wooden mast repairs?

[werner]

what is a good book on wooden mast>35ft/spar making?
what are the things (the dontbuy's) to look for in a second hand mast?
can a badly stored hollow mast still be straightened?
If some glue seams have failed on an old mast will other follow (read somewhere some glues used in the '60's were no good??)
How do I repair a broken mast or is this always risky?

regards

[On Vacation]

In some of the older masts that have parted at the seams from weather. I have taken small very sharpe and long angled wedges and placed them in the openings of the cracks, and let it sit in the weather and continue to open the rest of the way up. This is if you have the time and place for it. If this can be placed in a sunny area, this works to your advantage. Keep sliding the wedges up the cracks as the seam continues to part away. What this has done is to allow for the parts to fit almost the same when regluing it. Most of the time, the glue that allowed for the seam ot part away, is a very fine layer of glue, which can be sanded away with a medium to coarse paper.

[ 01-02-2004, 12:10 PM: Message edited by: Oyster ]