refixing fingerboard

[wellREDman]

one of my students dropped my FrankenPaul on its head and the fretboard has come loose
I'm presuming titebond but want to check there isn't a fretboard specific glue

[Highlander]

That's it and clamps...

[Rob]

more clamps than tou might imagine.
Consider a small nail in each end of the neck, cut off and sharpened.  Press the fingerboard onto these pins to prevent it board sliding with the clamps.

[Highlander]

... And shaped clamps on the back...

[wellREDman]

it hasnt come off completely, just lifted a little bit at the nut end,

I only noticed it cos i was trying to find the source of the slight buzz.

was planning on just pulling the crack open and syringing in some diluted titebond. 

I have loads of clamps but not shaped, I can lay my hands on 3 or 4 capos, would they be preferable? or not enough squeeze?

[66Atlas]

You can make neck support blocks out of a scrap 2x4.  I've also had luck just using clamps with a plastic end protector rather than having a curved block for the clamp.

[godofthunder]

    Try and clean the old glue off, difficult without pulling the fingerboard off. Get a Exacto knife or other thin blade in there and do the best you can, no need to go  nuts. Also use some kind of pad with the blocks and clamps, I use folded pieces of leather. Just get as much Tite Bond in there as you can,  clamp it up , clean up the excess,  leave clamped for 24 hours and your good as new.

[amptech]

I have no luthiers experience, but I once managed to get some glue out in a similar situation where I had trouble with getting a scraper between board and neck. I slightly heated the neck area, then the fingerboard. Then I slid a piece of sanding paper in the crack, and 'pulled' out glue that way.  This was a cheap instrument, and I went at it without fear when heating. So I got out a lot of glue and it turned out nice.

In retrospect, I think it might be risky, as you can heat too much and just loosen more of the fingerboard. 

[Rob]

If it is just a crack and not loaded with crud try squeezing it closed dry to see if it will even close.  I would not dilute tightbond but rather wick a drop of CA.

[wellREDman]

If it is just a crack and not loaded with crud try squeezing it closed dry to see if it will even close.  I would not dilute tightbond but rather wick a drop of CA.

   aaargh was gonna attempt it this weekend, now i don't know which to use titebond or CA?

its a real hairline lift, you have to really look to see the crack, its only evident as a slight buzz when strummed  which goes away if the board is pushed down

[Pilgrim]

Either will work. if it's that tiny a crack, I'd suggest using a fine-tip syringe to inject the adhesive regardless of which you use.  Titebond gives you working time - superglue doesn't give you more than a few seconds to clamp it.  But I have used it to secure a Casady fingerboard which sounds similar, and it worked fine.

[godofthunder]

  Franklin's Tire bond gets my vote. If you don't have a syringe gently open up the crack and pump the glue in with your finger tip using a circular motion then clamp for 24 hours. Don't forget to wipe the excess off with a damp rag before it dries. Good luck!

[wellREDman]

titebond worked ok

odd thing, it either shrunk the fretboard or swelled the neck, as now the neck is about a quarter of a Mil proud of the board both sides, no biggy for a beaten up old workhorse like this but would be a pain if it was on a restoration project

[Rob]

titebond worked ok

odd thing, it either shrunk the fretboard or swelled the neck, as now the neck is about a quarter of a Mil proud of the board both sides, no biggy for a beaten up old workhorse like this but would be a pain if it was on a restoration project

Almost sounds as if it were a lot more loose that it seemed.

[Dave W]

It's the neck swelling, not the fretboard shrinking. Titebond is water based. Swelling is possible depending on several factors.