Headstock reconstruction. Aother

[graham darden]

Outstanding, bordering on unbelievable, work John. I would also love to see all the pictures. Thank you for sharing this.

[sunburst]

It was too much work putting this thread together in the first place, I can't edit the posts because they are too old, but I'll try to post the pictures, 5 or so at a time, here. They won't match up with the text, but technology let me down on that, so...
These are the same files, uploaded in the same way, so perhaps there is no reason to be sure they will stay here this time either, but here goes.

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more...

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more...

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and...

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more...

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so far so good...

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and...

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finally...

[George R. Lane]

John,
I am always amazed at your restoration work. You sir are truly a craftsman at the highest level.

[jim simpson]

I want John's spindle sander.

[Clinton Johnson]

Awesome work! The owner must be very pleased with that.

[Timbofood]

Jim, you can have the spindle sander, I just want to be John!
Really outstanding work sir!
Making things look right is in the subtleties, you have the touch for that kind of thing. I consider myself priveliged indeed to have made your digital acquaintance!
If I could be both Bill Halsey and John Hamlett, I would be able to actually make something that came out right!

[graham darden]

Thanks again John. I was able to view the techniques you described. I want your bandsaw. How old and what brand?

[Ivan Kelsall]

Many thanks indeed John for taking the time to post all those photos. That was a very fine piece of craftsmanship in restoring the headstock to it's former glory. It's so good,you'd never know it had been any other way - brilliant !,
Ivan

[theCOOP]

Brilliant work!

[Skip Kelley]

Exceptional work as always, John! Thanks for the pictures!

[Nick Gellie]

Brilliant!!

[Charles E.]

Excellent work John. Thanks for the photo essay. A nice old mandolin restored to it's former self.

[sunburst]

Thanks again John. I was able to view the techniques you described. I want your bandsaw. How old and what brand?

That bandsaw was the subject of quite a bit of envy around here some years back. It's a 1927 Yates American 30. Probably the best power tool I own.

[Dale Ludewig]

Beautiful work John.

[Timbofood]

Your repair reminds me of something the guy who repaired my family's "tall case" clock of significant age:
"I don't want the clock to even know I was here!"
Suffice to say the repair is virtually invisible, and the clock didn't know he was there!

[sunburst]

Your repair reminds me of something the guy who repaired my family's "tall case" clock of significant age:
"I don't want the clock to even know I was here!"
Suffice to say the repair is virtually invisible, and the clock didn't know he was there!

This was a little different from a "historical" repair. The whole instrument is refinished, so I couldn't replicate original condition. I had to go with matching what was there. I could have improved the whole mandolin with enough work, but the owner just wanted the scroll repaired (with good reason, IMO), so I did that only, and tried to blend it into the existing condition and finish (though, as usual, I made my part look a little better than it probably should if the instrument was not to know I was there).

[Ron Cox]

Outstanding John. You just reinforced my belief that anything is possible. Probably stuff like that is old hat for you, but for us neophytes, it is a miracle to behold.

Years from now, if I continue to learn to build, and something like that crosses my path, I'll know it can be fixed. Not that I would ever be able to but, I can say I "saw" it done before.

Thanks for your post John. I always learn something

[sunburst]

Probably stuff like that is old hat for you...

"Stuff like that" can be new to anyone. Lots of F4s have had the scroll broken, but how many have been "streamlined" like this one? How many repair people have had to fix anything like this more than once? It's one of the things that I enjoy about repair work; problem solving. There is always something we've never seen before!