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 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair

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+10
arno
flohayron
Marcello
fran
Slide
vleb
Ben H.
Clem
bobem
Tony Francis
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Tony Francis
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Nombre de messages : 67
Localisation : Aotearoa / New Zealand
Date d'inscription : 02/02/2008

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair Empty
MessageSujet: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyLun 15 Nov - 13:29

Although not a rare guitar in Weissenborn terms, historically the Style 1 was the backbone of Weissenborn's musical empire, and still is today. In the same way Martin brought their unsurpassed quality across a range of models and materials, Weissenborn wanted to make his proprietary steel guitars available so the average musician could obtain such an instrument.

This gorgeous Style 1 was produced in the mid 1920s at the height of the Weissenborn Company's success, and features beautiful figured Koa wood, Spirit varnish finish and all the typical construction details we would expect to see on an instrument dating from this era.

When the guitar came to my shop for repair, it had not long left another where it had received a new bridge:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04364

Face view:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04347

Rear view:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04349

Now clearly this does not appear to be the work of an expert, and its unfortunate but its not uncommon to see this kind of work on Weissenborn and related instruments. You can see the saddle was made so tall that it actually cracked the bridge. I couldn't tune this instrument to pitch without it threatening to tear right off.

Here you can see why you should NEVER use slotted pins on your guitar - more on this later:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04370

The repair begins. Heat shield, Aluminum tape, and heat lamp:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04410

The tape is used to come up and over the edges, protecting any finish missed by the somewhat universal shield:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04378

After a few minutes under the heat lamp, the resins in the rosewood begin to bubble. I slide my repair knife underneath, and the bridge comes away without problem:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04416

A close examination and the previous "repair" disaster begins to show. Here you can see what happens if you don't heat the joint sufficiently, or pay attention to grain runout:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04430

The "bellied" or distorted top:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04452

Another view:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04453

The top distortion is of course the most likely reason behind the previous replacement bridge. In an effort to increase action height, the tall saddle was installed, much like how at old Martins they would shave the bridge instead of resetting the neck. The heart of the problem was never addressed and the tall saddle only compounds the problem on an already sensitive instrument.

One of my favorite luthiers, restoration icon T.J Thompson, recently developed a tool to reduce the belly in the old prewar Martins he is associated with, without permanent alterations to the guitar. Of course his tool would never fit a Weissenborn, but I thought it might be possible to take the same idea and custom manufacture one for Weissenborn:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04457

Although they look simple, each tool part is machined as a matching convex / concave set:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04850

They are headed up in my glue pot to 150 degrees:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04635

The top is then dampened, and the hot cauls are clamped into place without delay:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04640

The repair story continues tomorrow!
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bobem
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bobem


Nombre de messages : 1449
Localisation : Vilaine Bretagne
Date d'inscription : 14/02/2010

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyLun 15 Nov - 14:21

kwa !? kwa !?
Can't stand this suspens anymore!... stress
That's a great post! Thank you! à bras
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Clem
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Clem


Nombre de messages : 442
Age : 32
Localisation : Paris
Date d'inscription : 16/11/2008

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyLun 15 Nov - 14:54

Wow…

bobem a écrit:
Can't stand this suspens anymore!... stress

Il n'y a pas de suspense, comment tu veux que Tony Francis fasse autrement que restaurer superbement cette weiss? langue

Thank you for sharing this with us, Mr Francis. I am really looking forward for your explanation on slotted pins. victoire
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Ben H.
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Nombre de messages : 2287
Age : 46
Localisation : La Garde, Var
Date d'inscription : 14/10/2005

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair Empty
MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMar 16 Nov - 9:38

Thanks Tony, great post kwa !?
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Tony Francis
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Nombre de messages : 67
Localisation : Aotearoa / New Zealand
Date d'inscription : 02/02/2008

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair Empty
MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMar 16 Nov - 13:06

Thanks everyone - super glad you like it!

With the top under clamps, my focus switched to the new reproduction bridge. Of course the original was Maple, not Rosewood like the former replacement, and so we begin simply with the wood itself. West Virginian Sugar Maple, the finest of which are cut from Mandolin billets.

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04663

For restoration work like this where the new must fit the old footprint perfectly - I will make several and pick the best one:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04671

The finish process begins with Gamboge - a resin used by old time violin makers, but also interpreted by other greats such as Lloyd Loar and Weissenborn, under the dye:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04676

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04694

Black aniline:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04701

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04705

The new bridge will be french polished and distressed to match the old, but more on this later.

Internally the guitar needed several back braces re-glued, and just the X brace patch on the top.
Here you can clearly see the partially loose back brace:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04720

Sticky sandpaper and a feeler gauge preps the brace to be re-glued. You don't want to remove material here, so much as clean out the old dirt and junk:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04724

Different repair situations require different kinds of techniques. For this brace I am using a simple but extremely effective stick jack against the X brace to glue it back in position:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04886

Another brace re-glued. In this case the new glue reactivates the old glue squeeze out:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04890

Where there was no squeeze out originally, you can clean away the excess and without a trace:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04897

Next comes the plugging / rebuilding of the top for the new bridge. Following the previous "repair", there were three critical details in my eyes both from a structural standpoint, but also musically speaking.

1. Repair worn bridge pin hole ball end damage. This is what happens as a result of improperly slotted bridges, or slotted pins. And quite frequently its a combination of the two such as with this guitar.

2. Plug pin holes. The previous replacement bridge had incorrect bridge pin arrangement, which had almost doubled each hole in size, making it almost impossible for the string ball ends to seat properly.

3. Re-glue damage from the previous repairers bridge removal attempt.

These reverse tapered plugs covered issues 1 & 2 in one single operation step. Each plug is cut to fit each pin hole exactly, and glued into place:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04712

Plugs glued and leveled. The damage from original removal was repaired through a partial re-glue of the top, and also filleting slithers of Koa and hide glue into the damaged areas:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04819

The top and new reproduction bridge fitted, and ready to be glued:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04821

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04842

The final part in our repair story tomorrow!
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vleb
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vleb


Nombre de messages : 5830
Localisation : Paris, 15ème
Date d'inscription : 02/03/2005

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair Empty
MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMar 16 Nov - 13:24

Great post ! Thank you so much... bravo !

_________________
vleblues~~du blues plus ou moins roots
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https://www.youtube.com/user/vleb/
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Slide
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Nombre de messages : 154
Date d'inscription : 03/10/2010

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMar 16 Nov - 14:24

'


Dernière édition par Slide le Ven 15 Avr - 11:14, édité 1 fois
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fran
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fran


Nombre de messages : 1700
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Date d'inscription : 12/10/2005

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMar 16 Nov - 15:47

bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo !
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Marcello
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Marcello


Nombre de messages : 486
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Date d'inscription : 19/01/2008

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMar 16 Nov - 18:35

bravo ! bravo ! bravo !
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Nombre de messages : 2241
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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMar 16 Nov - 20:04

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41
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arno
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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMar 16 Nov - 22:57

Thank's for this post !!! bravo !
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Nombre de messages : 2287
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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMer 17 Nov - 10:52

You're the one Tony!!! Great job!!! bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo !
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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyMer 17 Nov - 13:15

bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! la classe la classe
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Tony Francis
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Nombre de messages : 67
Localisation : Aotearoa / New Zealand
Date d'inscription : 02/02/2008

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyJeu 18 Nov - 4:21

Thanks everyone for all your reply's, I really appreciate it! Im super glad you find it interesting!

The repair continues!

These are my reproduction pins that I had custom manufactured in Germany. They were made as a direct replacement for vintage Weissenborn's, as well as my modern reproductions. Unlike the originals however, these are individually turned, not molded, so I have been working on an antiquing process to better match the look of the original pin when used in restoration.

Scribing the pin heads:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04690

After an acetone bath, they are have lost much their gloss, and developed a slight patina:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04802

Because these are unslotted pins, the bridge must be slotted to fit each individual string. Before the 1970s this was just a standard detail. Nowadays you will only see this at high end acoustics. Here you can see the pin holes being reamed:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04874

Setup complete, back to original specifications:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04908

Inside you can see each string ball is seated how they should be, on the repaired bridge plate:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC05052

Weissenborn's bat-wing bridge is some of the highest quality bridge work performed at any guitar. Aesthetically it remained highly refined signature of his work through the production years, and is still one of the hardest and most critical details to get right today:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC05023

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC04935

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC05001

This is a great shot of the distressed french polish / varnish finish:

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC05021

Following the repair, its hard to compare the sound of the restored instrument to how it came into the shop. I could barely tune it without fear of the previous bridge tearing off. Technically and functionally acceptable (more or less), but perhaps most obviously the previous (and no doubt well meaning) repairman missed the details that are so critical to the instruments voice musically.

I took these last few shots before the instrument was shipped back to its home in the US. A gorgeous sounding instrument.

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC05094

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair DSC05097

Thanks for looking and please feel free to comment or if you have any questions.
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vleb
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vleb


Nombre de messages : 5830
Localisation : Paris, 15ème
Date d'inscription : 02/03/2005

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyJeu 18 Nov - 10:05

Tony Francis a écrit:
Unlike the originals however, these are individually turned, not molded

So original pins were molded....Silly question but, what were they made of ?? hmmm

Stressed varnish finish looks like an old painting : gorgeous !

Beautiful job once again ! bravo !

_________________
vleblues~~du blues plus ou moins roots
------------------------------------------------------
http://vleblues.free.fr
https://www.youtube.com/user/vleb/
https://www.notesenbulles.com/
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Nombre de messages : 67
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Date d'inscription : 02/02/2008

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyJeu 18 Nov - 11:03

Kia ora Vleb, thanks for your message and kind words.

Yes you are correct the original pins were molded, and they were made from Ivoroid - same as my new reproduction pins. The manufacturing process of molding two halves together leaves a seam in the middle (like a chocolate Easter egg).

Best regards,

Tony Francis
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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyJeu 18 Nov - 11:42

Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41 Weissenborn Restoration and Repair 41
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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyVen 19 Nov - 10:12

Thanks a lot for your post Tony, awesome job like ever bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo !
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Tony Francis
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Nombre de messages : 67
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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyVen 19 Nov - 12:52

Thanks Chris! - Nice Avatar! à bras
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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptyJeu 25 Nov - 18:35

bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo ! bravo !

Excellent, as usually !
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Nombre de messages : 19
Date d'inscription : 22/12/2010

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MessageSujet: Re: Weissenborn Restoration and Repair   Weissenborn Restoration and Repair EmptySam 25 Déc - 17:02

Beautiful craftsmanship! My deepest regards...

I just begun with Weissenborn sliding! But for if i want to buy an original Herrman Weissenborn, where do i have to look?
Should it just be a case of luck if i find one or are there shops who sell the original beauties? Somebody a hint for me?
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