wes Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Hello all, searched this forum a bit looking for advice on this topic with no result, so here goes. i'm working on a nice Lachenal Aeola and one side has the typical loss of wood under each brass endplate screw and some areas a bit away from the screws from players over the years jiggering about with the screwdriver they could find for the job...or not. Any methods that work to rebuild the ebony that would hold up for many years? all i can come up with is mixing clear epoxy resin with ebony dust and applying to the wood that has any oil and finish removed. Or should i just re-do the french polish and live with it? i appreciate any replies and this huge knowledge base here. wes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 A mixture of fine ebony dust and superglue is very easy to work, much easier than epoxy. It also becomes much harder. You will not be able to find it afterwards. It is possible to buy a premixed version of this in the US from Stewmacs. What I do is fill the hole with dust and leave a small pile of the dust beside the hole. I then put a drop of superglue on the hole wait a bit and then rake the pile across the top to make sure it is proud. When it is hard I scrape the excess off (under a lot of magnification) with a scalpel and then sand. It is easier to make a good job if you have control of the amount of superglue dispensed. Practise on a scrap. If it is severely damaged it is not that hard to sand off the whole face and replace it. To put the detail line back in I use a router table with a fine adjuster but there is a simple way which is just as good, you can use an old countersink steel slotted wood screw as a cutter. You use the edge of the slot where it tapers to a point. The piece that slices your skin sometimes when winding a screw back out and you thought it was loose enough to take out by hand but then it binds! Screw it into a hard flat surface and adjust the height of the top to the right height by winding the screw in. If the top edge of the slot is not sharp touch it up. To score the piece (already glued on), run it past the screw with a little force until the depth matches. This method works so well I always think about using it just to get away from the noise of the router. Never do though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thanks so much! Just the advice i was hoping for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david robertson Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 The best and simplest method I have found is to fill with Loctite 4105. It's a black, viscous liquid, activated by an aerosol spray. It hardens in seconds, has excellent adhesion, can be easily sanded to a fine finish, and accepts French polish. The downside is the cost - around £1 per ml. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 An easier to use alternative to epoxy + ebony dust is black Milliput. It is a two part epoxy based modelling material. I find it good for building up under end bolts which have sunk below the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 (edited) Thanks a lot Theo, that's what I myself have been looking for, have just ordered a pack! P.S.: I reckon it should be done with the bolt screwed into the nut for some turns, shouldn't it? Best wishes - Wolf Edited February 23, 2015 by blue eyed sailor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thanks for the tip Theo - I've also ordered a pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Glad to be of help. Wolf, yes I place the end bolt in position but slightly withdrawn, than pack the milliput into the gap. Then gently press the bolt head down to the required position, and remove the surplus material that is squeezed out. I don't have the end attached to the bellows frame so I just stand the end on an empty plastic cup for a few hours while the milliput cures. Btw Milliput cures much more slowly than other epoxy putty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 i'm working on a nice Lachenal Aeola.... Edeophone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDNICKILBY Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Do not forget folks that Milliput has a finite shelf life, depending on conditions, between one and two years. We ,Proops Brothers sell loads so our stock is rotated quickly. One pack is £7.50 whilst Two packs is £8.00 including P and P ( its the postage that makes it expensive) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 You can also get little brass sleeves which you can inset into an enlarged hole to bush it back into a size. This also gives a hard surface for the bolt head to bear onto. If you just pack pack a worn bolt head seating with washers, then you can push the surrounding molding away from the line of the end framing Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Hi Theo, I just wanted to say "thank you" for the good advice - Milliput works a treat for building up the worn and tattered holes, resulting in a noticable extra amount of air availabe due to the ability of really tighten the screws once again now. One minor complaint would be about the colour (as long as the wear of the screws has affected adjacent areas of the surface which are not covered by the head of the bolt, as it has been the case with my instrument); although the producer says it's adequate for "ebonized wood", it's rather lacking that deep black tone, being more of a not even quite dark grey. I sealed it with acryl medium after having sanded the surface, which has improved and darkened the tone a bit. However, all in all I'm very content with the result! Best wishes - Wolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) I have not used Milliput yet, but have made other repairs to fretwork on ends, after which refinishing the ends is pretty much required in order to make a really neat and invisible job. Before finishing there may be a requirement to blend the repair with the surrounding woodwork - for example when repairing amboyna ended veneers I've blended the repair by painting grain and wood patterns over the repair using appropriately coloured wood dyes - all in an attempt to deceive the eye by masking any straight repair lines (which the eye is very good at detecting). Edited March 19, 2015 by SteveS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDNICKILBY Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Why not use Amboyna veneer instead of trying to fake it, it is readily available. Sadly Milliput do not make Amboyna Putty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Why not use Amboyna veneer instead of trying to fake it, it is readily available. Sadly Milliput do not make Amboyna Putty. I insert the required small piece taken from a sheet of amboyna veneer, after finding a suitable matching piece in terms of grain dimensions, pattern and colouration. I've recently repaired an amboyna ended box where someone had drilled a load of holes through the amboyna. My repairs are invisible. (This may be a good subject for a separate thread). Edited March 19, 2015 by SteveS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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