Does a crack have to be cleated?

[hadden]

I was traveling on the weekend and let the guitar get dried out and was rewarded with a center seam crack. This is the first time I've had a crack in a guitar -- I'm good usually about safe humidity levels.

I'd rather there not be any wood added to the inside when I get it repaired. How much wood is needed to cleat? Can you get away with just gluing the separation?

[unclrob]

There is no need for a cleat.Get the guitar back to were it was{humidified} then glue the crack with standard wood glue.I use a rubber inner tube from a bike to draw the crack snug.Pay close attention the the one side or the other of the crack doesn't lift,let cure for 72 hours.Done.

[hadden]

Thanks Rob. 

[GA-ME]

There is no need for a cleat.Get the guitar back to were it was{humidified} then glue the crack with standard wood glue.I use a rubber inner tube from a bike to draw the crack snug.Pay close attention the the one side or the other of the crack doesn't lift,let cure for 72 hours.Done.

Rob, how is wood glue going to hold if it is a center seam crack of the plates when the seam already has glue on both sides? I can understand using glue on a clean, glue free, contaminant free, crack somewhere on a guitar without cleating, but I don't understand how  the seam crack would be free of glue, and consequently, how wood glue would bond the plates. Are you using some method to clear the glue from the plates prior to re gluing? Can you explain?

[unclrob]

I use warm water to clean out the glue.Cotton swabbing the crack should get all the old glue out.Since there is no wood holding the two halfs of the top together once the opening is cleaned there is no problem.Its a technic I've been using forever with no problems.There is I'm sure other technics that others use that I'm not aware of but this one works for me.
I hope this does't come off wrong but my minds a bit foggy today and after reading it again a few time's its the only way I can state it.

[jeremy3220]

Rob, how is wood glue going to hold if it is a center seam crack of the plates when the seam already has glue on both sides? I can understand using glue on a clean, glue free, contaminant free, crack somewhere on a guitar without cleating, but I don't understand how  the seam crack would be free of glue, and consequently, how wood glue would bond the plates. Are you using some method to clear the glue from the plates prior to re gluing? Can you explain?

That would be another benefit of non-modern wood glues. With hide glue(and I think fish glue) it wouldn't matter that the old glue was in there, unless there was something wrong with the old glue to begin with.

[GA-ME]

That would be another benefit of non-modern wood glues. With hide glue(and I think fish glue) it wouldn't matter that the old glue was in there, unless there was something wrong with the old glue to begin with.

[playstrings]

 

OK Rob, being slow, I missed a little on your application of the bike tube - Was that on the inside?
THanks Rick   

[unclrob]

You use it on the outside like a tourniquet.I was making my statement based on the crack being on the outside surface of the guitar top.