Workshop: Bandurria Fixits Part 2

So, last time I got most of the work done. These shots are from Sunday, the day after I let all that work glue up. I first removed all the clamps (which filled my table with woe) and then quickly clamped up the last bit of gluing I needed to do (in this case, two cleats for the larger top cracks), which will set-up firm overnight.

Here's that "fill" area from the treble side. I've sanded it out lightly and then applied a coat of finish to seal it. This gives it the look of an authentic old repair because, surprise surprise, this is the way many fill-repairs were done in the teens and 20s.

Next step: snip fret ends, level, and dress the frets. Note that I'm also leveling the zero fret to exactly the same height as the rest of the frets. This will make action easily adjustable since I won't need to adjust action at the nut at all since the zero-fret will then act as a nut that's setup perfectly correct.

Here she is after cleaning... looking a whole lot more respectable!

Reinstalling the tuners was a bit of a chore, requiring new washers here and there to get them to seat properly. The old rubber/leather washers were totally shot which meant the tuners weren't turning very nicely.

The bridge (dyed hardwood) was slightly too low so I've installed a "foot" on it out of cherry veneer to get it higher.

Now I'll retouch that bridge, position it correctly, string it up, tune it, and voila! Done.