HELP! How can I repair this Tiki mask?

Hi Tiki folks, I just picked this up this past weekend where I spent wayyy to much money hitting estate sales and the like. That's my son Joe who was a trooper hanging out with dad all day.

The crack is at it's worse on the bottom and travels up more than half his face. Is there a way to mend it, or fill it in and try to match with paint. Or should I just leave it as is?

Thanks for your time.

Rocky

[ Edited by: rocky on 2004-04-19 17:59 ]

[ Edited by: rocky on 2004-04-19 18:02 ]

Well If you leave it alone , it will get worse and soon you will have 2 carvings. It needs to be clamped and glued. The clamps could be metal strips 1" X4" with holes in the end for screws that will hold the peices together until the glue dries.
! Clean both sides
2apply Gorilla waterproof glue onto both pieces.
3Have a 2nd person hold the crack CLOSED while you screw the strips with 1 screw on each side of the crack
MAKE SURE WOOD IS THICK ENOUGH AT SCREW HOLES SO SCREWS DON'T POKE THRU GOOD SIDE.
4 clean off the exxcess glueso it cannot be seen,
Hopefully it will look like a minor repair has taken place.
If that sounds too Hard, Send it to me and I'll repair it for you for some undetermined amount. It will look as good as new.Benzart

I'd get some good wood glue and a couple belt clamps. Get it down to a hairline crack and just leave it at that. Cracks add character but that one's a little too big I think.

EDIT: I posted the same time as Ben. Do what he says and don't pay no attention to me!

[ Edited by: Kono on 2004-04-19 19:31 ]

A warning about Gorilla glue -- that stuff is GREAT and will certainly do the trick, but it's not your average glue, and requires a bit of care. Once it dries, you absolutely will not be able to scrape it off, so it's critical that you wipe it off carefully like Benzart says. I would suggest practicing with the glue on some scrap wood first.

An Added note about the Gorilla glue. after the piece is glued and clamped up, do the initial clean very thoroughly. about every 30 minutes you will need to clean it again as the excess glue will continue to OOOze out for a few hours.
Thanks Kono and Humuhumu. Hey maybe we should go into business together..

Thanks all, for the suggestions. Benzart, I may take you up on your offer, as I'm overwhelmed with projects now! I have my Tiki aquarium stand half finished, and there is live rock waiting to jump in!

Ummm yeah you might also want to wear gloves. Gorilla Glue turns black and will stay on your hands for a week or so. If anyone here's figured out a way to clean it off, please let me know.

I think I used Acetone last time I got some on me. I usually keep it away from me.