Repairing a crack in the top

Most of  the cracks in the top were opened, cleaned, and reglued as part of the restoration. The majority of these were repaired before the patches were fitted. Because it required more intricate work, this crack was repaired later, when the new patches could support the rest of the top.

Because of previous repairs to this crack, its edges do not meet well enough to stay closed.

An extremely thin piece of spruce called a spline is fitted to fill the gap. This piece of wood must match the fibers of the top exactly.

The finished repair is nearly invisible.

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