Trann Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 So it looks like I've been tightening my neck a little too much over the years; the threads are starting to fall apart and the holes are in pretty bad shape. A friend is parroting me on how I need to use some automotive thread replacement stuff, but it seems to me that using regular wood fill or epoxy should do the job just fine. Anyone with a similar problem, how did you resolve it? Any advice is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 I don't know how well this would work for your application. But I've done it for post holes and the like, pickguard screw holes, etc. Fill the holes with titebond glue and then screw in your screws as far as they will go (the neck should not be attached to the body). Then, wipe off any glue that's split over, and then let it sit for a day. After a day of drying unscrew the screws (titebond won't hold onto metal ) and voila, you have new threads. However.... I cannot garantee how strong these threads will hold up under THAT much preassure (the strings)... however titebond is pretty remarkably hard stuff once dried. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiggz Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 drill the holes out a little bigger, get some dowel glue in, and re drill, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanb Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 drill the holes out a little bigger, get some dowel glue in, and re drill, The problem with that is that 1) the screws will be going back into the end grain of the dowels (which doesn't hold as well), and 2) most dowels are pretty soft wood anyway. It's a good technique for a lot of things, but I don't like it very well for an application like neck screws with that much tension on them. Some alternatives would be to use a stronger filler material (maybe epoxy), switch to larger diameter screws, or to put thread inserts in the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian d Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 You could glue some small lengths of hardwood veneer onto the walls of the existing holes with titebond. That should give you something for the threads to bite into that will be strong and stable with a minimum of effort. Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 ok, you're just going to have to trust me on this. take a wooden toothpick..the large square kind. dip the tip into some wood glue, insert it into the screw hole in the neck and snap it over so that it breaks and leaves the tip in. then do it again..however many times it takes to fill the hole. take some sandpaper or an xacto knife and sand, cut any that's left protruding from the hole..repeat on each hole and let the glue set up..then screw on the neck. i promise.. it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 ok, you're just going to have to trust me on this. take a wooden toothpick..the large square kind. dip the tip into some wood glue, insert it into the screw hole in the neck and snap it over so that it breaks and leaves the tip in. then do it again..however many times it takes to fill the hole. take some sandpaper or an xacto knife and sand, cut any that's left protruding from the hole..repeat on each hole and let the glue set up..then screw on the neck. i promise.. it works. I was actually thinking the same thing, but didn't post it for fear of losing my life. I've done this numerous times(in non guitar, but still high stress) applications. peace, russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 Yeah, but I wonder...if you're into tweaking the guitar so hard that you're stripping the screw holes, doesn't it make sense to replace the screws with the insert/bolt system? Sorry, I don't have a link for them, but I know they've been discussed before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 drill the holes out a little bigger, get some dowel glue in, and re drill, The problem with that is that 1) the screws will be going back into the end grain of the dowels (which doesn't hold as well), and 2) most dowels are pretty soft wood anyway. It's a good technique for a lot of things, but I don't like it very well for an application like neck screws with that much tension on them. Some alternatives would be to use a stronger filler material (maybe epoxy), switch to larger diameter screws, or to put thread inserts in the neck. This has been covered a couple of times and some of you might know what I’m about to say: Drill out the surrounding wood. Make your own hardwood dowels (I have described the technique for this a couple of times in similar threads, use the search function) glue in and re-drill the holes. I have done this like a dozen of times and there ha e been no problem with the screws chewing up the new wood just because the go into end grain. Any other “easy" fix is as begging for more problems. The toothpick method is the second best and will work for long times. Epoxy, wood putty, titebond and similar substances are NOT formulated to do what you are trying to do. It might hold up for a while, but it will fail over time and it will not let you tighten the screws very hard And as Mickey says: If you tighten the bolts that hard you should consider threaded steel inserts and steel machine bolts instead. EDIT: I did the search for you: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ill,and,redrill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 Machine screw inserts get my vote http://community.webshots.com/photo/552675...061584286aIsHlS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!!METAL MATT!! Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 Machine screw inserts get my vote http://community.webshots.com/photo/552675...061584286aIsHlS I must have these!!! where can I get them? !!METAL MATT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Just about any industrial supplier has them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 i use the same inserts only larger for my homemade bridge doctors and get them at my local hardware store. not hard to find at all and easy to install. 'course toothpics are cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer X Posted August 8, 2006 Report Share Posted August 8, 2006 Yngwie Malmsteen has been reported to have used the insert method, as his necks are removed frequently, so it CAN be done. The dowel method is the commonly used method of repairing stripped neck screw holes. For as many times as people have done it (Dan Erlewine, included), it has proven to be a successful mean of repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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