congaplace.com

Hello,

I am new here and need some help about a PP LP bongos I recently got. The shell is synthetic and looks very like the one Psych1 posted on “LP/PP 1970 "Foam" Bongo
“ viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9130. Only the base ring is different.

The sound is nice and the weight is light. But there is a nasty crack where the the macho is bolted to the wooden center block.

So I wanted to ask Psych1 and Omelenko1 about repairing and restoring to original state.

I don't know what glue to use. I am thinking about epoxy or CA glue. I tested acetone and it does not react with the material. Any input on this would be very welcomed.

My next concern is if glue is enough or if there is a need for further reinforcement, like vertical metal “stitching” with epoxy or fiberglass on top. This of course will have cosmetic effects witch I would have to paint them over..

Instead of reinforcing the repair, I can drill new holes on macho for the center block and move the old holes to the side or "back", filling them somehow.

My next concern is about original colors and logo badges position. Except from brown has it been produced in other colors? I have removed about 90% of the color (not shown on pictures) with alcohol alone and the underlying orange-brown color of the shell is nice. I may leave it like that or repaint it. What kind of paint to use is another question..

Last is the badges position. This is the only PP bongos that I've seen on the web with 2 badges. Where they originally sold like that? Judging from the photos it seems that the badges have been re-glued and re-positioned. I suspect that the proper position for the badges are (with the macho on the left) in the “front” for the macho and in the “back” on the hembra.

Sorry for this very long post, but I could really use some advise.

Yep! Same bongos just different bottoms. Like I said, most of them didn't survive because they break. But yours just cracked and it doesn't look that bad. Cracking by the block happens to a lot of wood bongos too for many reasons, usually dropping or over-tightening. Too loose can do it also.

Most glue talk here has been about wood glues but these are not only not wood, they are a weird experimental foam. I think you are right about either epoxy or a thick CV glue. I would try the CV first - if it doesn't work you can always clean it out and try something else. Epoxy is hard to remove. Just glue should be enough, filling the crack will keep it from spreading.

Then, I would get a set of the steel plates that LP and others put inside the shells now. Maybe even something thin between the block and shell.

Yes, tags are usually on opposite sides. At least one was moved.

They were made to look like wood so refinishing to look original should be done with something wood looking.

Nice bongos, enjoy them. They look and sound great. They just can't take a lot of abuse.

Thank you Psych1

Is CV the same as CA:cyanoacrylate ?

I did fond some referance to steel backing plates here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5404
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6851
Thank you for the tip!

One more question:
The 2 drums are not aligned straight. The are at a small angle, probably from playing on a stand. I understand that i have to somehow fix the wooden centre block. Any ideas on this?

thank you again

..and where would I buy LP steel backing plate? Does anyone know?

I guess I meant CA not CV. The stuff in "Super Glue" It seems to penetrate a bit and get into places other glues don't. There are a lot of different ones - not sure which exact one you need but some are very thin and some are thicker, you want the thicker one. There is a special remover too if you need to clean up the fix.

It looks like you are doing some good searching here and finding all the right threads. LP doesn't sell just the backing plates - too bad. You either have to make them yourself, take them off another bongo or find someone to make them. You could also just use some big washers but you have to bend them to fit the curve of the shell. The plates are better.

DK about the center block - just play with it. I can see all the marks from the stand. Probably the shells were loose and wobbled around on the stand when hit.

I forgot! Welcome to this board - you found a good place.

Psych1 wrote:LP doesn't sell just the backing plates - too bad. You either have to make them yourself, take them off another bongo or find someone to make them. You could also just use some big washers but you have to bend them to fit the curve of the shell. The plates are better.

If you have got some nice and sturdy metal material at hand, self-made backing plates are way better than those by LP, you only need a little bit of elbow grease.

In my opinion the center block bolts need to be replaced and I would go with butterfly nuts.
The bolts you have on now may exacerbate the crack problem around the center block area
on those shells. You can go to Home Depot and I find the bolts, washers and butterfly nuts.
Since the shells are foam I think butterfly nuts will work better because you can use just your
hand and apply enough torque to get the center block tighten, even on wood bongos I prefer
butterfly nuts for the center block bolts. When you use a wrench to get the center block nuts
tighten you always tend to apply too much torque creating opportunities for cracks to develop.
Hope this helps and good look with the cracks, them LP bongos deserved to be refurbished.

thank you RitmoBoricua!

There is a small machine shop close by, mainly for car/bike machine repair where they can do wonders. I could maybe replace the "heads" of the screws with bigger round or hexagon heads. I would go for new ones, only I like the big plastic butterfly nut shown in the pictures.

I wonder what kind of bolts were used originally.

It seems to me that regular bongo center bolts will do on your bongos. Just like the one you have on
that has a washer on the head side of the bolt, that may be the original bolt. So you already have one,
all you need is another one just like it some washers and butterfly nuts. If you are in the U.S. you can
get those parts at your local hardware store (HD, Lowes, etc.) What some people do is put a good size
washer on the head side of the bolt because if you do not put a washer between the bolt head and the
shell the head of the bolt eventually will bite into the shell and cause stress problems and you do the
same on the other side as well (put a washer between the nut and the shell).

I am happy to report that the project has been finished!
I used CA for the crack. Inserted a needle in one end and secured the other end with tire-up. Put the glue, removed needle and put pressure. I think it went well.

next step was to remove old paint. This was done with alcohol and a lot of rubbing.. At first I though of repainting it, but the natural color is nice and warm and has character.

bongocook wrote:At first I though of repainting it, but the natural color is nice and warm and has character.

Totally agree, the natural color is real close to vintage LP PP Mahogany bongos.
Good Job!

Next was the center block. The block consisted of 2 pieces of wood glued together. A friend who repairs guitars and has the right tools for woodwork cut the block in the middle at the connecting point.
Used some washers to measure the proper dimensions. The washers look good. Sort of a "progressive" style, but the connection was unstable and wobbly for playing.
My friend made a wedge style center piece out of mahogany and we glued and sanded the 3 pieces together

For backing plates I used some sturdy big washers that i hammered to the proper curvature. Because i could not make this perfect and because I had decided to glue the washers on the shell in order to improve strength around the crack, I put some pressed paper from an amazon box, soaked in epoxy resin between the washer and the shell and left it tight overnight.

Today the "naked" (from paint) refurbished 1970 bongo was ready!

Thank you everybody for all the advise and insight. And of course a thank you to my wife for putting up with me..