In the 1960s, some Gibson rims were made with very thin laminates. In a two-piece flange arrangement, the tube is held back by a rounded wood shelf about 3/16" thick. Over the years pressure exerted by the tube separated the thin laminations on this rim. The repair strategy included inlaying wood and contouring it to hold back the tube.
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I don't have any pictures showing the inlaying process. Basically I parted off about half an inch from a Cooperman 12" diameter rim blank. I cut a matching groove about 3/8 inches deep in the rim and glued in the inlay. This first picture shows the process of centering the rim on the chuck after the inlay process was finished. |
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A dial indicator is a really helpful tool for centering. One full turn of the dial equals one tenth of an inch. Each mark equals a thousandth of an inch. It's almost never perfect because rims tend to be slightly out of round. My rule of thumb is to allow up to eight thousandths out of concentricity. This is about the thickness of the blade on a single-edge razor blade. |
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This picture was taken after the inlay was squared off and made concentric with the rim. |
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By now I have taken the dimension down on the inlay so that the holes for the hooks have enough relief. |
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This is the rim after contouring is almost finished. |
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This is the rim after sanding the inlay. |
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Here is the rim after the inlay was stained. A piece of the original rim that had broken off is visible at the bottom of the shot. |
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The finished work. |
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A closup of the finished work. |
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