MzI Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 OK, So I have an ebony fretboard on a new guitar I am working on and I was applying some finish the last couple days so I decided to pull the tape off the fretboard and scrape any excess finish off of it. I got down to the end of the fretboard by the body and noticed two cracks in the end grain. Two cracks the second one is to the left near the white spot its kinda hard to see as it is less noticeable. I checked the cracks again this morning and noticed that the right crack moved on the top from the last fret up to the 21st fret which is kind of concerning me. I dont want this to continue up the fretboard and have to pull the board in this stage of the finish top view Also the crack to the left is not noticeable on the face of the board so I am not as worried about that one as I am the other which is clearly visible. Seeing as I havent posted much on this project lately I guess I could throw up a couple pics as teasers. MzI Control cavity cover Truss rod cover Logo partially finished Scarf JointBack of the body Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 This is not an easy one! One thing you could do and the first thing I would try is the lowest viscosity CA. Use a pipette, and if you’re new to CA, practice or you will end up with a mess. Might even end up gluing yourself to the guitar… From the pictures it looks like the longer crack is actually two. The first one ends at the fret and the second is slightly offset from the first one. Might just be the picture... If so, the problem is not so big. Fill the cracks with CA and scrape of the mess. I’ve done a similar thing. You should also try applying some pressure using claps to close the cracks, if possible. When already glued to the neck, it might not work, but do a dry test first. If I misread the picture and it is one straight crack, I’m not sure if I would use the above method. At least I would have to be sure that I was able to close the crack at least some with clamps, before having a go at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 Yeah, I would use some thin CA and drip it in from the end of the board. It should wick its way through the cracks. Should be a decent fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzI Posted November 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 The longer crack is a single crack its just on an angle. The other problem is that the fretboard is already on the guitar but I will dry testing the clamps to see if it does anything. To me though, it does not seem like it will do anything because the fretwire is already installed and I would be pushing the wood against the opposing tangs of the fret wire, I could be wrong though. I will still try and clamp it and see if I make any progress then report back. But if anyone else has any input I am more then open to it. MzI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiewarlock Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 i would try CA glue as well, your regular type super glue will do, good luck, your soloist looks gorgeous, i would love to see a pic with the flamed maple binding on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzI Posted November 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Unfortunately there isnt going to be any flamed maple binding on this one because the complexity of the bends was too great that I kept snapping piece after piece. But there will be another with the same set up and the flamed maple binding MzI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 I little bit of CA in the cracks and then a light sanding will bind some ebony dust on top while still wet. Will look good as new! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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