Discolored Crack Repair

[Casey Cayce]

Hey, MIMF...

I bought a used Taylor that had a crack in the top repaired—not the best work at all—that has discolored to a darkish gray. Is there a kind of bleaching process I could use to alleviate this, or do I need to gently, surgically, scrape it out?

Photo is attached.

Thanks.

Cayce

[Barry Daniels]

Do you have much repair experience? If not, you would be better off to leave it alone.

[Casey Cayce]

Hey, Barry...

I'm actually fairly good with it, especially for something like this. I've just learned that asking often reveals things I might do even better. What would be your suggestion?

Thanks.

[Barry Daniels]

I would be very apprehensive to go digging into a previous crack repair that is still holding. It usually ends up looking worse. The main reason is that dried glue is much harder than spruce, so your knife will keep running into the wood instead of the glue.

[Chris Vallillo]

I don't know if it would work in this situation, but Mamie Minch has a video on Stu mac where she uses Oxalic Acid to bleach old splits and top stains. I've used this technique with good results on many of the old parlors I work on. Here's the link: https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas ... ant-aging/