First, he'll find a matching section inside the top, and he'll scoop out a single soft grain portion between the hard grain lines:
He's just working on a scrap piece of spruce for this demo.
Then, cutting away a similar section of the grain where the worm had been munching, he'll lay in the little flake he picked up from the matching grain on the opposite book matched section inside the top:
The texture and reflectivity of the replacement flake will match exactly the piece that came out, as Joe demonstrated:
This is a great way to make a perfect match for individual pieces of top wood, and with skillful finish restoration, the job will be nearly invisible.
Speaking of finish touch up, here's a neat way to keep your colors at the ready:
Joe and Sigrun each work at a desk set up for their tools. On the right side, the upper drawer is fitted out as a color matching center:
Just pull out the drawer, and everything's right there! All the jars of pigment and varnish are handy, and the front section of the drawer is a white plate for mixing colors. Can't beat that for convenience!
Sigrun is going to be helping us with the bridge area restoration of the top of our old Martin harp guitar
With any luck, I'll soon be bringing you more goodies from Petaluma!