Ovation top repairs

[Carl Kaufmann]

Seeking info to repair finish on an Ovation with a cracked top. Am told Ovation uses cataylzed polyester finish on its tops.
May be able to just glue the crack. May have to fit a spline. Don't know yet. But after it is fixed, what would you recommend for touchup/refinish of the top? (And yes, us new Englanders know this is a humid time of the year, so yes, we will be sure to bring the guitar wood down to a reasonable RH before doing anything to it.)

[Nick Middleton]

For Catalyzed: I match the color with tinted shellac. I'll then drop-fill with CA for the top-coat

[Michael Lewis]

Cracks in Ovation tops usually pucker due to the shrinkage of the finish material, so clamping it all flat will be in order if you want the surface to be flat. It will require some interior reinforcement to keep it flat or the finish will pucker it again and open the crack.

High humidity might be good for gluing this as it should help close the crack so no splint/splinter is needed. Clamping a top crack in an Ovation can be a real test of your ingenuity unless you have some long clamps you can use through the sound hole. I would use a plexiglas piece for a clamping caul for the outside surface so you can see some of the crack and tell if it is closing or not. You also need a fitted clamping caul for the inside, one that fits well against the inside of the top and steps over the fan braces. Waxed paper is a good release surface for your inside caul, and if you use hot hide glue waxed paper will be needed for the outside caul also. Otherwise, if you use Titebond or LMII white luthiers glue just the plaxiglas will be fine as the glue doesn't really stick to it when dry, unlike hide glue.

[Mark Wybierala]

As above, I find CA to be the best for getting finish uniformity when there is missing finish on a catalized polyurethane surface. You need to apply small amounts and never employ an accellerator. Just let thin coats cure over night. I block wet sand with a 1 X 1" 3/4" thick square of poly carbonate using 800 grit wet progressing up to 2000 grit and then use rotten stone on a cotton cloth lubricated generously with linseed oil. At the peak of the effectiveness of the rotten stone, I switch to a conventional swirl remover and get a decent result.

[Mark Swanson]

I use CA for touch-ups on these types of finish too. One thing is for sure, you won't be likely to wetsand through an Ovation finish.