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Cracked Ebony


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:D gentlemen.I have a problem with an ebony fingerboard i got for a bass, it has three cracksalong the lenght in it and they re pretty deep,two of them go all the way to the back of the fingerboard,i wanna know if it s possible to use ca glue and dust to fill this and still be able to use it wothout having to worry that it will break sometime when i adjust the truss rod,thanks you for you time.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d47/olye...SGUITARS003.jpg

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I have used the CA solution on a board with a crack in the end. That crack was all the way through. It still holds up after a few years. Russ suggestion to leave it for a wile to let it acclimatize itself is also a very good suggestion IMO

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I sort of begs the question "HOW did it get this bad?"

to be honest with you, this is the way it was when i bought it ,i bought a rough piece of lumber from my supplier and this was a part that had all this flaws in it ,i didnt think it was that bad till i got it thicknessed and sloted ,that is when it almost split open in the one side of tha board,i actually glued it back with titebond but like i said i have my doubts about it holding the load and the reason i want to use it is because it s just a nice black piece of ebony and id hate to let it go if there is a way of saving this one ,but then again i would really hate if it s in the finished guitar and then cracks.thanks for you replies ,I think i ll give it a try.

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if its jet black (gaboon) id use epoxy with some dust and xerox ink ; it makes it so black and seems to give it the same (gloss?) as a highly 'polished sanded' ebony; i do the same for inlays; i dont even bother making a shape i drill the appropriate size and super glue and fill; hard as hell' loooks perfect, and if it cracks after its all radiused and fretted, you just do it again!

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I sort of begs the question "HOW did it get this bad?"

to be honest with you, this is the way it was when i bought it ,i bought a rough piece of lumber from my supplier and this was a part that had all this flaws in it ,i didnt think it was that bad till i got it thicknessed and sloted ,that is when it almost split open in the one side of tha board,i actually glued it back with titebond but like i said i have my doubts about it holding the load and the reason i want to use it is because it s just a nice black piece of ebony and id hate to let it go if there is a way of saving this one ,but then again i would really hate if it s in the finished guitar and then cracks.thanks for you replies ,I think i ll give it a try.

Ebony is a tuff wood to dry because it tends to split during drying. That does not look like it is seperating much looks more like a sight fracture(if that pic is pre-repair). Fix it and let it set for a good long while. The wood may still be drying and you will not stop cracks by attaching it to a neck if it is still drying. A Gaboon Ebony fretboard is so dang cheap. I would not even think of using it if you are not positive it is fully dry(and is not going to crack in a year or two). Buying lumber and slabs is a good idea :D , but you have to be sure it is ready. You also have to be willing to accept some waste it is part of the deal. That is all part of the reason why buying ready to use blanks cost more than billet or slab lumber(loss,seasoning,as well as machining).

Peace,Rich

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Ebony is a tuff wood to dry because it tends to split during drying. That does not look like it is seperating much looks more like a sight fracture(if that pic is pre-repair). Fix it and let it set for a good long while. The wood may still be drying and you will not stop cracks by attaching it to a neck if it is still drying. A Gaboon Ebony fretboard is so dang cheap. I would not even think of using it if you are not positive it is fully dry(and is not going to crack in a year or two). Buying lumber and slabs is a good idea :D , but you have to be sure it is ready. You also have to be willing to accept some waste it is part of the deal. That is all part of the reason why buying ready to use blanks cost more than billet or slab lumber(loss,seasoning,as well as machining).

Peace,Rich

Man, that makes so much sense ,yeah that pic is before repair, and I dont know man,I think next time i ll buy a already machined blank , I have a light duty planer I just got ,and even with that is so much work to get that piece to where it needs to be that i think it s so much more worth it to buy it ready,unless I find a really cheap supplier for ebony,i ve heard it s kind of scarce right now is it true?

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I have another piece of ebony wich is 0.200 '' thick,i just read in a previous thread that some companies use fingerboards that thin ,anybody here tried that before?I am planing to use this for a bass.any tips would be greatly apprecciated.

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