Knackered truss rod and fingerboard removal HELP PLEASE

[Andyjr1515]

16 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

How easy was it to get the fingerboard back on properly aligned with the sides of the neck?

I might have to post some more photos.   I had to line up the two halves of the side dot drill holes which were positioned on the join as well as everything else...  

[Owen]

26 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

How easy was it to get the fingerboard back on properly aligned with the sides of the neck?

Everything is easy for Andy. The rest of us, not so much. 

[Andyjr1515]

The challenge was lining up accurately enough for the original side dot holes to line up.  That said, at least it would then be in exactly the right position!

 

 

Held together, this was would be I was aiming for if at all possible:

 

Dry, I used some spool clamps to hold the side to side position.  I then drilled a couple of micro holes in the nut slot through to the neck and tapped in a couple of thin panel pins.  Same at the back - I lifted a fret and put a couple in there too.

 

 

 

At the back of the neck, I stuck a strip of hardwood along the neck spine temporarily with two-sided tape to use as a clamping caul:

 

 

 

I pulled the fretboard off to apply the glue, then could use the projecting panel pins to relocate and prevent the board floating around under clamping.  I used a series of radius blocks before putting around a dozen clamps to squeeze all of the glue out and get a closed joint on both sides all the way up the neck.  Here is the first clamp - 11 more to go:

  

 

And here it was glued, waiting for some replacement side dots (which come as a thin cylindrical stick) to be fitted:

 

 

And re-oiled ready to return to @Owen

 

[3below]

The truss rod (actually the wood it works on) on my G&L L1505 failed resulting in fretboard lift and breakage. Jon Shuker repaired it, the new board is many times better than the original.  My takeaway is that even if you fail to get the fretboard off intact all is not lost. A new board can be fitted.  You have nothing to lose at this stage.

[3below]

Just checked the starting post - fretless (my short term memory is a slight casualty of a recent event).  Being fretless there is even more reason to go ahead.  If the board breaks get an ebony board fitted as a bonus.

[police squad]

7 hours ago, 3below said:

Just checked the starting post - fretless (my short term memory is a slight casualty of a recent event).  Being fretless there is even more reason to go ahead.  If the board breaks get an ebony board fitted as a bonus.

I have thought this too

[Andyjr1515]

Fretless is exactly the same process.  Depending on the thickness, it tends to be a bit slower as there are no frets to speed up the transfer of heat to the glue joint but probably less risk of breaking.

[police squad]

1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Fretless is exactly the same process.  Depending on the thickness, it tends to be a bit slower as there are no frets to speed up the transfer of heat to the glue joint but probably less risk of breaking.

Andy, should I put a cloth over the fretless board to prevent burning and should it be damp in this case

also, the dowel holes, I can only really do through the nut slot, that's right isn't it?

[Andyjr1515]

50 minutes ago, police squad said:

Andy, should I put a cloth over the fretless board to prevent burning and should it be damp in this case

also, the dowel holes, I can only really do through the nut slot, that's right isn't it?

There's a bit of 'it depends' involved here ref whether you are going to scorch the wood or not.  A very thin cloth might be an idea (old-fashioned handkerchief thin) if you are concerned it might scorch - but not dampened, in my view.  Dampened won't speed up or help warming the wood enough to soften the glue, it will dry pretty much immediately anyway and it could artificially expand the wood fibres which may affect the size or properties when it cools back down. 

 

As I say - it is the wood warming up sufficiently right through to the glue line that is the objective.  If I had a fretboard that I was concerned about, I think I would simply use a lower temperature for longer.  Patience really is the key here... 

[Andyjr1515]

One thing that, now I think back, you need to think about is fret markers.  I've personally never had mother of pearl or stone markers give problems - but plastic ones will, indeed, melt if the iron is placed directly over them.  The trick usually is to run the iron close to, but not over, the markers.