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I usually don't deconstruct guitars, so I need some help. I picked up a cheap, probabaly Japanese, plywood classical that I want to fix up for a travel guitar. The factory neck was way too tilted forward and needs to come off and the angle fixed. I need advice on removing the finger board. I assume it has Titebond, Elmer's or a similar glue. Is it enough to use a hot knife to remove the FB, or do I need to heat the board first? If so, what is a good way to heat the board--hair dryer?? Should the frets be pulled first? I plan to junk the FB and install a new one.

Thanks

If you are junking the fretboard, definitely remove frets first. You can heat them or just use some fret pullers. Then use an iron (no steam) to heat up the fretboard and use a palette knife or thin scraper. If you are going to preserve the soundboard, go slow so you don't rip into the soundboard timber. The FB should come off pretty easily.

I actually bought a $20 iron from Aldi (cheap supermarket here in Oz) rather than use the one my wife uses for her Sunday best.

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Martin Taylor
http://martintaylorguitars.com.au

That was probably very wise, as it tends to leave oils on the iron's surface...

Pull the frets, plane the radius flat thinning the board down to about 1/16...heat with iron and use a putty knife or spatula. The thinner the board the better and faster the heat penetrates. Ironing through a cotton cloth prevents oils sticking to the irons plate. Use the spatula in more of a slight lifting angle instead of a cutting manner to prevent cutting into the necks surface.

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wise advice padma !

not bad for an old fool eh!

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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All the advice given is dead on. If you're looking to keep the board and frets intact, you can simply lay the iron on top of the frets. It takes a bit longer, but works just fine.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

You don't necessarily need to buy a new iron or use the household iron. Irons often develop water leaks which means that the steam feature no will longer work. At this point people often give them to a thrift store or sell them at a garage sale. As long as it heats up, it makes a perfectly good luthier's tool.

So many tools are unavoidably expensive. Makes it kind of satisfying to get a usable one really cheap.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

I've got three that my wife thought she threw away. I use one to heat the outside of a side while I'm bending it. It's a little unorthodox, but it has worked well for me. I've spent less than $100 on side bending tools and I'm set up to bend parlor, L-00, dred, and jumbo sides.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I've removed a fretboard with the frets installed...a cheap iron and a steel spatula and a little patience proved success. Granted, I had a re-level and seat the frets, but not as bad as bad as taking the top off, Keep calm and build on..... Tony

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Tony Flippo

I prefer a heat lamp for removal.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I've used a small travel iron and my wife's cake frosting metal spatula. Worked great.

I bought a travel iron for $0.25 at a yard sale.

I got a cheap iron I use for removing fingerboards and bridges... they work very well for the purpose as long as you can keep the iron balanced against the bridge... however some bridges have unusual contours that makes heat transfer very slow and it's really hard to balance the iron on... I was contemplating getting heating blankets for that reason.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I broke down and bought a heating blanket for bridge removal - what a difference! Really makes the process much easier. I'll be getting one for fretboards and FB tongue next.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I also use a heat lamp (250W). A white corrugated cardboard shield is use to keep the heat off the finish of the soundboard and peghead.
On many occasions, I have reused the fingerboard, which was removed to install or change the neck reinforcement. In those instances, I normally leave the frets in place.

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John

Padma , your not a fool, just older and wiser lol. Yup u can pick up used irons for under $2