Repairing a cracked side

[Larry G]

Somehow the side of one of my classical guitars was severely cracked - I suspect while I was transporting it in a soft gig bag, somebody closed a hatchback rather forcefully on it. The crack is right along the middle of the side, with the grain, and I'm wondering how one might go about repairing it?

Repairs seem like a whole other world compared to construction (and I'm tardy in posting my own works-in-progress in that regard). I'm wondering whether I should try to fill it with epoxy, how much to worry about repairing the cosmetics, and in particular will it need additional reinforcement along the inside of the side? If so, should I use a material like fiberglass cloth and epoxy or go with a wood patch?

I noticed we don't have a "repair" section on the board - is that considered too off-topic?

[ken cierp]

Tricky job --- I think Stew Mac has the required tools (you could make your own) and a video to show how its done.

[Tim Benware]

Is the crack aligned or misaligned? If misaligned you'll have to pull it into alignment, that takes a special clamp. If it's aligned, you can work glue into the crack, clamp it flat until dry and then add a couple cleats or a side reinforcement to the inside to keep it stable. Pics help.

[Larry G]

I think the crack is reasonably well aligned. Would I fill with a mixture of epoxy and rosewood sawdust for coloring?

[Tim Benware]

Bad one. If you just want to stabilize it, carefully clean out chipped finish and any unattached small wood fibers, refinishing markers can color the wood to blend it back to the finish color (if you have any, Harbor Freight actually carries some). Mix a slightly diluted batch of Titebond original glue and water (I would NOT use epoxy, very messy) and work it into the joint (you can use a small household suction cup to pump the glue into the joint), carefully wipe off the excess glue and clamp it up. I would dry clamp it several times prior to doing any work to check everything out first. You don't want to use the glue as "filler" if there are any gaps in that crack, they ideally should be filled with a splint. It looks like it cracked along the kerf line, a couple cleats along that line will help hold it in place.

A more invisible repair will require professional work.

[Larry G]

Thanks everyone. It'll be a month or two before I tackle the repair (finishing up a build at the moment), but I'll post the results when I do.