Neodymium magnets are a great boon for many things- as others have pointed out, I have also used them at times for clamping cleats in place more easily than the tuner trick, as long as I have landmarks inside for positioning by feel- just want to be careful positioning cleat and inner magnet and then apply the outer one straight down rather than approaching from the side to avoid pulling the inner assembly sideways. One thing, though- when using magnets to align an initial crack glue-up, I now make a point of making sure I’ve got a bit of wax paper between the magnet and the guitar top to prevent the magnet from sticking to glue squeeze-out on the top of the instrument.
Awesome work. I've seen others repair cracks and made it so much more complicated. Clamps blocks and what not. Cool freebie tool too. Saw that method used once before. Thumbs up on this repair.
I love your technique! Several years ago I talked a music store manager into selling me a nice Alvarez guitar that had developed a crack in the top while hanging in a window display facing the street in front of his business. I paid $50.00 for the $500.00 guitar. I took it home and went to work on the crack. Having no clamps to get inside the sound hole, I worked some glue into the crack, then used rare earth magnets to clamp cleats on the inside. I have always been nervous that the magnets did not provide enough clamping force to properly adhere the cleats, but that was 7 or 8 years ago and I still play that $50.00 guitar every day. At least now if those cleats come loose, I know to drill some holes and make a tool like yours to make it right so my grandchildren can inherit that Alvarez some day!
Small point. possibly of translation; technically the crack is in the upper part. of the lower bout. Very impressive but I think R Scott, below, has good ideas.
I'm like R Scott down below, using the magnets to hold the cleats in place while the glue sets up. My customers would never come back if I drilled multiple 1MM holes in the top of their very expensive guitar. Refinishing that to match is actually much harder than you make it look. Tinting to an aged finish is hard. Actually, I use a rubber covered clamp across the top to bring the crack together once the glue is in place. In ten years of doing this kind of work, never had a crack I could not get together. Just had a mandolin recently with no less than 7 cracks on front and back - got them all home again. Magnets are a cool idea, though. But forget the holes. Not going there.
I only use this method when all other methods like yours are not possible. I don't drill any holes if there is another solution. Just showing that this is possible too when all other things fail. The holes aren't that difiicult to make them dissapear. Sometimes this is the only thing that works.
I don't know how I missed this video earlier. I have a headstock that I cut off a guitar I was building (a very sad day when I ruined it!) and a two old guitars with cracks to practice on. With a full headstock I can make two three-cleat clamps or perhaps one three-cleat and three one-cleat clamps! Thanks very much for this useful video. Anything new on the way?
Using the tensioner device and a poly bagged backing plate I have pulled cracks back together. The better the wood glue the more important the poly bag.
liked the magnets......... not so sure about drilling a hole and pulling on the cleat....... surely just put pressure on it from the inside without having to drill a hole
That's cool. But why don't you put a thin wooden board between the magnets and the top of the guitar (inside and outside)? That would apply the pressure of the magnets more even to the crack.
Hi Ad This video is the mark of a real crafts person at work I had to watch it from start to finish though it was not a solution to the reason i accessed the repair work carried out . I have recently acquired K Mairi acoustic which has had a repair to the bottom end and someone has used a hairdryer to dry the glueing and caused a bloom on the gloss finish . can this be rectified by myself or do i have to take it to a person who knows his trade and has the expertise to deal with it . Thanks for your valued reply .
Also check out the Thompson Crack Repair System, offered at "Stewie". Uses 3/8" thick Lexan, with .3125, (5/16") radius on the clamping caul sections. !/4" Dia. X 1/4" long, and 1/4" dia. x 1/2"-3/4", (?) long Rare Earth Magnets, pressed into the Lexan. Of course, if you are DIY'ing as I am, you'll have to make your own wooden cleats! Good part is NO hole drilling/patching, YAY! Gb bg
But... you have those strong ring magnets. If they're strong enough to hold that crack flat for gluing they should be plenty strong enough to hold a cleat in place without needing to put holes in the guitar top.
I'd like to say that we must look at the cause of cracking and that is lack of moister I would place a bowl of water in the guitar for 3days before working and then tell the Clint to use a sound hole humidifier from now on
Hi Bruce you are right, but this crack was caused by an accident and here in the Netherlands the humidity is almost always above 80%; we live near the sea. At the time of this repair it had been raining for several days and the humidity was above 95%.
Jammer dat de meer specialistische trucjes niet wat meer in closeup zijn gefilmd. Ik kan het, misschien omdat ik niet echt kan zien wat je doet, maar ook omdat ik de ik de volgorde niet snap, persoonlijk niet volgen: NADAT je de delen al aan elkaar hebt gelijmd en de resterende opening al met verdunde secondenlijm hebt gevuld zijn er toch nog openingen, waar je een e-snaar doorheen kan trekken om van onder af iets omhoog te trekken ? Verder begrijp ik niet dat je eerst, nog aan het begin van de reparatie, zegt dat je 'nooit tape op een gitaar moet gebruiken' en als je bijna klaar bent aan de binnenkant juist iets met dubbele tape aanbrengt.
Beste Ad Ten eerste bedankt voor de fantastische video! Ik had een vraag. De shellac die je gebruikt om de lak op te laten leven. Kan je die op elke vernis ondergrond gebruiken? Ik heb pas een keer met shellak gewerkt en dat is lang geleden toen ik een jaar meubel restauratie had gedaan. Vriendelijke groet Susanne
wow, the things you learn. brilliant! need some advice tho. I'm restoring an old cheap guitar with limited funds, it has been treated badly, crappy, degrading paint job, the list goes on. there is a crack starting from the neck heel and goes bout 8" down back of guitar. i'm planning on taking off the paint, staining the wood and finishing with a wax finish of some sort. my question is, should I repair the crack before or after sanding off the paint, and do you think the glue will take on the colour of the stain, or repel it?
I cannot really help you without seeing the guitar. I think I would strip the guitar and repair the crack. You can try the stain on the glue you use on a piece of wood before working on the guitar!
I made one of these because I have a couple of Ovations with small cracks (who don't right) but it works fantastically. I made a couple of what I think are improvements but I have already repaired mine AND a few others as well. Thank you so much for this, it's brilliant!
@kiki the gerbil I always show things the way they go and I have done this repairs with 10000$ Martins as well. Never had dings because the magnets fall down without an angle and the sides of the magnets are rounded. Try it yourself!
They are from an old clock indeed. Got them from a clockmaker who had a box full of old clock weights! I use them for all kind of things in my shop. In the Netherlands we have specialised shops for all kind of magnets and they are very cheap.
loved the idea ...but a little suggestion...I felt that I video was unnecessarily long ,it could be edited out and make it shorter for the convenience of the people watching ur videos ...and also the angle of the camera was not really satisfying ...I guess u need atleast 2 camera sir (one from different angle for closer view and another for the entire frame another for )
Jack Lairenlakpam The detail given in the extra video is welcome. This isn’t “How to make Mac and cheese” This is fine craftsmanship and DESERVES a lengthy video. Be grateful he posts these videos at all.
I used to use the same method with a modified tuner and guitar string for cleating cracks back in the late 70's & early 80's, but now I find that using a pair of magnets for each cleat, I can do the job without making the tiny hole necessary for passing the string through the top. I use a little double stick tape to temporarily affix the cleat to the inside magnet. The ones I use are so strong that having the top and cleat between them still allows for plenty of pressure to "clamp" cleat to top.
This was by far the best way that I've seen on RU-vid to fix cracked guitars that doesn't show any glue lines! Might try this technique on my Ovation Balladeer.
I don't know what kind of guitar enthusiast would dislike this video. Well done. Your patience is truly virtuous. I am getting much better at that and my work - in fact, my entire life- has benefited because of it. Keep up the great videos!
THE NAME IS GEORGE AND I AM FROM GREECE. I DON'T KNOW VERY GOOD ENGLISH SORRY. I AM A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN BUT WE ALSO DEAL WITH MAKING BOUZOUKI BUT I ALSO REPAIR GUITAR. I LOVED YOUR WORK VERY MUCH. IF YOU ALLOW ME, I GOT AN IDEAS FOR CONSTRUCTION. VERY GOOD WORK WELL DONE
Hi Ad. Can I translate your videos about the classical guitar building, for my language (portuguese) and reupload to my channel? There is few information in portuguese, about luthierie and yours videos are amazing, very educational. Obviously, I'll give you all the credits and put the original video link.
Hi Ronei; I had to think about it for a few days and actually don't know if there is a youtube policy about these things. So if anyone knows more about this subject I would like to know it. These vids are very important for me and maybe someone can help me to make the right decission. So I'll wait a couple of weeks to see if anyone has a suggestion. Hope uoiu don't mind!
0:35 Why waste time doing this? Only to then cut the string off? It’s a nylon strung guitar at low tension, just cut the strings as they were and save a lot of unnecessary effort 😮🇬🇧🙏
yes....I use magnets too. I usually put tape on the bottom of the top magnets so as not to possibly scratch the guitar. I also use top and inside magnets to glue/hold the wood tabs in place. I take a small piece of putty to hold the tab to the inside magnet, (blue tape the magnets to the top so they stay in position.) Then when you install the inner tabs/magnets they self align because of the pull from magnets taped on top. COOL
I like your clamp idea. I have an issue with the back plate of an Autoharp, where the back got a lengthy crack, and was pushed inward, when it was dropped by its past owner. It received other damage issues at the same time, which I was able to correct easily, back to normal again. It's a tight squeeze working inside an Autoharp with such a small opening on its face, but I think your idea will work in getting a good solid repair on this harp, and flattening the damaged crack area back to close to normal again. Going to give it a try. Thanks for idea.
Great jig and repair. It just so happens that I've got a classical with exactly the same crack fault. So this was a timely catch, with some nice soothing and very appropriate background music. (BTW - I thought the first track was so catchy, that I had to pick up the classical and play along, now I've learned the whole tune, though I wish I knew what it was called (?) So.... Vriendelijk bedankt Meneer Ad van Kuijk ! Bijdragen.
Hi, I believe the repair with Titebond and CA glue would had been efficient enough for this repair. Your technique is similar to piano soundboard rib separation repair work. Having to breach the wood with a drill only to make another repair for your self is overkill in my opinion with a guitar. Titebond glue is stronger than the fibers holding wood together. Adding CA adds additional strength. CA glue is a piano technicians best friend for strong permanent repairs on items in a piano that take way more abuse than a guitar ever would.
This video is great and a big help for repairing my old guitar.Thank you! But what can I do ,if the sound hole is to small to get in it with my arm? ... and can you please tell me the Dimensions of the little blocks ? ...by the way...the tool is cool :)
Well, it might be free to you, but Titebond and CA glue and rare earth magnets are not free, or an old headstock or even spruce cleats if you can find any.
During my thirty years at the bench i often used a tool like this, but would NEVER use it on the top of a guitar with a soundhole. For back cracks in F-hole guitars, yes.......but NEVER where i could reach in and touch the crack. Simply use your good magnets to pull the cleats against the crack.....fool proof and no holes in the top, no matter how small.
Hope you good day. New model D45 D28 Martin style acoustic guitar, photos can be sent as per request. Model info please refer to website: www.bestgrandmusic.com Any interests, please advise. Regards, Anna Bestamp-Guitar
Yeah, bitch! Magnets! I use polyurathane construction glue for reparing guitars. Also I use wooden dowels cut to the proper lenght to apply presure to the 'cleets' or braces when glueing them from the inside. I would never drill holes through the top for something like this. Someone else mentioned here in the comments that he uses magnets for the cleets also.
Wouldn't the magnets (and some protective textile) work even better to hold the cleets while they set and dry?! That way you wont have to drill and leave more marks.
I only use this way on places that are very difficult to use magnets. There was a fan brace just next to the crack and it was a place I could not reach with my hands. Now I was sure the cleets were exactly on the place I wanted them, with the middle of the cleet exactly on the crack.
I use small earth magnets to repair tops and a string to yank it out without having to drill through the top. They do make small magnets which will fit in tight spots.
Great video, glad 👍 it has subtitles. French polish, hmmm 🤔💭. I'll have to research on how to finish the nitrocellulous and camouflage the repair by matching the Antique Vintage Sunburst colors. I'm fairly confident that my cat woulda knocked over the weights, leaving a dent or two to repair on my Gibson J-45 Rosewood Custom...
Zou je mijn gitaar waar ik heel verliefd op ben nog een kans geven? Het achter blad uit een stuk heeft van de binding losgelaten en er is ook een uitsparing in dat blad zelf ontstaan allemaal gebeurd na een ongelukje ermee. Ondanks die schade en het kraken tijdens bespelen van mijn gitaar zit er een hemelse klank in deze honderd jaar oude Europese Spaanse gitaar. Boven en onder zijn de bladen niet samen geplakt maar uit een stuk en zit er een barst aan de zijkant. Zo omschreven naar beste weten klinkt dit plaatje nogal hopeloos. Zelf denk ik de Stradivarius onder de gitaren in handen te hebben niet alleen door de fenomenale klank en hout soort maar natuurlijk ook omdat ik deze gitaar al zestig jaar in bezit heb en er geen afstand van wil noch kan doen wmb te goed is om als show modelletje aan de muur te hangen en zeker reparatie waardig is ( een grote groene en goud kleur rondje met een M erin boven op de nek) Geen idee welk merk of waar die vandaan komt. Vermoed centraal Europa. Ik klooi aan elke andere gitaar behalve aan deze uit angst hem te bederven en onbespeelbaar te maken. Wat zou jij doen en ik wil hem best eenkeer aan je laten zien. zou wel moeten anders kan je er niks van zeggen en of me gitaar te repareren valt. Groet
Thank you for posting, I enjoy your videos so very much and always learn something I never thought of and haven't ever seen before. Today there were three things I picked up from you that I will be able to use immediately! You did some nice work on this instrument. I am curious, did you do any humidification while you had this guitar, it looked so terribly dry.
At 0:15 you incorrectly identify the section of the guitar where the crack is located. That is actually the lower bout not the upper bout! The widest section of the guitar body furthest from the neck is the lower bout and as you get closer to the neck, the most narrow section is the waist and closest to the neck is the upper bout.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I got a Fender cd140 given to me as an add on bonus to a trade (good dealing) it has the same crack same area. This will be a $300 profit with some elbow grease in the shop and your technique and homemade tool.
