If cracks happen

I sometimes get the opportunity to help mates in need. The curse of central heating and dry winter air, during a winter that goes on for-EVAH, make instruments crack. I shall be honest, it has happened to a couple of Argapas and I have adjusted construction methods to try to avoid it happening in the future.

But it's a bit of a hassle to mend those cracks, whichever uke it might be. The soundhole is too small to get your hand in with a cleat. I tried using my son but he almost got stuck and panicked.

So I have tried different home made gadgets but never really nailed it, until yesterday. I'm awfully proud of this tool but my wife and kids said it was exactly the same as those things they use to measure inside shoes at the store...

I'll put a pic if I can make it work, but you get the whole story if you click on this link:

http://www.argapa.blogspot.se/2013/04/brand-new-crack-attacker.html

I'll only pay top dollar for that tool if it comes with one of those table clothes.

I used a similar method to repair the dozen cracks in my Martin Style 1 . I used two small rare earth magnets , I learned of this at Frets.com .

I knew Dan Erlewine loves magnets, but I never knew he advocated child labor

Sven, that is a nice delivery system. You have to love the "aha moment".

Using the tape measure also means I can get a reading on how far to feed it inside the uke. I hold it on the outside and read what it says by the wooden handle, and then put it inside and push it until it says the same.

But I'll fix a plastic part at the end so it won't stick to the magnet, if I use it again. However elegant, this isn't a tool I want to use often.

Sven said:

However elegant, this isn't a tool I want to use often.

Click to expand...

Yeah, kind of like a fire extinguisher.

Once I repaired a Chinese factory uke and let me tell you, had that thing been on fire I would have hesitated to get the fire extinguisher out.