The Charango had an accident. The top was so badly damaged it could not be repaired. I started by removing what was left of the top. I knew I couldn't use the original as a pattern but I wanted it intact enough to match the original bracing. I found a similar piece of spruce among some off cuts. After thicknessing it I traced the body outline on the spruce and cut it close to shape except for the shoulder joint.
I used a compass to trace that shape onto the new piece, it was close and after some fine tuning it fit nicely. I had to come up with a different system for gluing the top on, spool clamps weren't going to work. After a bit of research I found a technique for gluing on lute tops. It worked well and there just some refinishing to do. I decided French polishing was the best choice and I'm happy with how it turned out.
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