blwheppner Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 hey everyone (i'm a n00b to this site hahaha) but I am currently working on restoring an old guitar neck I have. The previous owner spraypainted the back and put some useless gloss on the fretboard. So my objectives would are: Sand the back downSomehow de-fret the fretboard - so it can be sandedput whatever nessesary finish is required onto itre-fret it So how would I go about de-freting the fretboard? How difficult would that be (same with re-fretting it) And what kind of finishes don't screw the feeling over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolio49085 Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 hey everyone (i'm a n00b to this site hahaha) but I am currently working on restoring an old guitar neck I have. The previous owner spraypainted the back and put some useless gloss on the fretboard. So my objectives would are:Sand the back downSomehow de-fret the fretboard - so it can be sandedput whatever nessesary finish is required onto itre-fret itSo how would I go about de-freting the fretboard? How difficult would that be (same with re-fretting it) And what kind of finishes don't screw the feeling over? Hey blwheppner, and welcome to the forum. As far as de-fretting the neck, I've had success with just getting a tool that is small enough and prying the fret up from the sides of the freboard and making sure that I didn't tear the wood up. Re-fretting is going to be a little bit harder, especially if using the same frets. You should check out the tutorial on this site about fretting. And as far as finishing goes. If it's rosewood, it doesn't need to be finished (just oiled) and if it's maple, so lacquer or nitro would work. Happy refurbishing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 You can just take the frets out by pulling them but it risk chipping the board, if you heat them first they come out a lot cleaner so you have less work to do on the board. You can heat them with a soldering iron with a groove filed into the end to stop it slipping into the board. I use a soldering gun like this: gun I modify it by chopping the end off and bending it outwards to it touches nearly at both ends of the fret, i file grooves in the end again to make sure i dont slip. You put the two prongs of the gun you have modified onto the fret and it completes the circuit, the fret will heat up very quickly. After that you need to re-level the board i would get one of these: sanding block Finish sand the board then you can refret. You can hammer the frets in but you will get better results using one of these in a drill press: cauls No, you dont turn the drill press on Then you level the frets, you can use the sanding block again. Look for some tutorials on dressing your frets and finishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 Put masking tape along the sides of the fret you are going to pull. Then any chip in the wood will get caught and not lost. Then it is an easy task to glue the chip back with some CA glue. You have the chip and the tape hold it in the right place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 More detailed info about what exactly the make/model this " old neck" is, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 Put masking tape along the sides of the fret you are going to pull. Then any chip in the wood will get caught and not lost. Then it is an easy task to glue the chip back with some CA glue. You have the chip and the tape hold it in the right place. Nice tip! File it under 'Blindingly obvious, yet somehow I never thought of it' - cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 Put masking tape along the sides of the fret you are going to pull. Then any chip in the wood will get caught and not lost. Then it is an easy task to glue the chip back with some CA glue. You have the chip and the tape hold it in the right place. Nice tip! File it under 'Blindingly obvious, yet somehow I never thought of it' - cheers! +1 Props to the Swede! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blwheppner Posted August 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 More detailed info about what exactly the make/model this " old neck" is, please. Sure, it came off of an old les paul shapped guitar. It was not a Gibson, but the official name on it was Como. (I tried to reasearch the company but I never had any success execpt for the fact that it resided somewhere in Asia, and I can't read Asian writting ) The headstock looks like what a typical Gibson neck would look like. It is a bolt on neck with 22 frets. I plan on using this neck either on a body I'm going to build, or the body the guitar came off of... but that is a whole other story (a chunk of wood is missing from the body......) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blwheppner Posted August 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 ooh and your thoughts on the sanding of the fretboard part?? like it probably would be nearly impossible to just power sand it, without taking a noticeable layer off? if you understand what i'm gettin at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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