Epoxy

[Jazzin']

Why is it so expensive to get a fretless board epoxied? I saw a website where it's 245$ for the job. Is it worth the risk of doing it yourself? I don't own a fretless, but I'm looking into it.

[Diego]

I did it myself once and is a lot of work...but is doable.

[62bass]

I did it myself and it can be done, but there's a lot of work involved to do a clean job. Paying over $200 is not unreasonable considering the time it takes.

Mine yurned out very good but if I did it for someone else I'd charge that much.

There's lots of info around on how to do it.

[Linas]

Long Awaited Epoxy Photo Tutorial

this is a link to my epoxy tutorial. I think its worth the risk of doing it, that is depending on how much you bass is worth. Personally i would never do this to a good bass, but if you have a beater laying around, try it out.

[Diego]

I agree with Bass62 and Linas. Is perfectly doable...just read a tutorial and go ahead (if you feel comfortable about doing it). If your bass is a nice axe, just leave as it is (IMO).

PS. Do you guuys knew you can "epoxy" coat a board with cyanoacrylate? (aka super bonder!)...just put like 15 coats and fine sand in between with a radiusing block. Polish really well for the final coat (yes that is 1000, 2000, 3000 grit and/or synthetic 0000 steel wool + liquid metal polish and voila! you get a glass-like surface on your board!)...I know this sounds awfully weird but it woroked for me, plus acrylic is REALLY hard!

[62bass]

Diego, i've heard of repair guys doing that but I've only used it mixed with wood dust (sanding sawdust) to fill minor dips or imperfections.

I'll have to try that sometime. Expensive stuff though.

Re epoxy, being formulated for different applications, some cure harder than others. You should read up on this if you want to really get into it. They all take some time before they cure to final hardness.

You should see the epoxy they use to fill the rivets in airplane wings. That's tough stuff. It comes in little bottles kept refrigerated. Then just before use it's heated in a microvave oven to start the curing.

[Diego]

Originally Posted by 62bass

Diego, i've heard of repair guys doing that but I've only used it mixed with wood dust (sanding sawdust) to fill minor dips or imperfections.

I'll have to try that sometime. Expensive stuff though.

Re epoxy, being formulated for different applications, some cure harder than others. You should read up on this if you want to really get into it. They all take some time before they cure to final hardness.

You should see the epoxy they use to fill the rivets in airplane wings. That's tough stuff. It comes in little bottles kept refrigerated. Then just before use it's heated in a microvave oven to start the curing.

when I did my epoxy coating I was living in South America....yes, as probably everyone knows, the problem back there is limited resources. So my luthier friend suggeted the cyanoacrylate. Is expensive and I bet is unhelathy too. Cianide vapors are emitted when the acrylate is curing (i.e. drying) and those are really nasty. It is an expensive process too considering you migh have to go trough at least 15-20 bottles of superbonder. Applying it is also a b**ch because you can not use a brush, just a rubber glove and your fingers!. At some point the gloves break and the stuff ends up in your fingers...and I bet more than one of you guys has had super bonder on your fingers before...IT SUCKS!. Then the issue is sanding. Hardened acrylic sands off to this very very fine dust that is annoying (plus I bet is not good to breathe this stuff).

Anyway, with the necessary precautions and working in a clean-air environment (you REALLY need this, you dont want particulate material from the atmosphere to fall on the wet acrylic on your board!!!!) and with patience you can really get a Pedulla-like coated fingerboard.

I don't intend on doing this again (I like my board uncoated, I really think the sound IS MUCH BETTER AND MORE ORGANIC when the strings are pressed against bare wood). My board is purpleheart (I took of the coatig a few months ago and I really love it now) so I think IMHO, that it is hard enough to withstand roundwounds. Anyway, I don't use roundwounds on my fretless...I like DAddario flats on it. Purpleheart has a bright snap to it (quite similar to maple) so flats work just OK.