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Good news~ finally have a climate controlled work area in my shop.
Bad news~ The back on the box I had closed just prior to modifying my shop now has a back that is flat across it's width. This is probably a combination of the lowest lateral brace being too light and mostly the fact that the humidity here in North Texas is usually quite high. The shop is now constantly in the mid 40rh.
This is still my first guitar. It doesn't look bad but I can't let it go like this.
I have to pop the back. It was lain up with hhg. I have a heat gun and also a veneer iron. Any suggestions on safely getting this off. I suppose I'll try to wick some hot water into the joint while working my way around with the iron and palete knife.
Any advice or heads up on technique would be much appreciated.

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Christopher Morley

I just took the back off a box that was glued up with hhg. A friend had sent me a body that had sat in his shop for a few years. Changes in humidity had split the tail block right up the middle on the line where the sides met. I needed to replace the tail block.
I heated a thin bladed putty knife with my heat gun and slowly worked it around. I left the blade in the joint as I heated it, so that it was preheating the wood as I hotted up the blade. Slow down when you are getting near the cross brace ends. Those will let go from the heat and pressure from raising the back as you go. Same at the tail and neck blocks.
When the Minnesota summer humidity goes down I'll replace the block and close the box again.

If the back has collapsed, the top may also be in jeopardy.
I went through the same thing, before I built a "dry room" in my shop. The back flattened out soon after finishing. The next winter was cold & dry for a couple of months & the top cracked below the bridge.

What does it mean "climate controlled"? Does it mean there's an AC unit in the shop, or a dehumidifier that maintains the humidity level? How much electricity does it consume per month if a shop is maintained in this condition?

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com