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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | How to repair an ebony fret board crack.
Materials:
Lemon oil (The real stuff made with mineral oil and lemon, not the Formby’s detergent, or the kind with toxic mineral oil) or plain light mineral oil, or plain mineral oil from the drug store, the kind for butcher blocks and constipation
Vaseline
Naphtha
Stew-Mac #10 thin glue. You need so little of this. Ask you local luthier if he can give you a pipette of the stuff. If not check out the stew-mac website.
A pipette
600 Grit Sandpaper
800 Grit Sandpaper
0000 Steel wool
When I got my new used country artist off of flea bay, the previous owner didn’t know what he had, and let the fret board dry out, producing a crack that ran from the sound hole, up thru the middle of the fretboard for 5 frets. The wood top was, thankfully uncracked.
I’m just going to give a general outline.
1) Put on mineral oil to swell up the fret board as much as you can, about every other day for a week should be enough. If you can still see the crack, you have a crack. It’s like porn; you know it when you see it.
2) Use a q-tip and naphtha, clean up the oil only from the area of the crack. Let dry.
3) Build a little burm along the crack with the Vaseline. Be careful not to let any into the crack.
4) Use your pipette full of stew-mac #10 thin glue and drop glue into the crack. Try to be sparing, but use enough glue to fill up the crack. The glue should be sucked down into the crack and pull the sides together. Let dry.
5) Wipe of the Vaseline.
6) Clean fretboard with the naphtha.
7) Sand gently with 600 grit, then 800 grit, then steel wool
8) Reapply mineral oil.
9) Enjoy fret board. | |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 49
Location: SunShine State | CA comes in BLACK too! | |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I've got the natural CA nylon string. However, do not use the stew mac black glue. It is thicker and will leave a witness line. | |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 299
Location: Netherlands | Glad it worked. BTW in the pictures section you can see pictures of my 'back of the neck hairline crack repairs'.
Enjoy.
Martin | |
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How to repair a fret board crack:Free tips!