fixing fingerboard wear

[mike_c]

i am having my repaiman refret and hopefully fill in the fingerboard wear spots on my monteleone...is superglue and ebony dust the best way after replanning the fingerboard? i know the fill in spots get shiny and look odd...but short of a new fingerboard,, any suggestions???

[Antlurz]

Offhand, I'd guess that planing the board should remove any pits and make any filling unnecessary unless the board is extremely cratered.

Ron

[sunburst]

I've tried several things to fill those craters, over the years, and I was never happy with any of them. Now, I just leave the dimples there, if they don't plane out with normal fingerboard planing. As long as the surface where the frets go is level, some dimples between the frets don't affect the quality of the frets themselves, and the playability seems about the same to most people. I only fill those if a customer really wants it done.

I've tried epoxy and ebony dust, epoxy and black pigment, CA and ebony dust, CA and black pigment, black CA, titebond and ebony dust,...that's all I can think of...and they all wear to a different sheen than the fingerboard, and look like little patches in a short time.

[mandolinplucker]

I wish that I could remember where I saw it, you know how things get lost on these computers, but I saw how someone fixed your problem. He pulled the frets and made a jig for a router and cut the area between the frets in the worn area out, glued in a new piece of ebony, cut new fret slots and refretted. He did this on a vintage martin guitar without pulling the fretboard, but it should work on a mando. If you are working with a luthier, he may be up to it. I know it is above my pay grade and I wouldnt try it -especially on someones stuff, but it is an option

[Stephen Perry]

My dremel with the router base will cut a platform for an inlay pretty easily. Usually an ebony patch is almost invisible. Match the hardness of the fingerboard so that future wear doesn't give a lip.

[stevebobs]

There is another way to approach excessive fret board wear and it is virtually invisible if you choose the wood carefully. I have done this by laying in rosewood and/or ebony veneer with CA and using felt as a cushion to flex the veneer into the dipped area. I insulate the felt with teflon sheeting to protect it from absorbing any stray glue. (always cushion the neck when clamping!!!) The piece of veneer can often be large enough to cover one or more divots, or just cut into an oval that will be placed over one at a time. Sanding carefully until you reach the level of the fretboard will conceal the divot and replace it with new wood that might need a bit of stain to match the surrounding tone, or simply some mineral oil. Rosewood veneer usually has a variety of colors and stripes, textures, pores etc. that you can select an identical patch. Also, if there ever is a shiny area from CA you can dull it down with a bit of medium coarse steel wool wrapped over a wooden q tip. Feel free to write me for any questions concerning this: stevebobs@hotmail.com

[Big Joe]

Many of the attempted fills for these will not only look pretty bad, but they may also fall out with a bit of time. One can inlay wood or pearl or ??? into these areas instead, or the fingerboard could be replaced. In most cases the planing will take care of the worst of it and what is left is usually not a problem so can be left. If they are extraordinarily deep then you must make a choice as to how you wish to have it fixed. However, before doing anything else I would suggest looking at it after it has been properly planed. This is a good case of where less may be better.

[Rob Grant]

Unless there are some really complex inlays on the board, replacement would seem a heck of a lot less labour intensive then some of the above cosmetic repairs.

Also, in my experience with ebony, I find a freshly cut and seasoned piece of ebony seems harder and more durable then a piece lets say 50+ years. It's like the timber doesn't age as well as most woods. Anybody else have this experience or is it possibly our local tropical conditions?

[dcoventry]

Send me your Monte, and I'll take a look at it for you.....:grin:

[Bill Snyder]

The last time the OP shows to have logged in was three years ago so he might not see your post.

[lonewolf]

Some people seem to wear those spots on a fingerboard, and others don't. I wonder if it's because the fretting technique is so aggressive, that it grinds the string into the fingerboard, or could it be fingernails that are left long enough to make the spots.

I have chewed my nails all my life, and I don't get that wear on my instruments. That doesn't mean chewing your nails isn't a gross thing to do.
Gene Warner
repairman

[Paul Hostetter]

I agree that routine planing usually takes care of fingernail divots, but sometimes filling is called for. I also agree that the CA/epoxy with dust trick is a waste of time and looks really bad until it fails. The best way to inlay ebony or rosewood into a deep divot is from fret slot to fret slot while the frets are out. It's invisible because the frets cover the ends of the patch once they're put back in.

Even if the OP is ancient, someone would have brought this topic up again soon anyway!

[Rodney Riley]

Even if the OP is ancient, someone would have brought this topic up again soon anyway!

Just might have saved someone from doing the dust CA/epoxy trick on their fingerboard that wasn't damaged back in '06. :)

[Paul Hostetter]

True dat.