I was working on a repair and as I turned the fixture, I noticed that it was marked “Sept 14, 1964.” I chuckled at it's age and it moved me to share it with you all. I think I’ve used it seven or eight times since the day I made it, and while it took a bit of time to make the fixture, it’s saved countless hours for each repair.
I’m sure it’s obvious, but it’s a fixture to force an A-model rib back in place in preparation for re-gluing the backboard. The thumb screws around the perimeter go into a maple rim and thread into to a shaped-steel band. The screws allow for making fine adjustments to get the rib to go where I need it to go, and there is a curved wood shim between the screws and the mandolin’s rib to distribute the load and protect the rib.
This mandolin was a train wreck - and you know the story; it was "left strung up in an attic for eons and the family now wanted to bring their heirloom back to life." The rib separated about 180° around the perimeter, and the backboard opened and pulled away from the ribs about 3/8˝ at the tailpiece. I’ve had this rib in the fixture for about five weeks, having adjusted it a little bit every four or five days. Another two or three weeks and I'll be ready for gluing. (I should have taken a photo of the mandolin to show the badly bent rib, but…)
Some time years back I made one for an F-model, too, and have used it three times (I think) - maybe four over the decades. Both of the fixtures gather more cobwebs than usage.
Was one of those things I just had to share…
Roger
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