Removing Damaged Fretboard

[Guest bartbrn]

Hi --

Hope someone can help me. I have a an old (ca. 1965) Teisco Del Rey body and neck I'd like to put together. The neck is solid and straight (with the 4 + 2 headstock), but the fretboard is absolutely wasted -- I've never seen anything like it: you can almost tell what the previous owner's favorite chords were, because the strings have dug troughs in the rosewood. And I mean TROUGHS -- I measured some as deep as .060"! The frets are toast and have to come out -- I know how to do that, but the whole fretboard has to go, and I'm not sure how to remove it without fragging the rest of the neck. Any help will be appreciated!

Thanks!

Bart

[Mattia]

Leave the frets on: simply get a household iron, apply heat until the glue softens enough to get a thin palette knife (thin steel thingy, not sharp) between the board and the neck, and slowly work it loose. The frets will help evenly transfer the heat, although if you're going to trash the board it doesn't matter if you burn it a little...

[Guest bartbrn]

Thanks -- sounds like a plan, I'll try it this weekend.

Bart

Leave the frets on: simply get a household iron, apply heat until the glue softens enough to get a thin palette knife (thin steel thingy, not sharp) between the board and the neck, and slowly work it loose. The frets will help evenly transfer the heat, although if you're going to trash the board it doesn't matter if you burn it a little...

[JJ Donohue]

Heating and releasing the glue is the standard way of removing and preserving a FB. If you're going to trash the existing and install a new FB, I'd consider removing the frets and planing off the existing FB. You're going to have to scrape off or plane the neck surface anyway before installing the new one. If your plane iron is not razor sharp and the body not tuned up then go with the heat removal technique as Mattia described.

[Woodenspoke]

Leave the frets on: simply get a household iron, apply heat until the glue softens enough to get a thin palette knife (thin steel thingy, not sharp) between the board and the neck, and slowly work it loose. The frets will help evenly transfer the heat, although if you're going to trash the board it doesn't matter if you burn it a little...

I think for the few minutes it would take pulling the frets first would speed up the heating process. You can also use a heat lamp but in that case I suggest a surface temperature gage so you dont distroy the necks finish below the board. You would want to preheat the whole neck before you start the removal as this will make it easier and quicker overall. Let the heat do the work not your Palette Knife.

[MiKro]

I tried using a heated wire like I used cutting styrofoam. Worked well separating the fretboard from the body of my reso build. Now I think I'll try it on a neck. Who knows may work well? Or not? Used a .009 guitar string instead of nichrome wire. set my transformer for about 14.5 volts, It cut through the glue like butter on the body join. so who knows it may work on the neck as well. just need to lift a corner first. I'll report back on that.

MK

[stereordinary]

Also, if you plan on preserving the finish on the back of the neck, score a line with a razor blade along the seam where the neck meets the fingerboard. That way when you wiggle that knife in there to pry the old board off, you don't take big chips out of the finish on the neck with it.

[Guest bartbrn]

Thanks to everybody for the ideas -- I'm going to try the cutting wire idea, and thanks for reminding me to score the finish over the joint between the neck and fretboard. This is a GREAT forum!

Bart