I know I’ve asked before, but there were no opinions. I’ve got a few bowlbacks from the celluloid inlay era and am restoring one now. Its inlay (below the strings) had curled a bit, but is one piece of faux tortie, 1mm thick. Everything I can find on the web indicates that celluloid ages very badly and becomes even touchier with respect to fire. There seems to be no chemical means to ‘fireproof’ it. So I ordered some vinyl pickguard material to replace it, but the thickness was incorrect, and the pattern gross. What to do?
Do restorers generally replace these ‘guncotton’ items for looks or safety, and do collectors or museums take any precautions other than isolation?
There’s far more to worry about than exploding mandolins these days, but....
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