How would you guys handle this.

[Hopkins]

I have a build that has been shelved for a while that I am starting to work on again. It has a Macassar Ebony fret board that upon radiusing I discovered has a crack. It doesn't go all the way through and doesn't seem like it would cause any structural problems. Im thinking of filling it with CA, and re polishing it, but I could imagine that not looking very well. My other thought is to leave it alone and go ahead and fret it.

Removing it isn't really an option because of how the build is constructed, Its a deep set neck, with the fretboard overhang serving as a ramp that goes all the way to the pickup. Its already glued up. I didn't catch it because I radiused the board after I glued every thing.

Here is a picture of it, but it is kind of hard to see.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I would make a slurry of thinned epoxy and ebony dust and rub it into the crack (giggity). Then sand, level, polish, fret, etc.

 

[Hopkins]

I would make a slurry of thinned epoxy and ebony dust and rub it into the crack (giggity). Then sand, level, polish, fret, etc.

I'm worried that doing anything with CA or epoxy will show the line where the crack is, more than if I just left it alone. The board is not getting a finish.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I think it'd come across as a dark line in the grain.

 

[Hopkins]

I think it'd come across as a dark line in the grain.

I may fill it with a black epoxy, for some reason I didn't think of that.

 

[blablas]

I think it'd come across as a dark line in the grain.

+1

I've done this kind of fingerboard repair on one of my builds (for a smaller crack), if you know the crack is there you might see it, but to anyone else it will just look like the woodgrain.

 

[Chris_H]

CA will fill it, If you arte really careful and use something like Starbond 150 (medium flow. You can carefully scrape it back down. It will show as a line, but not as a crack. I would fill it. Epoxy will work too. If you scrape epoxy when it is 'green' that might be a pretty easy fix. Macassar dust, sure. It will still be a dark line, maybe a liuttle better though. Lots of wood dust in the mix.

 

[SilGarzaJr]

I would make a slurry of thinned epoxy and ebony dust and rub it into the crack (giggity). Then sand, level, polish, fret, etc.

Epoxy or slow dry CA.

NICE BOARD!

 

[Hopkins]

Epoxy or slow dry CA.

NICE BOARD!

Slow drying CA is thick CA, which wouldn't work so well in this application.

I have decided to go ahead and fill it with thin CA and scrape it.

 

[Teacher]

Does CA take coloration? If so, I'd do that.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I think it would be quite difficult to mix CA and dye before the CA hardens. But you can get black CA.

Stewmac sells some.

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[Hopkins]

I think it would be quite difficult to mix CA and dye before the CA hardens. But you can get black CA.

Stewmac sells some.

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I did a test on a small area with regular thin CA. After drying and scraping it was pretty much invisible so I used it on the whole repair. I'm going to let it dry over night and scrape it tomorrow. I will post pics when done.

Thanks
Paul

 

[Chris_H]

CA will work well, with care to not make a mess. Some material will need to be removed to work through the depth to which the CA will soak to, to maintain the shape of the board, any relief. CA will work. Thin CA is probably the best mechanically, though it might take a couple fills or more.

 

[Hopkins]

CA will work well, with care to not make a mess. Some material will need to be removed to work through the depth to which the CA will soak to, to maintain the shape of the board, any relief. CA will work. Thin CA is probably the best mechanically, though it might take a couple fills or more.

The crack is so thin that thin CA was the only thing that wick into it. It filled it in one application.

 

[Hopkins]

Success. Even knowing exactly where the crack was at it is difficult to see.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

Nice! That's a beautiful piece of mak ebony.

 

[Beej]

Nice save Hopkins! Love this forum...

 

[Chris_H]

Any ideas why the board cracked?


Looks like the repair worked really well.

 

[Hopkins]

Any ideas why the board cracked?


Looks like the repair worked really well.

The board was a resaw that made two fretboards. It was already in the board, and didn't show up until I radiused the board.

 

[suraj]

Great repair Paul. Even if the dark CA line would show, i'd assume that people usually put lemon oil over unfinished fretboards which darkens the whole thing anyway. Add frets and strings over that and no one may ever notice