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The usual story....a possessed drill, an innocent fretboard. I had a small dent just right of the ab dot. I tried my tried and true LMI white and sawdust, but i think the glue as too cold and dried whitish. Now I have a white smooth circle.

I was thinking black CA and hope it takes the colour.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

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Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

With that much character and color variation in the board, I don't see any type of dust or other opaque filler as being your friend. Try some clear CA fill (making sure it's clean first), scrape, steel wool, and wax and see where that brings you.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

That's the only thing I dislike about LMI glue. It looks like white paint when dried if it's not warm enough.


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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Unless it looks worse in person, I don't think I'd make a lot of fuss over it. Try the ca. When you get strings on, I can't see it being that noticeable.

You need to use CA, not LMI's white glue. CA is what all the inlay folks use to fill the cavity around pieces. Use a fine grade of sand paper so you get small sawdust, make sure it's broken in so you don't get white flecks in it, pile it on and pack it in, flood it and let it dry. Level. It won't be completely invisible, but it will be a far cry better than white glue.

Maybe try wiping with some naptha first. Sometimes a glue line is just dust and will disappear with finish. If that works then switch to some lemon oil to make it last

I wondered why my LMI glue was turning white... I didn't know that it would do that in the cold. During the winter I do some less critical things since my shop is in the garage. The bottle was fairly new. I noticed the white color and was puzzled. Now I know. Thanks.

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

...also, I keep it in the refrigerator to make it last. Looks like I need to warm it up before I use it...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Ii you have some off cuts of that fretboard and can match the grain pattern you could drill with a 1/4' still and make a 1/4' plug to fit it and fill with ebony dust and thin CA (or a smaller drill hole and hand shape a plug) If not, Ebony dust and thin CA as recommended.

Try on scrap if you have enough offcuts.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Well, no. Ebony dust and CA glue in an EIR fingerboard will be pretty ugly. If you need to make this go away, excavate the previous repair, leaving an irregular border. (Don't remove any more than you have to.) Create some sanding dust from the palest portions of an off-cut (or a similar piece, if an off-cut is not an option). (Cut out lighter sections before sanding. Don't mix darker grain lines in with the lighter elements.)

Next, fill the void with medium CA, and quickly pack the glue with the sanding dust. Give it a minute or two, then flood with thin CA. Let it cure overnight, then level with a scraper.

If you want to take it to the next level, you can carve out some shallow channels in your repair that connect the darker grain lines. Fill these with CA glue packed with dust from the darker EIR, level, and the repair should be hard to spot.