EM6000 crack repair

[Andy Bounsall]

Daughter-in-laws guitar that I built a year or so ago and finished with EM6000. Not exactly sure how it happened, but there are a few cracks in the finish. That area of the top had quite a bit of flex. The wood isn’t cracked, just the finish. I’ve added some support underneath to stiffen it up a bit. Wondering about best way to make finish cracks “disappear”. Thin CA glue? Thinned EM6000? Ideas welcomed.

[Bob Gramann]

One of my statements for cosmetic repair is “You can always make it worse.” The problem with wicking new em6000 or CA into the cracks is that there will be some sticking up when it dries. Then, when you scrape it flush and try to sand it and polish it into invisibility, you risk burning through. I have repaired my em6000 finishes quite a bit. Usually it has been a bigger scratch or defect that I am fixing. I drop fill until the lowest part is level with the top, then sand it level with a block before polishing. It usually disappears. Em6000 is alcohol soluble, so a wipe with an alcohol damped rag before working in it makes the new em6000 grip right in. If you start on that repair, you may end up refinishing that area of the guitar. I don’t like CA for a visible repair because it is harder than the em6000 and doesn’t exactly blend.

Unless it’s a real easy fix, I usually advise my customers against cosmetic repairs. Once you get a few marks on an instrument, you can use it to make music without worrying about marking it up.

[Andy Bounsall]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Bob. I admit that I was leaning towards the ‘learn to love it’ camp but figured I’d ask in case I was missing something obvious.