How dya fix a ding that goes all the way to the wood?

[Undertoad]

I don't have this problem but I'm curious, because once in a while basses come up on eBay and elsewhere that have a ding or gash that's straight through to the wood. How would you repair such a thing? Is there a bondo for guitars or something?

 

I googled "guitar repair" and all the links were for luthiers. I figured if I googled "gash" I wouldn't get exactly what I was looking for.

[Detox]

I'm no luthier, but when I worked at a furniture store, I noticed that our repair guy used to put a wet cloth over dings in wood. It sometimes made the affected wood swell, which would bring it back to its natural shape somewhat. That left a much smaller "bondo" job for him to do.

[bruto]

I've fixed a few nicks and gashes in guitars - both mine and for friends. If you're not trying to preserve a translucent finish like a sunburst or natural wood, it's not hard to get close.

 

1. Carefully peel away cracked finish leaving just the wood.

2. Fill flush with Elmers or similar wood filler. Use a wet sponge or rag to wipe away excess immediately after filling. Allow to dry overnight.

3. If you set it flush, it should dry slightly indented - which is what you want. Lightly sand just the filler.

4. Mask slightly wider area around filler and paint to match using several light coats. Always sand between coats. Repeat until paint is slightly higher than finish.

5. Sand smooth with very fine sand paper and feather into existing finish.

6. Spray clear coat and repeat steps 4 & 5.

 

If you have a hole in a clear or natural finish, it can be almost impossible to match. Do as above but mix filler with sawdust first. Use fine tip brown and grey markers to fake wood grain. Use stain to match color and coat with polyurathane or spray laquer.

[bholder]

 

Originally posted by Detox I'm no luthier, but when I worked at a furniture store, I noticed that our repair guy used to put a wet cloth over dings in wood. It sometimes made the affected wood swell, which would bring it back to its natural shape somewhat. That left a much smaller "bondo" job for him to do.

 

 

Steam is sometimes used the same way. I'd hesitate to experiment with it until I knew how it'd affect everything else (particularly the finish).

[hasbeen]

The wet cloth as mentioned. Take a wet cloth... a heavy one.

 

Lay it over the "dent". Put a hot iron to it until the wood swells.

 

The devil is in the details: the iron can't be too hot to damage the finish. Also, the finish has to be porous enough to let the steam through that you're creating.

[Jazz Ad]

 

Originally posted by hasbeen The wet cloth as mentioned. Take a wet cloth... a heavy one. Lay it over the "dent". Put a hot iron to it until the wood swells. The devil is in the details: the iron can't be too hot to damage the finish. Also, the finish has to be porous enough to let the steam through that you're creating.

This works perfectly.

Then wax or oil depending on the finish.

If there is a coating, it can be fixed with cyanocrylate glue and very thin sandpaper.

[vkgphil]

or... leave the "battle damage" there and rock on

[Jazz Ad]

That, too.