fingerboard removal and reglue

[wolfmaster19]

i need to remove a gloss maple fingerboard from a maple neck to replace a truss rod and install a couple of reinforcement rods

before i proceed i have tried this before using an iron but it wasn't on a finished neck, and some of the frets came of easily after the deed.. fortunately i was only experimenting with a cheap neck

this time i'd like to avoid that, any tips ??

another thing, i don't supose i could avoid refinishing the neck after i replace the truss rod and install the two rods, instead i'd like to refinish the area where the fretboard joins the neck(i'm thinking of using a razor to cleanly separate the two pieces where they are bound by the gloss finish), has anybody tried something like this?

[202dy]

Originally Posted by wolfmaster19

i need to remove a gloss maple fingerboard from a maple neck to replace a truss rod and install a couple of reinforcement rods

before i proceed i have tried this before using an iron but it wasn't on a finished neck, and some of the frets came of easily after the deed.. fortunately i was only experimenting with a cheap neck

this time i'd like to avoid that, any tips ??

another thing, i don't supose i could avoid refinishing the neck after i replace the truss rod and install the two rods, instead i'd like to refinish the area where the fretboard joins the neck(i'm thinking of using a razor to cleanly separate the two pieces where they are bound by the gloss finish), has anybody tried something like this?

When contemplating fingerboard removal and replacement, at a minimum a fret dress is assumed. Partial refrets are common. There is no way to avoid this.

Refinishing the at the glue line is typical for this repair. The trick is to score the finish at the fingerboard joint with a sharp razor blade.

[wolfmaster19]

thanks for the reply

could you tell me more about the at the glue refinish repair

i've heard of a few techniques like touch-up, laquer melting, oversplaying

but i'm not sure which is best to refinish that thin area or how to proceed

[202dy]

That advice is dependent on the existing finish, age, color, and the amount of damage. Post that here and someone will help you.

By the way, this is not a project for the casual tool user. It spans several disciplines and demands the use of advanced techniques.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by 202dy

That advice is dependent on the existing finish, age, color, and the amount of damage. Post that here and someone will help you.

By the way, this is not a project for the casual tool user. It spans several disciplines and demands the use of advanced techniques.

^^^What he said.

another thing, i don't supose i could avoid refinishing the neck

Very, very unlikely. Sorry.

[wolfmaster19]

thanks

i'll take it to a pro

[202dy]

Originally Posted by wolfmaster19

thanks

i'll take it to a pro

Smart guy.

This is one of the tough repairs. There are a lot of things that can go wrong at every stage and often do. Each one of those things is a separate repair in and of itself. Even pros have been known to utter a few oaths while performing this one.