Area 51 again

The blog itself took a backseat to the work on the guitar. I chipped away at area 51 and finally got it to the point where all that's left is detail work--clean off the excess glue, fix up the binding, trim a little wood from inside, and so on. The pictures tell the story.

The top crack is still a concern. How well can I clean out that glue will determine how well the crack will close. Unfortunately, if the glue on the X-brace is any indication this glue is old and very very resistant to moisture. I've tried various methods, with mixed results so far. The crack is still not free enough of the old glue to meet cleanly, so I'm reluctant to put any glue of my own in there.

The X-brace can be glued back in place soon, then the other loose top brace, but that open crack is holding things up.