First Timer

I am going to be starting a repair/restoration project on a P'mico that I suspect was made in the '20s.

I took this instrument to my local luthier's and I was informed that it would cost me about $300 just to get started.

I did not pay much for this ukulele but it has a great sound.

It has a lot of cracks, both front and back, but none of them are large. However, they do go all the way through.

There is also a large indentation on the soundboard, and if you feel inside, you can feel that there is a lateral crack with a little bit of splintering on the inside. However, all the wood is pretty much there. I am pretty sure that if the wood was clamped and glued the dent could be raised.

I do not want to take either the soundboard or the backboard off. ...Yes, I know, I might have to, but I would like to avoid it if possible. There is a white ivoroid or bakelite binding around the edge that probably would not survive the operation. (At least in my inexperienced hands.) Of course taking the backboard off would make everything easier. But I am afraid that I will ruin the uke forever if I try it.

My plan is to try to apply wood glue and cleats to the cracks in the back with a long, possibly curved applicator through the sound hole.

I will apply glue to the back of the indentation/lateral crack and clamp it. I was also wondering whether it would help to put in a small brace? Or would that deaden the sound?

A brace might deaden the sound. If the cracks aren't too major, you might be able to get away with glueing and clamping it.

Here is a photo that shows the crack/indentation. Thanks for the suggestion, hoosierhiver. I guess I might try it without the brace, and then reconsider the brace if it doesn't hold.
OK - weird. I cannot make the photo show up, but if you want to see the instrument, go to my profile and look in my albums. There is an album for it.

This suggestion may sound silly, but in some circumstances it works like a charm. It might work for you on at least part of this project. I had a uke with a 'depressed fracture' that needed some kind od internal pressure to hold it in shape while the glue and a small patch set. I used a small balloon, inserted through the sound hole, then inflated - just a bit. If you try it, don't overdo the amount of pressure. You'll be surprised how much "push" an ordinary party balloon can generate. Twist and clamp the neck with a suitable clip. It will stay inflated for as long as it takes white glue to set.

Beware - superglue and balloons don't get along. I touched one with superglue, and the result made me jump almost out of my skin!

John Colter (Ukantor)

Thanks for the suggestion!!

I touched one with superglue, and the result made me jump almost out of my skin!

Click to expand...

I knew about that one!!:biglaugh:

The balloon idea is interesting. I have had decent luck fixing cracks like the one you described to your soundboard. First I would gently try to pop the dent back up flush with one hand inside the uke and one hand on top, starting at the part of the crack that is closet to being flush with the top, and slowly moving toward the other end- you will probably have to pick out the splintered bits of wood, and then fill in the space later. If that didn't work and I really didn't want to take the uke apart I would try this (you will still need to remove any splinters that are preventing the depressed piece from popping back into place):

you will need:

one c-clamp.
Two pieces of wood bigger than the cracked area, a couple of pine 1x2's work well.
Two pieces of cooregated cardboard slightly bigger than the pieces of wood.
One heavy duty zip-lock bag
Some duct tape.
Some wood glue (Titebond original)
Damp lint free cloth
scissors

Glue the cardboard to the wood blocks. Cut two pieces of plastic bag slightly bigger than the cardboard, and use two rolled up pieces of duct tape to tape them to the cardboard.

you may want to skip this step until after you have re-flushed the top in case you think the dent won't come out*Figure out how you want to get the glue into the crack. If you can get it in from underneath the soundboard that's better. Get as much glue as you can into the crack, smoosh it in there with your finger and wipe off the excess with a damp lint free cloth*

Maneuver one of the wood block contraptions into the sound hole so that the plastic is against the glued area, and place the other one plastic side down on top of the sound board.

Put the bottom of the c-clamp into the sound-hole so that the clamp contacts in the middle of the crack. SLOWLY tighten until the indentation pops back into place and the crack is aligned.

* If you haven't already put the glue onAfter the top is flush again, use your finger to smoosh the glue into the crack, wipe off the excess, re-clamp the same way and wait for the glue to dry.

ukulelebadass said:

The balloon idea is interesting. I have had decent luck fixing cracks like the one you described to your soundboard. First I would gently try to pop the dent back up flush with one hand inside the uke and one hand on top, starting at the part of the crack that is closet to being flush with the top, and slowly moving toward the other end- you will probably have to pick out the splintered bits of wood, and then fill in the space later. If that didn't work and I really didn't want to take the uke apart I would try this (you will still need to remove any splinters that are preventing the depressed piece from popping back into place):

you will need:

one c-clamp.
Two pieces of wood bigger than the cracked area, a couple of pine 1x2's work well.
Two pieces of cooregated cardboard slightly bigger than the pieces of wood.
One heavy duty zip-lock bag
Some duct tape.
Some wood glue (Titebond original)
Damp lint free cloth
scissors

Glue the cardboard to the wood blocks. Cut two pieces of plastic bag slightly bigger than the cardboard, and use two rolled up pieces of duct tape to tape them to the cardboard.

you may want to skip this step until after you have re-flushed the top in case you think the dent won't come out*Figure out how you want to get the glue into the crack. If you can get it in from underneath the soundboard that's better. Get as much glue as you can into the crack, smoosh it in there with your finger and wipe off the excess with a damp lint free cloth*

Maneuver one of the wood block contraptions into the sound hole so that the plastic is against the glued area, and place the other one plastic side down on top of the sound board.

Put the bottom of the c-clamp into the sound-hole so that the clamp contacts in the middle of the crack. SLOWLY tighten until the indentation pops back into place and the crack is aligned.

* If you haven't already put the glue onAfter the top is flush again, use your finger to smoosh the glue into the crack, wipe off the excess, re-clamp the same way and wait for the glue to dry.

Click to expand...

Hey Badass, thanks for the education. I'm going to fix a gold label Kamaka soprano I stopped using due to a cracked sound board. Much appreciated.
The sound board has a very small gap due to the wood drying out, I was thinking of rehydrating it using a damp sponge until the wood swells back and then fixing the crack. Any thoughts?

danged said:

Hey Badass, thanks for the education. I'm going to fix a gold label Kamaka soprano I stopped using due to a cracked sound board. Much appreciated.
AThe sound board has a very small gap due to the wood drying out, I was thinking of rehydrating it using a damp sponge until the wood swells back and then fixing the crack. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

Yeah I have some thoughts:

First off, let me say that I have never actually tried a repair quite like this on my own before without proper tools, that being said, I probably would try it before going out and buying expensive tools or paying someone else to do it, bearing in mind that I run the risk of doing further damage.

This could be a much trickier repair, especially to do it without proper tools. I might try it anyway, it depends on how bad the crack is, and the value of the instrument. You have to be careful not to get the wood too wet or you can do more harm than good. Gluing a crack like this will take patience as well and remember dry glue is stronger than wood, so if the crack tries to pull apart again it will tear more wood away from one side or the other.

As for the rehydrating, a sponge could work, or you could get an actual humidifier for probably less than $10- The first idea that pops into my head when I consider this is to take a jar small enough to fit through the sound hole (baby food jar?) fill it part way up with hot water, and turn the uke upside down on top of it, inside a trash bag (if I had small enough hands I would put the jar down in through the sound hole) I would repeat this whenever I had the chance over the next couple of weeks, or until I thought the crack had closed as much as it was going to.

The rehydrating process could take several days or weeks, don't be in a hurry or get discouraged when the crack doesn't magically close up overnight, or if it doesn't completely close up at all. If you can't get the crack to close between hyradating and clamping, it should be spliced, which is not a thing I would try to do without a proper workshop and tools.

You'll have to clamp this one side to side (perpendicular to the crack), as well top to bottom (like I described in the previous repair). In other words you need to pull the crack together and at the same time keep the surfaces flush so you don't end up with a ridge running the length of the crack in your soundboard. The gentlest way to pull it together using tools you might already have, or could get at a local hardware store is with a strap clamp (or two depending on the length of the crack) You may need to put on a cleat, remember the grain in the cleat should run perpendicular to the the grain in the wood you are repairing.

Hope this was helpful, good luck!

UB

There you go

Nice! Thats a sweet uke.

This was linked to the Ukulele guild of Hawaii: Fixing a Crack in your Ukulele. Old post I know but it may help others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i4wjJv5nkw

A couple of suggestions. The rare earth magnets sold by Stew-Mac are very useful things for repair work without disassembly. They can bring cracked wood together or hold wood cleats in place while gluing. Also consider using hide glue for repairing the cracks, if you can work it into the crack, it will pull the wood together when it dries.

Brad

Do it yourself repair for split back brace

I got an old 1930's Harmony ukulele on ebay for 40 something bucks. For it's age it was in very good shape. It did have a split back brace and some small cracks on the top and one in the middle of the back. Needless to say I was not about to spend big bucks on a pro reapair or fancy tools to fix it. I was having a hard time figuring out how to hold the split brace toghther while the glue set. The ballon trick would have probably worked well. I came up with this crazy configuration using a bamboo skewer, a clamp and a 1 gallon bottle of bleach. Worked just fine. The cracks were real narrow so I just worked some glue into them. Should be good for another 70 years!!

Hey, I like the setup. The rule in repair is if it works its right. I have done a few of these restorations and have a few thoughts. First it is true, if you take off the top or back the binding will not survive. Second, if it comes to that you need to make a very precise mold or you will never get the uke to glue back properly. Be extremely careful when you deal with a crack with splinters. They can often be moved into place but are almost impossible to replace if they fall out. If you don't have one invest in a small inspection mirror. Knowledge is power. If you can get the back cracks to close you should consider cleating them after you glue them. A small piece of veneer run perpendicular to the grain will help keep them closed. Good luck. Dry fit everything several times and take your time.

I know the 'cleat' method is standard but there is this stuff called brown tape. You wet it, it expands; whe you put it over your crack, as it dries it contracts thus 'clamping' your repair without recouse to mechanical means. The only way you can get this stuff off is by thoroughly soaking it. It is light, friendly and a very, very strong patch. Much better than wood cleats...

That's a cool idea Pete. Do you have the name of a particular brand of tape, just to clarify what to use. (not necessarily to use that brand which may not be available here) Easier and lighter is certainly better

It is a good idea.

He's talking about brown paper shipping tape.
Check a local shipping supply house. Staples might even carry it.

Hey guy, thanks for all these tips! I will be putting them to use soon. I just did a crack repair on an old Aloha soprano. The glue is curing and I should be able to see if the repair worked later today. The Aloha repair is sort of a dry run for the repair on the P'mico, so - here goes nothin'! I will let you know how it comes out.