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Thread: Another Weyman Mandolute

  1. #1

    Default Another Weyman Mandolute

    Friend of a friend at a local open mic asked me to look at a mandolin, which turned out to be two mandolins, actually. One is a somewhat recent Epiphone A that just needs a bridge replaced (it's actually broken) and setup, but the other has obviously been a wall-hanger for some time. A couple badly repaired open cracks and a couple more, plus the center seam on the headstock is opening. I've bagged it up with some homemade "humidipack" things to see if it moves at all, but it seems to be very well braced so not sure if the body cracks will close. Time will tell, I suppose. (Pretty sure I can get the headstock closed.)

    My brief look at it while it still had strings on it makes me think it probably could be playable, but whether that's a worthwhile goal, I don't know. I looked at some archive posts and there's a lot of mention of model #s, but I didn't see anything inside this one.
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    2018 Kentucky KM-950, 2017 Ellis A5 Deluxe

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  3. #2

    Default Re: Another Weyman Mandolute

    Anyone know if this is a serial number or is this evidence that this once belonged to a school or something?
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    The cracks closed up, sort-of, using humidity for a couple days and then fish glue. But, the neck is more bowed than I realized. I'll see if it yields to some gentle persuasion for a few days but this is looking more like it will go back to it's place on the wall.
    2018 Kentucky KM-950, 2017 Ellis A5 Deluxe

  4. #3

    Default Re: Another Weyman Mandolute

    According to a serial number list found on a fellow who has researched Weymann instruments 14744 would date your mandolute to around 1913.

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  6. #4
    Teacher, repair person
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
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    Southeast Tennessee
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    Default Re: Another Weyman Mandolute

    When "bagging" an instrument, it is best to let the instrument sit for a least a week at normal humidity after the cracks have closed before glueing the cracks, and make sure that they will not open up again. This gives the super humidified instrument to reach equilibrium with normal environmental conditions. Otherwise, the cracks may open up again later, or a new crack may develop next to an old one. If a crack on a super-humidified instrument does open up again after sitting in normal conditions for a week, it will have to be splinted.

    Straightening a bowed neck on an old instrument usually requires either a plane and re-fret, or more aggresive measures if the bow is severe.

    If the bow is moderate, more than you want to correct with a plane and re-fret, the joint between the fingerboard and the neck can be opened, the joint cleaned, and everything glued back together with hot hide glue and a clamping caul that back-loads the joint by .015" - .020". With a little luck, the neck will end up straight once the glue has cured and the instrument is strung to pitch; and only a minor fret levelling will be necessary. Hot hide glue is the only glue for such a job because it won't creep. Fish glue may not have sufficient strength over the long term, and can be susceptible to humidity.

    If a bow is really bad, you have to take everything apart, straighten what you can with planeing and/or heat, then decide whether or not to install a new thicker fingerboard, and/or reinforce the neck. A lot of work.

    On an instrument such as yours, you might not want to do any more than touch up the frets, raise the bridge, and live with action that's on the high side.

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  8. #5

    Default Re: Another Weyman Mandolute

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    When "bagging" an instrument, it is best to let the instrument sit for a least a week at normal humidity after the cracks have closed before glueing the cracks, and make sure that they will not open up again. This gives the super humidified instrument to reach equilibrium with normal environmental conditions. Otherwise, the cracks may open up again later, or a new crack may develop next to an old one. If a crack on a super-humidified instrument does open up again after sitting in normal conditions for a week, it will have to be splinted.
    .....
    Thanks. To clarify, the "bagging" I did was with a couple of grocery bags just loosely closed, and only for 48 hours, with sponges inside plastic containers. With that soundhole, all I could do was use a small pill bottle with a half-dozen 1/4" holes drilled through and a small piece of sponge inside, suspended via the child-proof cap that would not fit through. Probably not close to super-humidified, even with the bit of rain we had a couple days ago. Eh, see what happens. (And, the problem is, I expect this will just go back on the wall from which it was fetched, which is not a good thing around here - summers are high humidity with swings to pretty low for a few weeks in the short winters we have when the heat kicks in.

    I already told the owner that I was not interested in doing a "proper" repair on the neck, because, while I've done similar things on guitars, including neck resets, planing and replacing a fingerboard, etc. I'm just not about to start that on this (or any) mandolin, at this point of my life. She can go get an estimate and decide, but with the glue-filled crack repairs already there, IMO it's almost certainly going to exceed the value of this thing (WAG, but to my eye, this is a project for someone that likes to do that sort of thing!).

    I have a caul & clamps on it, and it's moved a bit. I don't expect it will do much but return to the original bow, but I'll give it a while and work on the bridge in the meantime .
    2018 Kentucky KM-950, 2017 Ellis A5 Deluxe

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