An old Neopolitan Mandolin comes in for repair.

I found that the neck joint had failed, the frets were worn, the saddle height and
intonation were going to need adjustment after the neck joint re set, the finish
was scratched and the strings needed replacing.

Buckled tail piece.

Failed neck joint

The dirt of ages.

Stripped and ready for repair.

Neck removed using a hot clothing iron and spatula.

Neck joint block is Poplar, not a particularly strong timber for this application.
The wood grain failed rather than the glue joint.

Next remove all traces of hide glue.

Mask and ready for glue.

Clamp joint in 2 dimensions.

While I was at It I decided to restore the case as well.
When I received it the mandolin fell out of the separation between base and the sides of its
original cardboard case, I removed the hard ware and re glued the separated parts and re papered
the exterior with Black Japanese paper and replaced the green felt lining.

Frets levelled, crowned and polished, intonation, string height, all spot on.
Re activated the shellac finish. What a surprising volume and tone this little  mandolin reveals!

One happy customer!

I coated the case with epoxy varnish to protect the paper finish. Looks like new again.