it ?
Very informative and helpful, you are really good at what you and generous with your knowledge. And great skill. I heard someone here mention doing the same repair with PVA glue. CA is not anything common here in New Zealand. I use a lot of what's called Selley's Aquadhere - it's a polyaliphatic cross linking PVA. Would that work if I followed your demo and just apply it water-diluted first, followed by thicker applications? Thanks.
I would probably just use a hide glue or fish glue if I didn't have access to CA glue. Thanks for watching my videos. Glad you are finding them useful.
Thanks for Ur reply,didnt know what else I could possibly say , Let a fan hold my guitar for pics and she dropped it! Kaput!LOL! The edge molding came off first then the inner binding,duct tape great for an ER temp solution, found a repair man in the Bronx NYC who has the parts to sell me. Thanks again "The Songster"
@@OBrienGuitars Thanks for your videos * the clear coat of my guitar on the top after the process no matter how much super glue applied at the end when I use the razor and sand paper and polished the finish to have the glossy result, I look closely is that restored part and is sunk in front of the rest, not perfectly flat. Is there any way to achieve a repair that is perfectly flat compared to the rest of the finish? That does not remain that piece sunk? But totally flat? Thank you
@@butcher_0392 You need to build up that area with the glue and be careful when sanding to use a hard block. If not you will sand a low area into the finish.
Robert, greetings from Brazil! I´ve seen some of your vids and wanted to ask if u know where to buy these pipets here in Brazil, i found a bunch online but they dont have the narrow long tips. Thank very much for these awesome lessons! Im sure the 2nd Guitar show here will be amazing!
Can I ask about the mando looking guitar on in your room on the wall behind you during the introduction, That for playing like a piccolo guitar or what is that? As always love the videos Mr OBrien.
Great Tip Robert Thanks, Can you help me? i tried to install the strap button on mi daughter brand new acoustic guitar but i installed it in the side of the guitar close to the neck so when she tried it for the first time the wood gave up and now i have a hole on the guitar the size of the strap button, that was a few weeks ago and i lost the little piece of wood that came off i was wondering if you can recommend a way to fill this hole and repair the black finish. hope you can help me. thanks in advance. Regards Charly A. Juarez Mexico.
Hello. My Gibson accoustic with a nitro finish has a remarkable damage due to a cheap guitar stand that melted an area around a cm long on the back neck . There are no luthiers in my city working with nitrocellulose finishes. What would you suggest? For me, levelling the surface is more important than the visual look because you feel the milimeter deep hole during playing and it really annoys.
I tried this method on a an old 1977 Kiso Suzuki guitar (Martin D35 clone) with a PU finish, and the CA glue let some dark spots on the drop fill zone, like if it burnt the lacquer. Did you ever experienced that issue/reaction? Thanks for the answer Robert.
Great video! I've got a guitar with a crack in the same location. I can't fit a cleat under the crack due to the close proximity of the kerfing. Is it acceptable just to use the kerfing as a "cleat"?
+Dirt Farmer If it isn't deeper than the finish just level and buff the area. Make sure it is nitro and not a polyester or urethane that builds in layers. Also be careful if there are color coats. Good luck.
So are you saying to use nitrocellulose to level it? It is on a 2005 Eric Johnson Artist Series strat that is off white in color. I think the color is next to the wood then a clear of nitrocellulose is applied on top but I really don't know.Thank you.
+OBrienGuitars Question along with Dirt Farmer's question; I have an Ibanez solidbody electric with wood stain finish and the clearcoat has a chip. The woodstain is not affected. The chip has left some white cracklines around the inner part of the chip. From what I have read, the claercoad for all Japan models are Polyester. I was all ready to try the superglue method until I just read your comment " Make sure it is nitro and not a polyester or urethane that builds in layers" .....Why? Should I not try this on my Ibanez with Polyester clear coat? I was hoping the thin CA would fill in the white cracks in the chip....whats wrong with CA on Polyester?
+mojo321100 It will probably work. Keep in mind I have not seen pics and it is very hard to offer advice without seeing something. Recently someone sent me pics of a guitar that had a polyester satin finish on it and the CA glue damaged this type finish. I had never seen this happen on polyester so anything is possible. Proceed at your own risk.
+Dirt Farmer I don't know. You said it was a scratch in the clear coat that didn't go to the color coat underneath, so if this is truly the case and the finish is indeed nitro then just level it with wet sandpaper and buff to a gloss. Don't grow through to the color coat and make sure it is nitro.
many so called spray paints are lacquer based and will work well on guitars. If you want to spray over an existing already finished guitar you may have adhesion issues so precautions should be taken.
I have a fairly new natural finish (Maple), Epiphone EJ-200 that got a cut fiber dent in the soundboard. This was caused when a stage hand bumped into the hard case cover and a latch tongue impacted into the lower, rear bout of the guitar while I was putting it back into the case. Would it be a good idea to use the hot iron and damp towel method, to raise the dent prior to patching the finish?
I just dropped my 12 string guitar and i have the same crack on the lower body like that guitar My question wich other glue can you use for it i live in the netherlands and have other sorts of glue here.
To repair the wood you can use hide glue, fish glue or yellow glue. The advantage of the CA glue is that you can use it to repair the crack in the wood and the finish.
Hi sorry for my english, I'm french. I would like to know when you have sand down the wood, what do you use to varnish (japan) the wood where you sand down. To have the same color and aspect of the rest of the guitar ? is that only the clear plastic polish and cleaner ?
By the way, I gotta ask some tips for repairing a chip off the finish of the backside of my guitar. The finish kinda flicked off when it slid down a concrete floor. It's about a size of a fingernail and I can see the raw wood in it. I could have glued the chipped off piece back in to seal it but I couldn't find it. Is there any filling technique that I could do to fix it?
+OBrienGuitars Thanks for taking the time to reply Brien. It's a Yamaha F310, I think the finish is a laminated top and back acoustic. The part that's chipped off is as big as a fingernail and as thick as a credit card. I could see the raw wood underneath it. You could picture it as a huge puzzle with one missing piece. If only I could find it, I could just glue it back. But it's been lost for over 3 weeks now. I guess it's totally gone. Any tips?
Hello from Michigan. Interesting coincidence. This technique worked like a charm on two guitars of mine. I practiced on my old classical. Then repaired my favorite Taylor. Thanks again for sharing your expertise.
Glad to hear it worked for you. Thanks for watching!
O'brien's repairs is something one could watch just for the fun of it, even if one never had touched a guitar - true art.
this was amazing. and the part with scraping the glue with the taped razor.... immensely satisfying.
Should have used some light paint to dab the area before applying the glue, so the darker crack would be less visible.
Kind of late I know, but if he would have just sanded and cleaned it up a little, it would have looked better. The CA glue is clear and you can see it was applied over dirt. also I would have found a little piece of wood or some sawdust for that hole in the binding. Not trying to cut your boy down, he is 10 times the Luthier than I'll ever be.
Thanks for another great capsule Robert. You are teaching me the patience I didn't have!
Maybe it's because I'm undertaking some work like this tomorrow, but this might be the best TH-cam video ever.
i'm able to refine my technique every time i watch one of your videos. if i were able to access your shop in my area i'd just bring my instrument to you. thanks again.
Thanks for the compliment
Very good professor. Grande abraço desde Brasil 🙏🏿
Great idea using the taped ends razor blade, as a leveler. -Thanks
Eric Redelius old autobody tip for removing paint runs.
Great Robert! Thanks for sharing. I will try this on my old Yairi classical guitar.
9 years great video
Done like a true professional! Nice work, and thank you for sharing knowledge like this so others can learn from your experience.
Thanks for watching. Glad you found it useful.
Wet sand all the things. Seriously don't matter what it is, if its got a gloss finish wet sand and cutting compound/buff works every time.
Learning this trick has brought a lot of return business. I haven’t been successful though with Yairi, and Gibson’s.. thinking it’s the nitro but not positive
Great job Robert. Thank you for your videos.
Thanks for watching. Glad you are enjoying my videos.
Is there a way to pull out some of the dirt in the crack?
you can try naptha
Thank you. I will apply this info to my repair
Well, I suppose some would find that exceptable, but the discoloration would drive me nuts.I know that without refinishing the whole surface, not much else can be done, but that's just me. I guess that's the perfectionist in me. BTW, I use crazy glue instead of CA glue. Works well.
excellent video, would you consider doing one on identifying different finishes? i've done a lot of patch repairs like this, but now i'm wondering how many i should have used lacquer for rather than CA.
+shredpig I have already done a video on that subject. Here it is. th-cam.com/video/nfPw09fe55o/w-d-xo.html
Enjoy!
It would’ve been nice if you told us what type of finish the guitar had on it
Outstanding job Robert keep those videos coming
Thanks for watching. Glad you are enjoying my videos.
thank you
Nice video. Not trying to be ugly, but couldn’t you have cleaned the dirt out before sealing it in permanently with super glue? Or perhaps clean and lightly stain it to make it less visible? Just curious as to why you didn’t do this? You obviously took your time and put a good effort into this repair. Just wondering why you would leave out this crucial step? Was it at the request of the customer? Would it have caused more damage? Thanks for any input.
In hindsight, it probably would have been better to clean the area before proceeding with the finish repair. A lot of what you see in the video is wood oxidation too and not dirt. Many times I would do things differently if the client would let me. Most are on a tight budget so I am limited as to how much work I can do on the instrument.
OBrienGuitars
Thanks for taking time to reply. I figured there were many variables in the equation. Thanks
Jeff in Michigan liked as well
Before sanding down the filled area, should one not mask off the surrounding good area and then use a much smaller size sanding block and paper? In this demo, were you not unneccessarily scratching a large area of good existing finish during the sanding process?
taab7 I'm guessing her did that so it would match the rest of the guitar and so it wouldn't look like a patch job. As you can see after he buffed and polished it the guitar looked incredible
Is there a way to repair a dirty-ish, discolored crack (like this one) to a more invisible state? Diligently tweaking the colors, etc. If so, I'd love to see you do a video on that one day. Keep it in mind. And thanks for all the vids regardless, they are priceless.
I noticed that the finish on the back & sides of the guitar appears to be delaminating. I have a customer's guitar (a Tacoma DM18) doing the same thing. The top is okay, but the back & sides are peeling like a bad sunburn.
great tip. love the razor blade trick :) ..why would anyone not want to refinish their guitar? it seems re-varnishing would be the best fix..am I wrong? I've got a few damaged string instruments coming my way and I really wanted to preserve their wethered look so this is PERFECT for that. really appreciative.
You spoke briefly about a catalysed finIsh versus a lacquer finish. Is there a way of discerning what kind of finish an acoustic guitar has just by looking at it or does one have to try to contact the manufacturer (which could be impossible given that so many of them no longer exist.) Have you posted any videos showing minor repairs to a lacquer finish?
All I know is that lacquer gets really sticky when it warms up , for example when you play a gig for an hour or so, you can put your fingerprint into the neck finish. Catalysed finish should not do this, but I'm no expert.
th-cam.com/video/icnfZtJddCg/w-d-xo.html
@@DynamicRockers - Thx.
This way can make the surface smooth ! Great!
you use CA glue to replace missing wood, could you have another method to recover to orginal color of surface also? it will be perfect.
alfre wong Yes, There are techniques for coloring wood to match the old patina but that wasn't the focus of this video and the client didn't want to do that due to cost.
This kind of repair can be done over sunburst vernish top without demage the original paint?
Thanks
This is a clearcoat finish repair so you need to be very careful when doing over a colored finish
Great job!
Thanks for showing this process, used it on my 1969 Höffner 12 string to fill some damages on the top (only had superglue, but it worked pretty good). But I have a Gibson classic guitar, about the same age, which was left in the case for too long and got too dry , with a crack at about the same place but right next to the kerfing so I can't use cleats. As the crack on the guitar in the video looks very similar I wonder how you fixed it. Just gluing and clamping? What, if any, reinforcement would be appropriate to keep it from cracking again. Once the crack is fixed your video for fixing the outside is a great help, thank you ! BTW I am from the Netherlands
It is difficult to cleat a crack that is right p next to the kerfing. Usually the CA glue trick is enough. Also keep the guitar humidified. Greetings from Colorado!
Great stuff Robert. Thanks so much for sharing!
You are welcome.
Great job. Thank you.
I have a Yamaha FG-410-12 and the back is ungued . How can I repair it and what is the best gue to use?
It is hard for my to give an opinion without seeing the instrument. Probably though, just glue it back with yellow glue.
great job
This really worked!!!!! Thank you very much!!!!!
Thanks for the informative video
Does this method work for both lacquer and polyurethane finishes? I’ve done quite a few of these before on polyurethane but never tried on lacquer. I’ve got a Martin with a crack on my workbench now and just want to confirm that it is the correct method before beginning the repair.
It does work. However, I prefer to use lacquer on lacquer and Gluboost on urethane and polyester.
@@OBrienGuitars Thanks for the info. You and your channel are a wealth of information my friend.
great tips as usual; thanks for sharing your expertise
Thank you for watching.
Good job
I own a guitar with a similar crack. Is there a video showing how you repaired the crack itself before moving on to the finish repair? Thanks! Awesome video man!
+Jason Keating Try these th-cam.com/video/cxwLGbVui8k/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/Q6782J_zJLs/w-d-xo.html
a pipette? what the hell is that? where do I get one?
Since it's been almost 4 years since this video has been released, can you list the proper Maguiars polishes that you use now? Not sure I can find exactly what you have in this video, so I thought I'd ask. Thanks!
if CA were not available, would you use hot hide glue for this type of repair??
Im glad you made the distinguish about poly and lacquer finishes using CA for repair and drop fills.
Edad Martin Sure, you could use hide glue. I would use that just for the wood crack. Then you have to repair the finish. CA glue can do both.
OK, don't forget, if it's any bit old, dirt will change the color. Clean the wood first.
My assumption is if the finish was a lacquer finish you would only use lacquer ?
Very nice but do you think a sliver of wood could work well by glueing it in the binding hole?
+Dirt Farmer You could try it.
dear Robert, thanks for all of your hard work and sharing
I have a question - Can shellac finish be applied onto (or over, whichever makes sense) CA glue?
Thanh Huynh Thank you for watching my videos. I am glad you are finding them useful. Yes, shellac can be applied over or under CA glue. I usually do a shellac seal coat and then apply CA glue to the area I am trying to repair. Once level you can applly more shellac over that. Hope this helps.
Well done. I learned a lot, thanks
You are welcome.
have you ever used furniture powders to replace color for finish repairs?
This is awesome. Thanks a lot.
Thanks for watching. Glad you found the video useful.
6:32 Rip headphone users...
eyyy theres a bouzouki! love your videos!
Thanks for watching.
Can you do a video on repairing a small crack on a Taylor electric acoustic guitar and how to fix it?
I already have several videos addressing crack repair.
Hello Robert. I just came across your channel watching this seven year old video and now I have subscribed just to see how things are done by a professional luthier. I am not one but just a guitar nerd. I do have a personal question about my Martin 1971 D35. I am the original owner and it’s in remarkable shape and I want to keep it that way. Are there any particular cleaners and polishers that she would recommend. I have used Martin’s cleaner and polishing, Gibson polish and even car polish but I want to make sure that I’m not doing the wrong thing. Thank you very much
Glad you are enjoying my channel. Use a non abrasive cleaner/polish with no silicone or wax. The products you mentioned are fine.
Great video! I'm inspired
Thanks for this video Robert. When I’ve done this with cracks before I can get to a great smooth finish, but I’ve noticed it seems to darken the spruce top along the crack line. Is there any way to avoid that?
Yes, you can seal the wood before applying the ca glue and this seems to help.
Good job 👋
Great explanation! Thank you.
Glad you found it useful. Happy Building!
I have fissure cracracks on my neck , can you help me with tips on how to repair
cracks in the finish, wood or both?
@@OBrienGuitars just in the clear
@@scottschmitz6061 some folks drop fill with lacquer, others use CA glue.
Thanks a lot!
I am an amateur but I have a couple of inexpensive guitars that need dents/dinks taking out ofthem.I would like to attempt to do this myself and will be studying video's like yours as I go along: I have one question-how do you know when to move from one grit of paper to another?
+beanoalbum1966 Be careful that you do not make the defect worse. This is easy to do so proceed with caution. You move to the next paper to remove the marks from the previous grit paper.
Parts of the crack at black can you talk about why wood tuns black
Most types of glue will be darker when repairing a crack. The exceptions are fish and hide glue. They are less noticeable if done right.The moral of the story here is to take care of your instrument so it doesn't get cracks that need to be repaired.
Great stuff.....I have a question, i've got an old Epiphone model 6830 bolt on neck, with the all to common problem of the neck pushing back on the rosette and it raising up, Is there a way to fix this or should I just retire this one to it's case ? I mainly have this for sentimental values, it was my Dads.........Thanks any advise will be helpful.......Thanks
There is a way to fix it but I probably would have a professional luthier that deals with kind of stuff on a daily basis take a look under the hood to see if it is salvageable.
I have a crack in just the clear top coat on a headstock. should I use the thin or medium viscosity CA? Thanks in advance.
btm240 same issue here
I am curious without any credentials to promote my suggestion. Being that there was a whitening effect due to the disruption of the original finish lifting from the wood (flaking), wouldn't it have been effective to supply a vibration to the instrument after the application of the various 'glues', especially the lightest viscosity, in order for the liquid to migrate under and into the furthest recesses possible?
Connectedly, in as much as the CA glue is capable of being the final 'finish' in the repaired area, might it not have been a workable idea to start the repair process by eliminating the currently flaking edge by use of wet sanding or whatever degree of abrasion or 'cutting' as you see fit, and then proceed with the repair? By doing that I was thinking it would eliminate any chance of a whitened seam where glue did not get fully under the original finish, as well as making for a flatter even surface as it will not consist of the original along with a CA level atop. Just ideas, and again, from a wholly unqualified source.
If you use a thin viscosity glue it will wick into all places, even those you do not want it to go if you use too much.
Is it better to keep the flaking edge of the damaged area or remove it... before application of the CA ?
you're doing it so cool that it seems everybody can do it! thanks for sharing this. i have Ramirez(CG) sadly i found a crack just along side the neck on the finishing. it's not a deep crack i guess it doesn't reach into the wood part. how can i repair it? is it ok if i fallow this method of yours without damaging the finishing?
Payam Behtash A pitcure would make it easier for me to offer advice.
DEAR Robert 2 things you know the part of that top that was brownish sort of oxydizwd or roted dont you want to try to scrape down the the whiter wood is it ok to leave it that way ? now i tryed some thing that worked great for me! i took# 1500 sand paper and rubbed a small amount of compound on it then whith circular motions rubbed it till it burnished to a high gloss on shellac took elbow grease and time but it worked like a charm could see my reflection and ialso want to ask lets say you tune the b string to pitch and you play D on the third fret and its a little off can that be fixed? how and why dose that happen even on new guitars?
Bruce, there are always several ways to do things. The best course of action is one that you and your client agree on. This client didn't want to spend much for the repair. Once the structural issue was addressed the cosmetic issue wasn't much concern for him. So, I took the approach I did in the video. It was the least invasive and least expensive.
What you are experiencing on the 3rd fret of the B string is due to compensation, or should I say the lack of it. The builder or factory that made your guitar probably didn't add compensation to the overall scale length and this could be why your guitar plays out of tune. If this is the case it gets worse the higher up the fretboard you go. As someone famous once said, "there's no money above the 5th fret anyway." haha
my guitar has a crack on the neck it not that big but it big enough to feel it it's really bothering me can i use this method to like patch to the point where i cant feel it ?
This is a good description. Tnx ! rc
Very informative and helpful, you are really good at what you and generous with your knowledge. And great skill. I heard someone here mention doing the same repair with PVA glue. CA is not anything common here in New Zealand. I use a lot of what's called Selley's Aquadhere - it's a polyaliphatic cross linking PVA. Would that work if I followed your demo and just apply it water-diluted first, followed by thicker applications? Thanks.
I would probably just use a hide glue or fish glue if I didn't have access to CA glue. Thanks for watching my videos. Glad you are finding them useful.
Australian here - CA glue is just plain old super glue.
🎉🎉🎉Amazing!
The face of my acoustic ovation lifted ,the seamed cracked and lost the peices where do I get the wood binding and what glue is best?
YOu haven't given me much to go on. I would probably make my own binding and either use PVA glue or CA glue
apparently, a ca glue will take care of that common problem lickety split. Rosa string works shows the process really nicely.
Thanks for Ur reply,didnt know what else I could possibly say , Let a fan hold my guitar for pics and she dropped it! Kaput!LOL! The edge molding came off first then the inner binding,duct tape great for an ER temp solution, found a repair man in the Bronx NYC who has the parts to sell me. Thanks again "The Songster"
@@OBrienGuitars
Thanks for your videos
* the clear coat of my guitar on the top after the process no matter how much super glue applied at the end when I use the razor and sand paper and polished the finish to have the glossy result, I look closely is that restored part and is sunk in front of the rest, not perfectly flat.
Is there any way to achieve a repair that is perfectly flat compared to the rest of the finish? That does not remain that piece sunk? But totally flat? Thank you
@@butcher_0392 You need to build up that area with the glue and be careful when sanding to use a hard block. If not you will sand a low area into the finish.
Robert, greetings from Brazil! I´ve seen some of your vids and wanted to ask if u know where to buy these pipets here in Brazil, i found a bunch online but they dont have the narrow long tips.
Thank very much for these awesome lessons! Im sure the 2nd Guitar show here will be amazing!
Check with Miguel Cardone of Musictools. If he doesn't have them he will know where to get them.
This video has saved me haha, What grades of micro-mesh were you using?
Can I ask about the mando looking guitar on in your room on the wall behind you during the introduction, That for playing like a piccolo guitar or what is that?
As always love the videos Mr OBrien.
That is a Greek bouzouki that came into the shop for some repair work.
Great Tip Robert Thanks, Can you help me? i tried to install the strap button on mi daughter brand new acoustic guitar but i installed it in the side of the guitar close to the neck so when she tried it for the first time the wood gave up and now i have a hole on the guitar the size of the strap button, that was a few weeks ago and i lost the little piece of wood that came off i was wondering if you can recommend a way to fill this hole and repair the black finish. hope you can help me. thanks in advance. Regards Charly A. Juarez Mexico.
Charly A Hernandez If it is a black finish the repair is easy. Just use a patch and then paint it black again. It will look like new.
thanks I appreciate it. :)
How do you know if it is a lacquer finish or another kind of finish?
if lacquer thinner will dissolve it, then it is lacquer.
@@OBrienGuitars does CA glue work with all finishes?
@@klaytrix7943 I get the best result with CA glue on urethanes and polyesters and lacquer on lacquer.
Cool, would you use the same technique for minor dents in a top?
yes, CA glue can be used for dents in tops. I would only recommend this if you know how to do it.
Great video. Why do you use the polish before the cleaner?
+Mike Drasin either way will work.
What type of glue did you use?
Robert Have you ever used a product called "fill and Finish" for guitars finish repairs?
Yes, works well.
Hello. My Gibson accoustic with a nitro finish has a remarkable damage due to a cheap guitar stand that melted an area around a cm long on the back neck . There are no luthiers in my city working with nitrocellulose finishes. What would you suggest? For me, levelling the surface is more important than the visual look because you feel the milimeter deep hole during playing and it really annoys.
thanks! that was really helpful
Thanks for watching. Glad you found the video useful.
I tried this method on a an old 1977 Kiso Suzuki guitar (Martin D35 clone) with a PU finish, and the CA glue let some dark spots on the drop fill zone, like if it burnt the lacquer. Did you ever experienced that issue/reaction? Thanks for the answer Robert.
If the glue gets into the end grain it can become dark. In this case try sealing the are with shellac first.
is that a bouzouki in the backround?
yes.
what about the bouzouki in the back side?
Greek bouzouki that came in for repair.
Great video! I've got a guitar with a crack in the same location. I can't fit a cleat under the crack due to the close proximity of the kerfing. Is it acceptable just to use the kerfing as a "cleat"?
+Grant Camp Yes, if the crack is over the kerfing then you already have a cleat.
Awesome...thank you!
Nice I am from India good knowledge #Pujasinghvlogger
What would be the best way to fix a deep scratch that isn't deeper than the clear nitrocellulose finish on a Stratocaster.
+Dirt Farmer If it isn't deeper than the finish just level and buff the area. Make sure it is nitro and not a polyester or urethane that builds in layers. Also be careful if there are color coats. Good luck.
So are you saying to use nitrocellulose to level it? It is on a 2005 Eric Johnson Artist Series strat that is off white in color. I think the color is next to the wood then a clear of nitrocellulose is applied on top but I really don't know.Thank you.
+OBrienGuitars Question along with Dirt Farmer's question; I have an Ibanez solidbody electric with wood stain finish and the clearcoat has a chip. The woodstain is not affected. The chip has left some white cracklines around the inner part of the chip. From what I have read, the claercoad for all Japan models are Polyester. I was all ready to try the superglue method until I just read your comment " Make sure it is nitro and not a polyester or urethane that builds in layers" .....Why? Should I not try this on my Ibanez with Polyester clear coat? I was hoping the thin CA would fill in the white cracks in the chip....whats wrong with CA on Polyester?
+mojo321100 It will probably work. Keep in mind I have not seen pics and it is very hard to offer advice without seeing something. Recently someone sent me pics of a guitar that had a polyester satin finish on it and the CA glue damaged this type finish. I had never seen this happen on polyester so anything is possible. Proceed at your own risk.
+Dirt Farmer I don't know. You said it was a scratch in the clear coat that didn't go to the color coat underneath, so if this is truly the case and the finish is indeed nitro then just level it with wet sandpaper and buff to a gloss. Don't grow through to the color coat and make sure it is nitro.
Hi sir! I would like to ask if it is just okay to use spay paint on changing the color of the guitar?
many so called spray paints are lacquer based and will work well on guitars. If you want to spray over an existing already finished guitar you may have adhesion issues so precautions should be taken.
Can you use CA glue on an Electric guitar with a maple top that has a nitro lacquer finish
If you do it properly, yes.
does UV affect Ca repairs at all over time ? will it fade differently ?
Edad Martin I have used CA glue in UV finishes and not noticed any difference.
What brand and type is the medium viscosity glue?
It is from Satellite City and I get it from LMI. www.lmii.com/search?controller=search&s=ca+glue
I have a fairly new natural finish (Maple), Epiphone EJ-200 that got a cut fiber dent in the soundboard. This was caused when a stage hand bumped into the hard case cover and a latch tongue impacted into the lower, rear bout of the guitar while I was putting it back into the case. Would it be a good idea to use the hot iron and damp towel method, to raise the dent prior to patching the finish?
+MsJoaniePH You can try it but a cut fiber will always be seen. It is not just a recessed dent.
I figured as much. Thanks. At least I can reseal the surface. Now to deal with the stage hand...
I just dropped my 12 string guitar and i have the same crack on the lower body like that guitar
My question wich other glue can you use for it i live in the netherlands and have other sorts of glue here.
To repair the wood you can use hide glue, fish glue or yellow glue. The advantage of the CA glue is that you can use it to repair the crack in the wood and the finish.
Does cracks affects sound of guitars and does it gets worst with time?
Hi sorry for my english, I'm french. I would like to know when you have sand down the wood, what do you use to varnish (japan) the wood where you sand down. To have the same color and aspect of the rest of the guitar ? is that only the clear plastic polish and cleaner ?
+Aure L You will need to remove the existing finish and apply a new one. This is sometimes easier said than done. Sometimes doing nothing is best.
Great video! Love it
By the way, I gotta ask some tips for repairing a chip off the finish of the backside of my guitar. The finish kinda flicked off when it slid down a concrete floor. It's about a size of a fingernail and I can see the raw wood in it. I could have glued the chipped off piece back in to seal it but I couldn't find it. Is there any filling technique that I could do to fix it?
same thing here. Pls somebody reply.
I need more info. Clearcoat or color coat? Acoustic or solid body?
+OBrienGuitars Thanks for taking the time to reply Brien. It's a Yamaha F310, I think the finish is a laminated top and back acoustic. The part that's chipped off is as big as a fingernail and as thick as a credit card. I could see the raw wood underneath it. You could picture it as a huge puzzle with one missing piece. If only I could find it, I could just glue it back. But it's been lost for over 3 weeks now. I guess it's totally gone. Any tips?
Can you send me a pic?
Hi Robert ! I have a small circular chip on my Tanglewood TFA guitar . It's top is a cedar , can you give me an advice on how to fix it ? 😭 Thanks 🙂
You might try the glu boost products.
OBrienGuitars how about on natural satin finish ?
How about on natural satin finish ?
you would have to make the repair satin as well.