Body cracks in brass style O

[pete1951]

The crushed cone Style O is working again but there are a couple of small cracks in the side.
The guitar is unlikely to be played in public and will probably have a fairly quiet life for some time.

What should I ( in fact it’s not my guitar) do for the best?

Pete

[bonzo]

Hi Pete. I know nothing about braising, welding etc but do seem to remember a product called Araldite for fixing metal to metal. Once dry can be worked on to blend.

[Stevie]

Pete the obvious approach (from an ex-metal worker's perspective) would be to drill a tiny hole at the end of the crack (just a fraction beyond it really) so that the crack is prevented from continuing unopposed on its ineluctable voyage to the dark side of the instrument. Fixing the crack is a whole other enchilada. The plated finish has no sensible cure because it implies strip and replate and that forces us to accept certain constraints over the eventual outcome.

Given the foregoing (and absent the laser welding often referenced on this forum), I suppose internal cleats just like on a timber body instrument? Attaching cleats is yet another discussion and is moderated by an acceptance that the finish is already irreversibly compromised as it stands. That said- you already know all this, it's obvious I am no "luthier" (sic) and Mike Lewis has a magic wand so ...

でつ e&oe ...

[pete1951]

I would be tempted (if it was my guitar) to soft solder a brass patch on the inside. The danger being that the heat will release the solder holding the side to the back. (Though a piece of metal or a damp rag might do as a heat sink?)
The splits look very old, and although they won’t heal up on their own I don’t want to take it apart. I don’t want to put an epoxy patch as this would make future ‘ proper ‘ repairs harder

[snakehips]

Hi Pete !

Laser-Welding will not produce enough heat to melt the solder at the solder seam (unless trying to repair the bit of the crack right at the solder seam - but even then, I don't think it will cause much problems).
You could even just do a couple of laser-weld spots along the length of the crack - purely to hold the crack together rather than trying to cosmetically hide the whole crack.

The main problem is finding someone with a laser welder !
Start of with some dental labs close to you perhaps !
I just did a google search - and there's loads of companies doing repairs of a wide range of stuff - from small objusts to big&heavy.
I'm sure the amount of laser-welding time will be literally a few mins - and maybe you could do the finishing of any rough surface yourself.
The Dental lab I used was in Glasgow - and the guys that run it (3 brothers) were hip enough - especially when they say my Style O, that were intrigued enough to help.

Laser welding will create the least amount of surrounding "collateral damage" to nickel plating - as the heat is only on a tiny spot.

I just watched a video clip from one company, laser-welding two thick plates of steel together, at right angles to each other.
V quick - but the thing looked vicious - melting big chunks of metal.
Smaller laser-welders will use much smaller sized spots of heat - for a tidier weld.

[pete1951]

Laser weld looks the way forward,
Thanks for the advice
Pete