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Mario |
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Joined: April 2003 Posts: 557 Location: Burbank | I have a newer balladeer maybe early 2000's. The center is sunken in. I have found 2 loose braces. I don't want to glue the braces until the sunken area is normal. I have hydrating the hell out of it and cant get the center to come up. I don't want to replace the top. Any suggestions on how to get it to flatten? | ||
2wheeldrummer |
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Joined: February 2014 Posts: 699 Location: moline,illinois | You need to get a guitar brace repair jack to lift the top back into place before you glue it,depending on how much it has sunk you may need to adjust the jack a little at a time over a number of days until you get it back in proper position,trying to lift the top up to fast could cause it to crack,Dan Savage could probably recommend the best one for ovations heres an example of one from Stew Mac https://www.ebay.com/itm/StewMac-Brace-Repair-Jack/252935226246?hash... good luck with the repair Edited by 2wheeldrummer 2018-12-31 1:48 PM | ||
FlySig |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 4023 Location: Utah | Pictures? | ||
Mario |
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Joined: April 2003 Posts: 557 Location: Burbank | Heres a couple. (IMG_5314.JPG) (IMG_5310.JPG) Attachments ---------------- IMG_5314.JPG (69KB - 0 downloads) IMG_5310.JPG (70KB - 0 downloads) | ||
Mario |
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Joined: April 2003 Posts: 557 Location: Burbank | Its more obvious in the first pic. The loose braces on in the lower bout on top and bottom. It had 4 shim in it. | ||
BCam |
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Joined: October 2014 Posts: 266 | 2wheeldrummer - 2018-12-31 11:46 AM You need to get a guitar brace repair jack to lift the top back into place before you glue it,depending on how much it has sunk you may need to adjust the jack a little at a time over a number of days until you get it back in proper position,trying to lift the top up to fast could cause it to crack,Dan Savage could probably recommend the best one for ovations heres an example of one from Stew Mac https://www.ebay.com/itm/StewMac-Brace-Repair-Jack/252935226246?hash... good luck with the repair I think I'd try making these before I'd spend $33+ on something that simple. | ||
FlySig |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 4023 Location: Utah | I would try to press the wood flat before gluing the braces back on. From the pictures it appears the wood has dived down between the bridge and neck, presumably due to loose braces. I would try putting a damp cloth in there first to get the wood quite damp but not so wet as to be damaged. Get a towel wet and wring it out, then put it inside with the guitar upside down so that the damp towel is against the bare underside wood. Let it sit for a couple of days, maybe repeating the process. Then I'd do something like sandbagging to press the wood back to proper shape. Basically use weights of some sort on the inside with the guitar upside down again. You'll have to rig a support so that the guitar is not resting on the neck or bridge, just on the wood top itself in the region of the sound hole. Clamps and wood blocks inside/out could also be employed to the same goal but would require careful incremental tightening so as not to crack the top with too much initial pressure. Or, a jack system from the inside to push the top up might work. The right amount of moisture in the wood is going to be important - enough to make it soft so it doesn't crack, but not enough to damage the wood or the finish. Then get it back to the shape you want and let it dry. Finally, re-glue the braces. The Stew-Mac brace clamps work very well but are not cheap. Depending where the loose braces are you may be able to use plain C-clamps from the hardware store. | ||
Love O Fair |
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Joined: February 2016 Posts: 1764 Location: When?? | @FlySig - >>>The right amount of moisture in the wood is going to be important<<< Very. And lots of patience, too. With what looks to be a fairly wide area of sunken space, if you choose to use a mechanical jack it may behoove you to cut a piece of flat, thin (say, 1/4" thick) wood to lay centered across any multiple loose braces to evenly distribute the pressure across the sag and raise it all together in concert; and starting with tiny tightening increments daily. And BCam is right.. you can make a jack out of a hardware store turnbuckle for less than the Stew Mac version, though it will most likely not have as fine of threading, so the tightening of such may have to be even more small-turn-incremental and careful than the pro jack. Please keep us posted of progress. | ||
Mario |
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Joined: April 2003 Posts: 557 Location: Burbank | OK started the damp rag upside down thing 2 days ago, so far no change. Added a weight this morning. lets see. It's also in a humidified room. Edited by Mario 2019-01-04 10:34 AM | ||
alpep |
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Joined: December 2001 Posts: 10581 Location: NJ | hydrate check hydrate | ||
BanjoJ |
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Joined: September 2012 Posts: 809 Location: Thredbo, NSW, Australia | Double post Edited by BanjoJ 2019-01-09 8:14 PM | ||
BanjoJ |
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Joined: September 2012 Posts: 809 Location: Thredbo, NSW, Australia | I converted a small turnbuckle into a jack. Didn't cost as much as the Stewmac jack.
I used it to repair my Folklore http://ovationfanclub.com/megabbs/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=47091&posts=6#M525392
Edited by BanjoJ 2019-01-09 8:15 PM | ||
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