Is it worth doing

Timbuck

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I'm considering a repair on a defect in a rosette ...a little piece of black is missing under the shellac..is it worth doing or would you call it a second and sell it as is ? :confused:
 
If I could save a few bucks/pounds, I'd rather have a 2nd.I'd take it as is. how big of a pain is it to repair it? it really wouldn't bother me though. but there are some who wouldn't buy it because it's not perfect.
 
Not structural and has absolutely no impact on tone. I vote for repair. If you can make it virtually invisible, all the better. It isn't any different from using two separate strips of wood for the veneer line. I often see slightly misaligned purfling joints on very expensive instruments. I don't see how it can be detrimental to the instrument if you do a good repair.
I think every single instrument that I've ever made has had some type of 'repair', however insignificant.
 
I think every single instrument that I've ever made has had some type of 'repair', however insignificant.
Me Too :).....When I first started building Pete Howlett told me, that when a buyer views a piece of hand made furniture he stands back to admire it..but when he buys a uke or guitar he holds it up at nose length and scrutinises it.:eek:
 
Me Too :).....When I first started building Pete Howlett told me, that when a buyer views a piece of hand made furniture he stands back to admire it..but when he buys a uke or guitar he holds it up at nose length and scrutinises it.:eek:

You never met the guy with the magnifying glass? Even worse, the one with the Loupe? Mind you, he really was loopy.
I once had a player who came to pick up the guitar that I had made him. I think it had been an 8 month wait for him. Couple of hours before he was due I was giving it a final look over, checking everything. I caught the side of the Guitar on the case latch when putting it to bed. Very noticeable scratch. No time to do anything about it. When he turned up I apologised and offered a discount. He took a glancing look at the scratch, must have been all of 2 seconds, then proceeded to play. Boy could this guy play. He wouldn't accept the discount and didn't seem the least bit interested in any decorative aspect. Not one bit. Just the sound, how it played.
Wish they were all like that! It's the crap players who seem to be more concerned with perfect looks.
 
Easy calculation to work out if it's worth you time to do or not
However, the non financial question would be: would you want a second's piece out in the market when it could easily(?) be repaired?
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Looks like a job for a black Sharpie.
Seriously though...if you can fix it in an hour or less then do it. Otherwise I'd sell it as-is for a few bucks off. Not many bucks off though, its a pretty teensy defect
 
it is a good idea to mark anything sold as a second, as such. I have sold a number of seconds (plinths)over the years. One of the last ones I sold, I saw it advertised a few weeks later being sold online as the full tilt deal. No bueno.
Still, there is nothing perfect in the universe, so if the flaw is within reason, I think it is better to pass the item to a good home, than binning it. It is my responsibility to the wood to be sure that it is not wasted.

That repair, if you can fix it well, and within an hour or 2, I would probably fix it.

Out of curiosity, what approach would you take to fix it? a sharp xacto, careful cutting and a black burn in stick?
 
Out of curiosity, what approach would you take to fix it? a sharp xacto, careful cutting and a black burn in stick?
I'm thinking of getting out my Toolroom microscope so I can see what i'm doing....scrape away a small area of shellac, cut a channel .5mm wide where the black should be, glue in a tiny piece of black plastic and scrape level ..and then apply a few drops of shellac on top..give it to Mrs Timbuck and run away and hide for the next couple of hours while she sorts it out :rolleyes:
 
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I'm thinking of getting out my Toolroom microscope so I can see what i'm doing....scrape away a small area of shellac, cut a channel .5mm wide where the black should be, glue in a tiny piece of black plastic and scrape level ..and then apply a few drops of shellac on top..give it to Mrs Timbuck and run away and hide for the next couple of hours while she sorts it out :rolleyes:
That sounds like a reasonable plan to me. I vote you hide at the pub.
 
Well it all went according to plan, cutting the groove and inserting the plastic took about 15 minutes....I thought i'd done a great job "Untill I gave it Mrs Timbuck" ..She now says it will need the whole top re-doing:(...I'm now looking for a hiding place until the next mealtime..If it turns out good i'll post a pic. :D
 
Well Mrs Timbuck has given me the uke back again..It dosn't look too bad now..cost of repair..materials = 20 pence...labour = £950 :(

Aww, I would've bought it from you as a second. Heck, putting it up for auction with the original chip may have gotten you full price. :-/ But it's nicely done! Good job! And I raise my glass to Mrs. Timbuck. :)
 
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