how much steam to remove a mandolin back

[courier]

would a handheld steam gun have the heat to remove a back to a mando.I don't want to spend a lot on equipment because i may never do this again.I have a cheaper I have an Ibanez that has the top pushed down and a few cracks near the f holes.I want to remove the back so I can work on the front.It's not worth paying a luthier to fix it,so I'll try.It's not playable now so i have nothing to lose.Any advice on removing the back and raising the front with steam would be appreciated. Regards,Rick

[courier]

Hasn't anyone done this?

[rcc56]

A steam gun is probably not a good idea.
You might be able to get it apart with hot knives. A few drops of water on the surface of the joint might help.
A very thin kerf saw might be better.
Ibanez was not made to be taken apart. Whatever you do, you'll need to go very slowly and patiently.

[MikeEdgerton]

There are times you can repair tops without removing the back. Take a look through Frank Ford's www.frets.com Items for Luthiers. He gives a few different tips. It might not be in the Mandolin sections.

[pops1]

I agree with rcc56 a thin saw and saw off the back where the binding meets the side. It should go back on easily and you won't have all the damage that a steam gun would do to the finish.

[MikeEdgerton]

I merged your two threads.

[Marty Jacobson]

I'm more concerned about the "using steam to raise the top" aspect of it.

Why don't you start by giving us more info about what the problem is, then we can help you figure out the best way to go about it?

One thing to remember is that repair work is a lot like working on a house. So you're on the right track in that if there's no way to get at what you're working on, then you have to get access to it before you fix it. That being said, the top is pretty accessible, unless there's loose bracing or something, getting access from the back may not make life easier for you.

[jim simpson]

My first instrument repair project was an old fiddle. My then son's string teacher who also did repairs, told me to use a eye dropper, a cup of hot water and a thin blade to separate the top or back from the side of the fiddle/violin. It worked just as he had instructed. Hide glue allows this to happen. I don't think that would work with non-hide glue.

[Charles E.]

If the top has collapsed due to being too thin, no amount of "steam" is going to fix it. The best approach would be scrap it and move on.

[courier]

It looks like things were stacked on top of the mando.The top has been crushed down and there are breaks along the F holes.I tried raising the bridge to it's max height but still wasn't enough to clear the strings.

[belbein]

First, a disclaimer : I'm not a luthier, I do not make a living at this, and I don't have expert knowledge. But opinions? Got strong ones.

The first thing you have to do is decide if this mandolin needs to be saved. If it has exceptional historic, artistic or emotional value, get thee to a luthier.

If not, now you're in business. The first step is to mentally decide that if you can't fix it you'll trash it. Next, decide before you start how far you're willing to go. (You may decide to go only as far as removing the back - - if you make a mess of it you'll quit. Or only as far as the back and rebracing the top--if it doesnt work you'll quit. Etc. It's real, real easy to get Vietnammed into big investments in these fix it projects.) Now you have to steep yourself in the idea that the goal isn't success, it's learning. Then have at it. (My take on removing the back is a hot iron and a thin blade, by the way. I didn't find sawing to work on my particular instrument with my saw and my level of skill.)

One last thing I want to make explicit. I build and I repair to learn. I try to work only on instruments I've written off. That way, even if I fail I'm learning. If the instrument has value or your time does, don't follow my example, please.