Lycking Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Hey there! I recieved a pre-slotted 1st grade ebony fretboard this morning, but sadly it has a chip in the middle of the 9th fret. I contacted the seller and already got it refunded, but as an apology did i apperently get to keep the board. So why not give it a try to fix, there's nothing to lose So i was wondering if you guys had an idea (or a "dont fix it" if it's too big) to fill out/repair the chip? It's approx 9mm long, 3mm wide and 1.5mm deep at the deepest. I was thinking something like sawing off the spare at the bottom (theres quite a bit) and then sanding it to dust, and mixing it with either some kind of superglue or epoxy to make a paste to fill it. Would this work, or do you have any other suggestions? Thanks alot in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 For an ebony board that is exactly what I would do. This board still needs some finish sanding so I'd just let the sanding dust from that process fill the chips and drip in some water thin CA (super glue). Continue sanding, and you may have to repeat this once, but continue sanding till the board is done and it will be very well disguised. Fretting will distract from it even more. Typically this method leaves the filled area a bit darker than the surrounding wood, but that is not an issue with ebony. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycking Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Alright, just wanted to be sure before messing with anything haha Now i'm just looking forward to hitting the lumberyard for some walnut on sunday. Thanks alot SR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pan_kara Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 or a more adventurous method - design some inlay that would cover that (which would probably also involve glue+ebony dust around the inlay edges in the end) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdshirtman Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 The ebony dust mixed with epoxy will look fine but I'd do it like this. Mix your dust and the epoxy with a drop or two of black leather dye (from stew mac) and fill. When cured for 24 hrs sand over with a matching radius block till level. Then dye the whole board jet black with the leather dye. The dye in the epoxy along with dying the board will ensure a perfect black match. When your done I think you'll be hard pressed to even see where the chip once was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycking Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 @pankara, it's a great idea, but I'm a rookie, and I really dont have the skills for anything else than dot inlays i'm afraid... Yet! @sd, also a really good idea, but i think i'll keep it the color it is. It's much more black-ish than gray as it looks like in the pics, and i think it'd get too much off-colored compared to the flame maple/walnut neck-through it's going on.. But i'll think about it Thanks alot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Looks pretty beat up. Even the fret slots look like crap. I would just use an off cut clamped into a vice with a piece of paper under to catch the wood that falls while I file away. You'll get bigger chunks than if you sanded. Mix that with epoxy, more wood than epoxy, you don't want it too runny. I would not use dye or anything else mixed in. If you've got enough dust in the mix, it provides the color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 I have done similar repairs by scoring the fretboard with a knife, lifting fibers. Then pack dust in there and wet it with low viscosity super glue. The lifted fibers will give the dust/glue mix a better bite, and also give the patch a bit more realism as it will not be completely uniform in color, something I learned from Frank Ford: http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Frets/FBoardDivot/fboardivot.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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