Slipped Neck Joint

[Joe Mendel]

I have a mandolin in for repair, that was left in a hot car, tuned to pitch, and the neck joint slipped. It's an F-5 copy, and apparently the maker doesn't want to be found, so I'm asking for your ideas. Hide glue was used in the joint, and there is a dowel through the neck block, presumably into the end of the neck, but I don't know what type of joint was used. The end of the dowel can be seen through the end pin hole.The customer is not worried about the finish, he just wants it playable. There is also a spruce (?) bar that runs from the neck block to heel block & is bowed away from the top, I think it's a tension bar because of the way the top is carved, the arch is carved very deep under the FB extention, below the level of the binding. The original neck angle was very low, and I'm not sure that the top could stand up to the added tension if a neck set were to be done. The guy loves the way the instrument sounds and just wants it playable. I'm thinking of drilling out the dowel and applying gentle heat to the joint to see if I can work the neck out. any suggestions are welcome.
I have done a lot of repair work, but but there is a little part of me that says I should walk away from this one.
I have pictures, but am not savvy enough with photoshop to reduce it to fit in my post.
Thanks

[sunburst]

If you can find a way to walk away from this one, that would be my advice.
It sounds like non-standard construction, and that can lead to nightmares when it comes to repair work.
If you must try to get the neck out, removing the fingerboard first might be a good idea. Then you can see at least part of the neck joint so you can have a better idea what you might be getting into. If you luck out and it's a dovetail, or mortice and tennon, with a gap at the end of the tennon, you could saw the dowel in the gap, and steam the neck out like normal.

As for the photo, click "image" and drag down to "image size" and release. I usually change it to 72 PPI first (down at the bottom), then get the image the size I want it on the screen with the little magnifying-glass-looking tool. Look in the lower left corner and see what percent size the display is, go back to "image size", and resize to that percent size. Then I go to "file" and click "save for web", and it will walk you through the rest.

[Michael Lewis]

I think I would forget about it being hide glue in the joint unless it got wet along with the heat. Hide glue doesn't soften with dry heat. Well, it might be the bottled stuff that we all know enough to stay away from.

The description of the top sinking between the bridge and neck block make the stick inside sound like a good idea, but it needs to be stronger, as that one is bent. You need something strong enough to hold the blocks from approaching each other.

This will be an involved job, and that means expensive. It will also be educational.

[Joe Mendel]

Thanks John & Michael, I appreciate your help.