Rib repair

[dboles]

Didnt want to hijack this topic on another thread.
Just finishing up a restoration on a Chestnut Pal replaced 21 ribs-thought I had them all but one was revealed when doing some planking,It is cracked from the back but not all the way through
Thinking about an epoxy repair.Should I groove the crack to open it up a bit then maybe a couple right angle channels or just smear some epoxy across the crack?

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Dan,

FWIW, when I've done it, I ground out a "groove" in the back about 1/2" less then the rib width and about 3" long, and about 1/2 the rib thickness, tappered thinner at the ends. I then mixed up epoxy and wood flour to "peanut butter" and filler in the groove. I usually put wax paper on top of the epoxy and smooth it out. Then it just takes a little sanding to get it flush.

Dan

 

[Tony Denton]

This is almost the technique that I have used to repair ribs which are cracked but do not show any deformity of the shape. The difference is that I un-wove glass cloth and stuffed the slot with long threads before pouring in the resin.

The result is almost invisible, especially if, as you say, the patch is covered with wax paper or a piece of polythene, and is much stronger because most of the strength of a glass and resin bond is in the glass.