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Crack in antique box

My sister-in-law gave me two boxes that belonged to her grandfather. She estimates they are over 60 years old. Both feel very fragile. One has a crack in the bottom as well as two brads nailing the cracked bottom to the side. You can see one of the brads above the "r" in "Cremo." What can/should be done to repair the crack? My current plan is to build it as a 3 string fretless with a piezo.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas "Duck" Petry on October 14, 2015 at 3:09am

I have a Cremo box with a label on the bottom "Factory No. 902 1st District State of Michigan" and the tax stamp dates it to 1901. Definitely a keeper. If you are concerned about the crack you could probably work some glue into it and repair it, but if it doesn't cause a buzz or rattle it just adds character. Great box for a relic build like this diddley bow I built out of an old "Owl" box.Here's a picture of my Cremo box.

Permalink Reply by MadGomer on October 14, 2015 at 3:14am

I'd simply work some Titebond into the crack from both sides, gently clamp the full length, then use a damp cloth to clean up all of the squeezeout before it dries. It's easy to get carried away with the clamp pressure and distort or damage the box, so be cautious. Well worth taking a shot with a classic old box.

Permalink Reply by John Rivers on October 14, 2015 at 3:39am

Maybe instead of taking a chance with a clamp, use a few rubber bands.

Permalink Reply by Keith on October 14, 2015 at 7:31am

Were it me I would use the helpful tips in repairing the crack, then above that as you said "They feel fragile" I would reinforce the entire inside of the box with 1/8" Baltic birch plywood lining the entire inside with it. Some may argue a loss of acoustic tone and I won't disagree but the protection of the beauty of the box and it's structural integrity would trump tone on this build for me. just my 2/100 of a dollar

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 14, 2015 at 8:38pm

I would fill that crack with Titebond(original), Elmers Wood glue or some CA/epoxy before it gets worse. For the rest of the box, on the inside glue some corner stiffeners and some stiffeners along the side were it meets the bottom on the inside.

Permalink Reply by Thomas "Duck" Petry on October 15, 2015 at 3:15am

Personally, I would do as little repairs as necessary to the box. Those boxes are made from real wood and as long as the joints aren't falling apart will work fine. No need to "make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". The only modifications I made to the box on my Owl relic build were small corner blocks to allow for the screws that hold the lid on. One screw in each corner hold the lid on and two screws through the lid hold the neck in. Stay primal and have fun with your builds.

Permalink Reply by PhilUSAFRet on October 15, 2015 at 6:28am

Here are expert instructions on how to repair a crack on a guitar. Suggest you review them.

http://www.stewmac.com/SiteSearch/crack%20repair.html?facet=&ta...

Permalink Reply by T-Gripped on December 10, 2015 at 2:25am

Here's a pic of the completed build. Thanks for all your help! I used a vinegar stain on the neck and beat it up with a screwdriver to achieve a relic-like look. The tailpiece is a $0.10 fork from a junk store. Still need to tweak it and the bridge a bit. More volume than I expected acoustically.

Permalink Reply by MadGomer on December 10, 2015 at 2:48am

'Tis a beautiful thing, well done!!!

Permalink Reply by Mark Bliss on December 10, 2015 at 5:01am

Curious what you decided on the crack?

Permalink Reply by T-Gripped on December 10, 2015 at 5:11am

Mark--Pretty much followed the good advice above. Ended up backing out one brad to better access the crack, filled it with glue, and braced the inside with leftover scrap. Also braced the corners and another smaller crack that was only visible from the inside due to the paper cover.

Permalink Reply by Mark Bliss on December 10, 2015 at 6:56am

I think that was a pretty good way to go.

I have about a dozen vintage boxes, mostly pre depression period, but I haven't built with many, most being too small for the style of instruments I like to build. I like that vintage looking D/bow above though. That might be a good project for some.

But no matter the age of the box I like to build them to last, hopefully without over-bracing. So I generally use the corner blocks and even thin lining strips to make sure all the joints are solid on the inside, while unseen from the exterior.

For that vintage box, it would have been important to me for it to look as original as possible on the exterior. But I might have gone as far as to close the cracks with Hyde glue and add some "violin patches" of similar wood to the inside to insure long term stability.

Very nice build!

PS. I'd experiment with pushing that bridge (assuming its a floating bridge) back around the 1/3rd from the tail range and see how it sounds. (As opposed to the center of the top.) See what flavor that provides.