Dint repair

[Bullet]

Hi all,

I have a simple problem - I have gouged 2 magnificent dints into the back of my guitar when leveling the back strip.

I know I know ... Schoolboy error... Shouldn't have picked up the phone , should've taken more care ....!

Anyway the back is about the right thickness so I either (i) turn it over and have no back strip (boring as it looks nice) or (ii) somehow repair the dings. I've attached a photo of my brain fade - you can see the dints about midway up the back on the RHS of the back strip.

Any ideas for repair would be appreciated.

Cheers Jason

[Kim]

Hard to see on the phone. If this is a crush dint then try wetting them well and heat with a hot iron. The steam will expand the crushed fibres and give you a better idea of what you have to work with.

[Bullet]

Hi Kim

No it's just a gouge taken out with the corner of the hand plane. Dumb I know. Was thinking of filling with something. Or could be left, it's not the end of the world.

Cheers Jason

[Kim]

Bugga! It may be worth steaming anyway just to pull it up prior to filling with dustfrom the same wood and CA glue. Get the dust for filling using a file, that will avoid contamination with abrssive particles

[Bullet]

Ok thanks for the advice Kim

I like the look of the backstrip and can't fit another one the other side as the join will become too weak I think.

So I will fill. I've never done it with CA and dust before. Do you just mix and then fill presumably. Obviously working quickly, and then scrape or sand flat ?

Cheers

[Nick]

Try Kim's dust fill & then 'colour' in the dark grain lines with a pencil or mixed stain applied with a very fine tipped brush of a similar colour just to keep the look right. But then of course the 'graining' would have to be done just before the finish goes on.
I remember seeing Dan Erlewine use a similar technique some years ago but can't remember if it was on one of my StewMac finish repair vids or on youtube? Might be worth a search.

[charangohabsburg]

Hello Jason,

Frank Ford came to mind while I was reading your post and looking at the picture. Frank Ford has made kind of a skin transplantation from the opposite side of the veneer... Well, that was on a spruce top, but I don't see a reason why it should not work with a hardwood - only that it would be harder...

This is what and how Frank Ford solved the problem: click here!

It might be worth a try. If the procedure fails, just inlay an abalone Mickey Mouse - or fill with wood dust and glue.

[deadedith]

Using a file to make dust: makes so much sense, but I'd not heard that before. Thx for the tip.

[nnickusa]

I reckon it'd be worth trying the fixes, but if they don't work to your liking, why not just but your back reinforcement on, over the back strip, and do another back strip on the other side. The reinforcement ought to hold it all together, no?

[Philstix]

I've done the Frank Ford fix on spruce using carving tools to make the cuts. You can get very good results in a light colored wood like spruce. In a dark wood, done well, I think it would be almost invisible.

[Bullet]

Hi all

Thanks for the advice. Think I'll fill and if it looks acceptable that'll do. If not I'll spin over and do another back strip

Cheers all

Jas

[kiwigeo]

To reduce risk of chew out I use a cabinet scraper or scraper plane to work the back strip flush.

[Paul B]

If it looks crap when you fill it, turn it over.

The label should cover the gouge marks when they're inside the guitar and nobody will ever know!

[Steve_E]

I did that once and had good results grafting in a new piece. I carefully used a gouged and cleaned out the dent, then used the same gouge to slice out a graft from a cutoff that was fairly close in grain. Sealed and superglued it in. After a bit of sanding and some more superglue, it was almost invisible.

Good luck.
Steve