Best way to fix a crack in neck?

[biggness]

I have an 87 RG550 with a crack on the back, around the locking nut holes that I would like to fix. The crack has been there for about 15 years, since I have had the guitar, so I don't think it is "that" bad of damage. I guess I could leave well enough alone, but I would like to do something about it now. haha

I was thinking of maybe coating that area in some clear epoxy and then sanding it down to the contour of the neck. Would this work, or is there a better way? Also, any suggestions on epoxy and sandpaper are welcomed.

Thanks in advance for any help.


EDIT: Added some pics

[robanomoly]

How about some pictures?

[giannifive]

Here's the standard reference:

IBANEZ RULES!! tech - setup

[darren]

Wirelessly posted (Only Chris cares about this ->: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

You want to use a glue that will seep into the crack. Thick epoxy will just sit on the surface and won't be an effective repair.

Use thin superglue. Capillary action will wick the glue deep into the crack, and it will be a much more permanent bond. After sanding smooth, if there's still a gap or indentation you can still feel, use a thicker superglue to spot-fill.

[biggness]

Originally Posted by robanomoly

How about some pictures?

I'll get some pics up later on this week, after this busy week calms down a bit.

Originally Posted by giannifive

Here's the standard reference:

IBANEZ RULES!! tech - setup

Thanks for the link.

[biggness]

Originally Posted by darren

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You want to use a glue that will seep into the crack. Thick epoxy will just sit on the surface and won't be an effective repair.

Use thin superglue. Capillary action will wick the glue deep into the crack, and it will be a much more permanent bond. After sanding smooth, if there's still a gap or indentation you can still feel, use a thicker superglue to spot-fill.

I am just now seeing this helpful reply. I suppose I was typing out my earlier replies when you posted it. Thanks for the suggestions.

Also, updated the original post with a few pictures.

[Seanbabs]

I am sure Darren knows much more than me, but if it requires a lot of glue, you might want to be careful with polymeric adhesives. Since plastic will not expand and contract in the same way as wood does with changing temperature and humidity, too much glue in a crack can cause an uneven expansion, which in turn might wedge the crack and force it to grow more.

Again, just a thought, Darren would likely know best.


EDIT: Looking at the pictures again (sorry, they were a little small), the crack doesn't look that bad that it would require the glue to act as a filling agent.

[DonBot]

Darren is spot on. Years ago I had an old Ibanez Jem that cracked in the same spot. I was able to flex the neck enough to open the cracks a tiny bit and was able to get the glue way down inside. It's been years since I had it but as far as I know, the neck is still going strong to this day.

[AVH]

Darren nailed the technique, but in most circumstance I use a syringe with Titebond, inject it deep, clean overspill, clamp with formed cauls for 24-36 hrs, and then proceed the same way with ca crack fills and smoothing after that. God, I've lost count of the headstock breaks over the years...it's always the most heart breaking thing to happen to a guy's axe.

[biggness]

Thanks for the help, guys.

What sandpaper do you recommend for finishing the cracks? Also, if I understand this correctly, I would use superglue to fill in the remainder of the crack, then use sandpaper to smooth/finish it off?