[Eddie Oxendine TN Valley Stringworks]

Something to think about is this may not be a dovetail joint. Some people use a locking joint method which was coined by Roger Siminoff. Basically the heel and block are cut is a V shaped mortise and tenon and the neck is “locked” in place by two dowels in the back of the neck block. If that is the case I would say that the standard methods of heating a neck joint wouldn’t ever break it loose. From what I am seeing in the pictures, I wonder if the heel block has come loose from the back of the mandolin. As Tony pointed out, those spacer blocks look uneven. It also looks like there may be a small crack along the fingerboard extension. If this came in my shop, I would probably pop off the fingerboard so I could get a good look at what all was going on underneath it. Just my two cents though.

[Eddie Oxendine TN Valley Stringworks]

I’m a huge fan of the Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze products. In fact it is all I use. I’ve recently discovered the #34 final inspection and it is the best thing I have found for just a quick cleaning of an instrument. If an instrument’s finish is extremely dull or dirty, use the #7 and hand buff it to a shine. The #7 has no abrasives so you won’t take any finish away, just clean and brighten up what is there. Just make sure you get the mirror glaze line of their products, they are the only line of their products that are silicone free.

[Eddie Oxendine TN Valley Stringworks]

I’ve started using a soldering gun with a tip that I have rounded to fit on top of the saddle if the saddle is made out of bone. I just move it across the top of the saddle and usually the saddle is free in a minute or so. I’ve tried it with a regular soldering iron but it doesn’t get hot enough. If the saddle is Micarta or some man made material a heat lamp is probably your best bet. Just an fyi, it does scorch the top of the saddle a little, but usually the scorched part can be sanded off. If it is hide glue, just wick a little water down the side of the saddle to help soften the glue. I’ve made a new tip out of a coat hanger that matches the radius of the saddle and in theory, distributes heat a little more evenly, reduces the time I have to heat the saddle and reduces the scorching. I have not tried it yet though.

[Eddie Oxendine TN Valley Stringworks]

I’m a huge fan of the Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze products in the tan bottles. It’s “body shop safe” so it contains no silicon and the number 7 blend contains no abrasives and will brighten and clean up even the dirtiest and dullest finishes. I use the number 9 swirl remover blend after I have wet sanded a finish to remove the leftover light scratches. Then follow it up with the number 7 if it is still a little dull looking. I have used the StewMac and Music Nomad polish and neither really impressed me. In fact, I don’t care for the StewMac Clean and Shine at all. It seems to only smear prints and other buildups instead of lifting them off. I prefer the Music Nomad over the polish from Stewmac but I’m with you, I can’t find anything from the manufacturer that says it is silicon free. Btw, just a small bit of the Meguiar’s goes a long way. I have found that the more of it you put on, the harder it is to get it off of the instrument completely.

[Eddie Oxendine TN Valley Stringworks]

Yeah I don’t mind doing that at all. Just have to find it first. I’m rearranging my shop and things are all over the place.