did my ash body spontaneously crack by itself?

[jms2009]

As a was grainfilling my brand spankin' new usacg tele ash body today I noticed a crack on the side and top of the body near the control plate. How in the hell could this have happened? I've never ever hit, dropped, or otherwise knocked the guitar on anything. Although I didn't check that specific area for cracks right after the body was delivered from usacg, I did give the whole body a pretty good look over and didn't find any blemish anywhere on it and seemed very impressed with the work usacg did on it (otherwise I'd have given Tommy a call right away). The body weighs 3 lbs 10 oz. and is a one-piece swamp ash. Should I grainfill/sand over it? Should I attempt an adhesive fix (CA superglue, hide glue, epoxy, ???) with one of those syringes (would the nitro stick to the adhesive)? Should I consult a local luthier? I was planning a see-thru butterscotch nitro finish on it, so how should it be fixed? I tried to pry it apart & it didn't seem to budge, but maybe it's because I don't have gorilla muscles. This really really really sucks, and puts a huge damper on things. See weblinks below for several pics:

(the main pic album):
http://s953.photobucket.com/albums/a...um/body-crack/

(links to each pic below):
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/100_4832.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/100_4834.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...835-edited.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/100_4835.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...836-edited.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/100_4836.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/100_4838.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...838-edited.jpg

(here's the crack on top of the body & shows it goes from upper right diagonally to lower left and shows where the crack stops) http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/100_4840.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...843-edited.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/100_4843.jpg

(here's the jack cup hole & it doesn't show the crack goes low enough to reach the hole)
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...848-edited.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...849-edited.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/100_4849.jpg

http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...850-edited.jpg

[DAVE76]

A thin ca is the way to go. Nitro shouldn't have any problem going over it. I've fixed woodcracks numerous times prior to finishing. And most use ca for headstock inlays which get coated with nitro all the time. Don't accelerate the glue.

[preeb]

Good quality, dry Swamp Ash and Alder do that a lot... nothing to be worried about!

Here's what I do in the above case:
1) mix yellow glue with water (50/50) and add just a little bit of wood dust (any kind... but Swamp Ash will be nice)
2) spread the crack gently with your hands and press the stuff in "walking" the pressure from one end of the crack to the other
3) wipe off the excess
4)let it sit for 12 hours.

The water in the mix will make the wood swell and press all the air out of the crack.
The glue will start to harden in about 2 hours but you'll need to wait until all the water evaporate. You can use a desk lamp about 7"-8" above it as it dries.

Proceed with wood filler, pore filler and primer (sanding sealer) as you normally would.

[preeb]

Looking at the photos.... forget what I said...
CA glue it or more likely send it back to Tommy for replacement.
Even if the crack developed after you got the body it's not your problem, but note that it happens a lot on many premium blanks and there was no way Tommy could have known it's hiding in there.

[jms2009]

Would the crack have developed while the ash wood was still growing? Could it be superficial or does it appear to be more serious (even if superficial I still get a sick feeling knowing that the body is cracked)? From the pics it looks somewhat serious to me. Could humidity (or lack of) been the culprit?

[preeb]

It's serious enough. It developed because the body wasn't sprayed with primer and sealer soon after shaping. The inner stress caused by humidity and/or temperature change caused that. It usually happen over night when the humidity raises and temperature drops.... From the photos, it looks like it runs deep.
If it was my build I'd break it completely and glue it back. If done right it's undetected (even if transparent finish is used) and doesn't affect the sound of course.
Did you talk to Tommy about this?

[DAVE76]

I've made a few instruments of reclaimed wood. most of it has cracks. one guitar I made in '96 which had some ca repairs has shown no change. Once the wood is sealed it is very unlikely to recrack. One of my buddies brought me an import LP that had a severly shattered neck with a few cauls and lots of super glue the thing was playing again, I wouldn't do this on a guitar with any worth, but it has been ten years and its still going strong. Basically any time you want to glue a crack before finishing a part ca is the way to go.

[boris bubbanov]

Yeah, a crack can develop like that on its own. UPS can help. But all the damage to my USACG bodies has been dents from savage handling by a local UPS gal. No cracks.

The wood in the tree has big internal stresses; as the log is cut into smaller and smaller pieces, cracks can appear as the material that prevented the crack from blossoming is removed.

Talk to Tommy.

[joe desperado]

Interesting comments. I would think if that blank was dried to 7-10% relative moisture, it would not have done that. That makes me wonder if they are shapping the bodies while the are not dry all the way. Of course anytime you remove old wood and expose new wood, you will have some change in moisture. The outside wood is always drier than the inside. But if it was good and seasoned, I would have not thought this would have occured. I often cut neck blanks up and let them set a week or more before I do the next step. I move in stages when ever possible. But the blank sure changed moisture content enough to move the wood. Are you in a damp climate?

JD

[joe desperado]

One other comment. That grain looks rough. If it was sanded to even 120 I would think it would be smoother than that...until it gets damp. Then it would wisker up and look like that. It would apear it has seen some moisture somewhere in its trip.

[jms2009]

I'm in north carolina and it's been a bit rainly lately. As part of the wood prep I did the wet sanding & damped the body with damp cloth & sanded off the wood hairs after drying with 220 grit. I'll talk with Tommy tomorrow & let you know what happens.

[guitarbuilder]

Interesting comments. I would think if that blank was dried to 7-10% relative moisture, it would not have done that.

I agree and if it wasn't dried properly, the only thing I can think of is that "case hardening" occured during the drying process. When this occurs, stresses build up and maybe they got released after the cutting and routing took place. I suppose it could also happen in a lower humidity environment, so if you have a fireplace going 24 hours a day now or live in the desert, that is a possibility.

[joe desperado]

Originally Posted by guitarbuilder

Interesting comments. I would think if that blank was dried to 7-10% relative moisture, it would not have done that.

I agree and if it wasn't dried properly, the only thing I can think of is that "case hardening" occured during the drying process. When this occurs, stresses build up and maybe they got released after the cutting and routing took place. I suppose it could also happen in a lower humidity environment, so if you have a fireplace going 24 hours a day now or live in the desert, that is a possibility.

I really think this body was not properly dried. (unless you had it soaking wet during the "wisker stage".) I have never used any product from this company, but I think this might have slipped by someone. This is what I see when you buy wood from a local Home depot or Lowes. It is not kiln dried and tends to warp and split. (You know you have seen some of those 2x4s.) Properly dried wood does not move too much once it was dried. When it does, it moves very small amounts...even when cut, carved, shaped or routed.

Oh well, I think I would see if they will replace it. If not, I would let it sit for a month or so to finish drying out.

[guitarbuilder]

This is why it is important to have a moisture meter in your toolbox if you are in the business of making products for sale to others.

[olaftheholy]

alway's seal blanks/raw bodies/seasoned wood even

I use a simple solution cellulose sanding sealer thinned 50/50, have it on there with a foam lacquer roller,dry within ten minutes or so.
Prevents stored blanks/bodies/ etc... from warping under the exposure of damp(er) environments.
Sanding sealer comes off with light sanding/alco-wipe for further developement of said pieces...

We don't like a lot of/hard work nor spending over $100.-

[DiWiDi-holymantech solutions]

[hackworth1]

What brand or brands of cellulose sanding sealer do you use? Does cellulose infer nitro-cellulose? Are they lacquer based - or lacquer compatible? IOW, do you reduce it 50/50 with lacquer thinner?

Rolling on such a wash with a paint roller sounds like quick and easy insurance and good advice.

[68thinline]

Even if it was properly dried, just shipping from Washington (where it's generally quite humid) to North Carolina can cause the wood to shrink, if the change in relative humidity is too drastic. It's unfortunate, but it can happen even on properly seaoned wood.

USACG should replace the body, but they'll likely ask you to cover the shipping. But if I were you I'd go with the CA fix mentioned above and move on.

[olaftheholy]

Originally Posted by hackworth1

What brand or brands of cellulose sanding sealer do you use? Does cellulose infer nitro-cellulose? Are they lacquer based - or lacquer compatible? IOW, do you reduce it 50/50 with lacquer thinner?

Rolling on such a wash with a paint roller sounds like quick and easy insurance and good advice.

Yes,yes and yes!

Lacquer compatible...

I use Rustins cellulose sanding sealer.

[jms2009]

Rob Stone got back to me and said to send it back & that they'd either fix it or send me a new one. Their customer service is great - they'd put me in front of the line and send back asap free of charge. Well, more time to practice my chops while I wait.

[ratter]

That's good service, IMO. And those assuming that the wood was not dried properly....that's a pretty inflammatory thing to say about a builder without having any proof whatsoever...

[KevinB]

This is no dig at USACG as they seem to be handling this as professionally as you could expect, but this is the main reason I buy from Musikraft. They are fairly local to me and I just think that buying necks and bodies seasoned, cut and sanded in the same climate and humidity that I live in results in the most stable product I can get.

[guitarbuilder]

I've had my share of wood come through here and had a few boards that were not up to snuff. One board in particular closed up around the sawblade on my cutoff saw so tightly that I had to use a hammer and chisel to get it loose. That is not normal. There are all types of defects that can occur to a board in the drying process. Wane and Shake are examples that don't show up in many cases until the wood is planed and allowed to acclimate to the surrounding environment. Here are some tidbits of information. I was going to say that the crack looks like "shake" to me but in an enlarged picture it looks just like a check I guess.

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodwork...efects/?page=6

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/person...%20defects.htm