James Leong Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 Apparently the previous 'luthier' who've worked on this violin stuck on the finger with a weird super sticky substance, possibly tidebond and the fingerboard & nut is not coming off easily like it should Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Butcher Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 I’m not sure fingerboards come off “easily”, but if you are experienced as a restorer, and still struggling, the safest option might be to saw off the fingerboard past the end of the neck, and plane off the rest of the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 9 hours ago, James Leong said: Apparently the previous 'luthier' who've worked on this violin stuck on the finger with a weird super sticky substance, possibly tidebond and the fingerboard & nut is not coming off easily like it should I recall a 'cello that required a guitar fingerboard heating blanket to allow removal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Allen Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 If it's white glue/pva, I would carefully use an iron with no water in it. I had a cello fingerboard, a nice cello, that was all pva glued together for some reason, where I used a clothes iron to carefully and patiently work the FB off over the course of 40 minutes or so. Use the iron with a little bit of white vinegar. Heat up the whole board, while concentrating on the area that the knife is in, too. Don't hold the iron in one spot for too long, especially at the heel where the top is. Good luck. If it's Gorilla glue/epoxy, just saw the extension end off near the heel and plane the board off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Leong Posted October 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 @Nick Allen, I got no idea what glue it is..... cause i couldn't even get to it. The fingerboard is not budging at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzupe Posted October 3, 2022 Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 Heat as suggested by Jeffery may be the way to go, "heat tape" to prevent pipe freeze can be wrapped around hand towel for a cheap "blanket" but you must get the lower temp ones and do need to babysit the project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Leong Posted October 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 @jezzupe there is a coating of ground on the neck on the violin, it actually makes the neck pretty smooth and i don't want to melt the coating on the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonMaberry Posted October 3, 2022 Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 I've used a cheap, lap sized heating blanket to good effect for these things, wrapping the neck with them and coming back and hour later to work at it a bit, before rewrapping it and leaving again. Lots of good advice above Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan slobodkin Posted October 3, 2022 Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 7 hours ago, James Leong said: @jezzupe there is a coating of ground on the neck on the violin, it actually makes the neck pretty smooth and i don't want to melt the coating on the neck. Why are you taking the board off? If you are moving or replacing it you would normally have to refinish the neck anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzupe Posted October 3, 2022 Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 9 hours ago, James Leong said: @jezzupe there is a coating of ground on the neck on the violin, it actually makes the neck pretty smooth and i don't want to melt the coating on the neck. Unless the "coating" is wax or shellac, it will not "melt" and assuming it is one of the 2, they are easily "redone" ...and well if your going to do it right, the fingerboard imo should not be "coated" with anything. It could be "sealed" with an oil or sometimes pumice and a drop of varnish, so as Nathan suggests your probably going to be doing some finish work to get it back to playability anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzupe Posted October 3, 2022 Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 8 hours ago, JacksonMaberry said: I've used a cheap, lap sized heating blanket to good effect for these things, wrapping the neck with them and coming back and hour later to work at it a bit, before rewrapping it and leaving again. Lots of good advice above Never had any luck with these based on the modern design having auto shut off after 15 min for safety, I do like the pipe tape because you can generally control the temp with a built in thermostat and they are made to run day and night if needed, as well as being able to wrap it tight for good contact. I suppose if you can find one of grandmas "pre safety shut off" blankets that would work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonMaberry Posted October 3, 2022 Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 47 minutes ago, jezzupe said: Never had any luck with these based on the modern design having auto shut off after 15 min for safety, I do like the pipe tape because you can generally control the temp with a built in thermostat and they are made to run day and night if needed, as well as being able to wrap it tight for good contact. I suppose if you can find one of grandmas "pre safety shut off" blankets that would work I got that good pre-ban s***. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzupe Posted October 3, 2022 Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 35 minutes ago, JacksonMaberry said: I got that good pre-ban s***. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonMaberry Posted October 3, 2022 Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 6 minutes ago, jezzupe said: I keep it alongside my pre-1906 coca cola and my vintage Cuban cigars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Leong Posted October 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2022 @jezzupe I got no idea what the coating is, apparently my upload of the image keeps failing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelbow Posted October 4, 2022 Report Share Posted October 4, 2022 7 hours ago, James Leong said: @jezzupe I got no idea what the coating is, apparently my upload of the image keeps failing Your photo is probably over 2mb in size, the forum is funny about file size. You can try and PM it to me if its still not working. I think PMs are more forgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Violin Beautiful Posted October 4, 2022 Report Share Posted October 4, 2022 I’ve had a few experiences with awful fingerboard glue jobs. I think the worst one was a cello that had had its fingerboard and neck reglued with what appeared to be JB Weld. To get the board off I used solvents first to try to get the knife started. They didn’t do anything, but I was able to get the knife into a spot that was slightly weaker by carefully applying a lot of force. I had more success when I began using a heat gun, which I turned up to its highest setting and pointed at the top surface of the fingerboard. I wouldn’t say the glue exactly melted, but it softened just enough that I could gradually move the knife a millimeter or so at a time. Once the board was off, I removed the glue from the neck by heating it with a butane torch until I could peel it away. Although there were a couple scorch marks on the glue surface of the neck in the end, the playing surface or handle of the neck never suffered any damage to the wood or sealer/varnish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Leong Posted October 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2022 @The Violin Beautiful apparently I do not have a heat gun and there is not any space I can shove the knife into. I also don't have an electric blanket and other hear tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonMaberry Posted October 6, 2022 Report Share Posted October 6, 2022 19 hours ago, James Leong said: @The Violin Beautiful apparently I do not have a heat gun and there is not any space I can shove the knife into. I also don't have an electric blanket and other hear tools You may just have to buy any one of the things that have been suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoGo Posted October 6, 2022 Report Share Posted October 6, 2022 Take clothes iron when your wife is out. Don't use steam and clean it thoroughly after use (some oils may bleed onto the surface from the wood) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Leong Posted October 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 @HoGodo we use cloth on top of the neck or put the iron straight on the violin. cause steaming the neck directly will probably cause damage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Butcher Posted October 8, 2022 Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 I think you should consider taking the violin to someone who knows what they are doing, they can most likely get the board off without issue. Its clear you haven’t done this before, and are headed on the road to disaster. Why does the board need to be removed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoGo Posted October 9, 2022 Report Share Posted October 9, 2022 On 10/8/2022 at 9:15 AM, James Leong said: @HoGodo we use cloth on top of the neck or put the iron straight on the violin. cause steaming the neck directly will probably cause damage I work mostly on fretted instruments and standard is just dry heat (cautious around plastic binding). Ebony conducts the heat quite well. Steam is dangerous for finishes and also would swell wood. Most modern glues will soften with heat and hide glue becomes a bit more brittle which helps in board removal. Standard Titebond releases really cleanly this way and only somewhat sticky goo remains on the surface to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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