Some say the mark of a craftsman is learning how to correct mistakes; I guess I'm still very much learning. I made a real doozy yesterday evening. I decided to go down to the shop and get in some late evening woodcraft. Not paying close enough attention, I managed to bore the sound hole in the wrong end of the concert cigar box ukulele soundboard. I realized my mistake instantly, but it was too late, but I also realized the potential fix right away.
I pulled out my small sealing iron and set it on max, then used it to heat a putty knife and
carefully work the heated knife into the seam between the top and body. It was slow, meticulous work, but I removed the soundboard without damaging anything, then I used the heated putty knife to remove all of the braces and cleaned off the old glue. I'll reglue the braces back in their intended locations, then glue the top back on. The blunder set me back several hours of extra work, but the repair won't even be visible when I'm finished. Lesson: don't work in the shop late in the evening after battling insomnia the night before.
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