Page 1 of 1
Wood grain cracks on finger board
Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:10 pm
by sammyjit
I have just noticed a small crack in the finger board. I'm a little concerned about using it. The neck has some small cracks and gouges where the two meet. I think the neck is salvageable. It won't look pretty but I'm not trying to build a pretty guitar. I have some pictures attached. Some good some not so good. Should I just buy another fingerboard? (These were all "as is" parts when I bought them) Rejected parts from Martin I believe.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i2u3oa581380 ... CjP2a?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i2u3oa581380 ... CjP2a?dl=0
Re: Wood grain cracks on finger board
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 6:19 am
by Danl8
I can't access your pictures, but I have used several rejected boards this past year and haven't run into problems so far. I use ebony wood or ebony dust and/or lampblack to color the glue/epoxy which generally repairs the defects. That said, I wouldn't use a fingerboard with serious checking.
Re: Wood grain cracks on finger board
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 5:56 pm
by sammyjit
Re: Wood grain cracks on finger board
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 10:42 pm
by Danl8
Pictures worked. From what I can see, the split runs on the treble side and unless it can be really well closed, it's a problem for potentially skewering the players hand. If it were mine I would run amber cyano in the crack and close it with a wrapping of a long chain of rubber bands. If it closed up completely, then I would use it.
Re: Wood grain cracks on finger board
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:56 am
by MaineGeezer
StewMac's #10 CA glue wicks into cracks very well.
Building on the rubber band idea, I use a 10' piece of 1/4" diameter latex tubing, which stretches like crazy and can be wrapped around just about anything. The only downside I've found is that hot hide glue seems to dissolve it.
Re: Wood grain cracks on finger board
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 7:24 am
by Danl8
MaineGeezer wrote:........ The only downside I've found is that hot hide glue seems to dissolve it.
How true and if hide glue doesn't dissolve rubber, it surely glues it tightly and making for a clean-up challenge. I like to use polyvinyl chloride film or waxed paper prevent those issues. For the OP, the rubber-band method can exert enough pressure to dent wood, so be cautious.