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Hi all. Old dirty crack question

 
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Jack H.
Super Member


Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 346
Location: Israel

PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:36 am    Post subject: Hi all. Old dirty crack question Reply with quote

I am working on a double bass and there are quite a few old, opened cracks on the table.
I have cleaned them from all the dirt and old glue with soapy water and chlorine and H2O2 but there are spots in the crack where it looks like varnish and color from the touch up.
It is not coming off with the brush or warm water.
Wieshar says to not to get in there with metal to scrape it out so what am I supposed to do??
I do not want to ruin th evarnish at the edges of the crack by using force or alcohoil...
What are my options?
Leave it there????
Scrape it out??
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Leif Luscombe
Site Admin


Joined: 19 Mar 2007
Posts: 126
Location: Mount Elgin, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Jack,

Thanks for the post.

The situation you have is a difficult one (I wish I could see the crack first hand).

Depending on the state of the varnish (how difficult to perform an excellent touch-up), I may sacrifice some of the varnish at the edge of the crack in an effort to clean it up for a nice looking repair (with alcohol, if effective). If the bass has an oil varnish, it should not be affected by alcohol, perhaps you would be able to clean up the previous touch-up without any damage to the original varnish.

I would think twice before doing this to a new bass with a light coloured varnish, as the touch-up will probably be difficult. An older bass with darker varnish would probably be quite easy to touch up, if you can clean that crack nicely, the repair should come off quite well.
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Michael Darnton
Moderator


Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 1281
Location: Chicago

PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't do too much restoration anymore, so take this with a grain of salt, but one thing I might try in a limited area to see how it works is to drip in alcohol from the back of the crack and pump the sides of the crack open and closed to work at the varnish in the crack without getting a brush in there to spread alcohol all over the outside, gently blotting off anything that might come out the front. A little alcohol, a little pumping, repeatedly for a while until you think you have loosened up the varnish as much as possible, and then I'd go in with a stiff little brush, dry, and try to get out what I could get out as quickly as possible without messing up the original varnish around the crack. I suspect, nevertheless, the outside will get a little ruffled, but hopefully not much.

That's just something to test, not a recommendation.
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