Fretless Fingerboard Finish...

All this reading about your builds has stirred my enthusiasm and while I'm saving up my pennies for a kit I am getting motivated to refurbish my Old Fretless. I've had this old girl for note than Thirty Years and she needs some lovin'.....

Having read a couple of passing remarks to the use of CA Glue as a fingerboard finish, I'm thinking that this might be the way to go, and after much scouring of the forum and youtoob, I have found very little information.
All input and guidance would be greatly appreciated.

From: Where do I get it?
To: How do I do it?
And of course: What should I look out for?

As well as other preferred methods. I am keen to learn.....

Hey Hoby, I use thin CA superglue from Stewmac. I have tried ragging it on but the rag can get really hot, so I would get a fairly small paintbrush and use that to wipe over the fingerboard. Give the FB a good sand with a radius block before applying the CA glue.
Usually 2 coats of glue is enough. Give each coat it at least 24 hours to fully cure. Then about 1200 grit sand to smooth out the FB surface. Do you know what radius the FB is ?

Use a couple of layers of masking tape on the edge of the fingerboard so the glue doesn't run and drip all over the side of the FB and down the neck

here's the link to the glue it's the #10 one. Worth getting at least 2 bottles as it comes in handy for other repairs

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and...uper_Glue.html

Awesome, thanks. I saw a wood turning guy using a type of CA that didn't go off until he applied an activator, any ideas on this stuff???

Hey Hoby, not sure haven't heard of that product. The Stewmac thin superglue takes at least 20- 30 seconds (depending on weather) to start hardening so you will have enough time to brush it over the whole FB as flat as you can to minimise sanding it flat. The brush you use will be a throw away job so don't spend heaps on it !

Some have used clear epoxy resin and that only hardens when you mix the epoxy with the hardener and that can take days to fully harden

What is the fretboard made of and what's been used to treat it over the years?

Its an Ebony Fingerboard, still with the original coating on it. I'm assuming that it is an Epoxy, like the Body. It has worn through in a few places and there is only minimal wear to the Ebony itself. There's plenty of meat on the bone, so a good sand isn't going to hurt it. At one point I needed Fretted Bass with a good Growl, and my Jazz Bass didn't do it for me, so I got it Fretted. It worked at the time but I soon wanted my Old Girl Back. So I had a local Luthier de fret her again. He used some kind of filler in the slots but didn't refinish the board. Some of the filler has crumbled, so I am hoping to fix that with ebony sawdust and superglue......

You should be able to get thin superglue from more local eBay sellers rather than StewMac. I've got several bottles of it. Beware, it has very little surface tension (so penetrates cracks easily) and so it fills nice and flat (unlike more viscous glues where the surface tension pulls the glue down into dips), but it is very, very runny. Did I say it's runny? Well it is. Very. It will run and run, so definitely tape up the rest of the neck and rest the neck off any surface so that it doesn't get stuck to it. Lots of old newspaper down to soak up the runs.

I've found it can actually take a lot longer to set than 20-30 seconds, so just leave it for a long time and don't be tempted to touch it with your fingers to check - or you may get stuck!. CA can be set off with moisture, so gently breathing on it will help. One of your humid days will probably be ideal for getting it set fairly quickly.

Thanks heaps Simon. I like as much information as possible before I try something new... Managed to find a YouTube video today as well. I must say I am very impressed with the finish.....

Local woodwork shops will also have superglue in a range of thicknesses. Superglue reacts with cotton (I've burnt myself with a cotton rag and superglue) - hence Wokka's comment re: getting hot. Best thing to use to spread superglue is an old credit card or small piece of plastic. As Simon says, its generally very thin and will run like crazy, but becomes hard to work quickly, so you need to work fairly quickly. Apply in many thin layers to give a nice consistency, sanding back every couple until you get to the level you like. Superglue reacts with water even from your breath and can go cloudy. Best bet is to let it dry naturally out of the wind and in a dry area. Don't rush and you should be right. Also remember it does degas with something that smells nasty and toxic - so make sure your work area is well ventilated and don't get too close to the board as you apply. Overall sounds harder than it is - its not too hard to do.

A few of us did fretless necks last year using CA glue with the red label.

Highly toxic stuff and gives off wicked fumes. Not the easiest stuff to work with and on mine I reckon there was more than a dozen coats done before I had an even coverage all over the fret board. Not for the faint hearted and if I was to do it again I reckon I would follow what Robin did on his and use epoxy resin instead.

"According to the United States National Toxicology Program, the inhalation exposure toxicity rate of of ethyl cyanoacrylate, or super glue, is safe and additional study is unnecessary. The report also highlighted an extremely large LD50, with over 5000 milligrams per kilogram of body weight required for a lethal dose".

So it's only very mildly toxic, like a lot of other household products. Well ventilated space yes, but inhaling it won't kill you. There simply isn't enough heptane (the accelerant and the main irritant present) in a bottle of CA to do that. It's on a par with acetone - nail polish remover. No need to take risks, but no need to avoid using it as long as you behave sensibly around it.

I have an old fretless with a worn fretboard & looked around at some Bass forums seeking some ideas about how to proceed.

I did not go in deep with the research but I did read one brief story where a guy swears by "marine Grade Clear Epoxy Resin" - he said the type used on boat decks so you can still see the deck's grain but gives a very tough finish.

Unfortunately that's all I gleaned from that article (years ago now) so brand or availability & cost will require more searching.

My bass has an 'ebanol'(read plastic) fingerboard so I may just leave it as is.

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Originally Posted by ZenAndZen

I have an old fretless with a worn fretboard & looked around at some Bass forums seeking some ideas about how to proceed.

I did not go in deep with the research but I did read one brief story where a guy swears by "marine Grade Clear Epoxy Resin" - he said the type used on boat decks so you can still see the deck's grain but gives a very tough finish.

Unfortunately that's all I gleaned from that article (years ago now) so brand or availability & cost will require more searching.

My bass has an 'ebanol'(read plastic) fingerboard so I may just leave it as is.

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You could probably get away with just sanding and polishing it.....

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

"According to the United States National Toxicology Program, the inhalation exposure toxicity rate of of ethyl cyanoacrylate, or super glue, is safe and additional study is unnecessary. The report also highlighted an extremely large LD50, with over 5000 milligrams per kilogram of body weight required for a lethal dose".

So it's only very mildly toxic, like a lot of other household products. Well ventilated space yes, but inhaling it won't kill you. There simply isn't enough heptane (the accelerant and the main irritant present) in a bottle of CA to do that. It's on a par with acetone - nail polish remover. No need to take risks, but no need to avoid using it as long as you behave sensibly around it.

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I tend to use my ventilator mask with all of these things. If for no other reason than to cut back the god awful chemical smell.

I also use eye goggles when using copious amounts of CA glue - the fumes play havoc with my eyes (stinging/watering....)

Hey Ponch are you sure you aren't using beer goggles mate ?

standard equipment at 4D hahah

Like these?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f02b68ad21.jpg

Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk

bwhahaha exactly Ponch, those make sanding and boring jobs alot more exciting !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andrewdosborne

Like these?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f02b68ad21.jpg

Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk

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Can you get them in a stout or an IPA?

definitely Frankie, I was a bit concerned about looking through Millers beer goggles.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

definitely Frankie, I was a bit concerned about looking through Millers beer goggles.

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To be fair to Miller, its not the worst beer I've ever tasted, but its certainly no where near the best. From a purely personal point of view of course, to each their own at the end of the day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andrewdosborne

I also use eye goggles when using copious amounts of CA glue - the fumes play havoc with my eyes (stinging/watering....)

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Same reaction with me too.

Don't care too much for any US based scientific safety data as it is mostly BS paid for and provided by the manufacturers not independent sources, as is the case with many products we are led to believe are safe to use.

Inhaling might not kill you initially, well, not in one isolated session but over exposure will take it's toll just like with all chemicals. Remember how not too long ago we were told DDT and much other chemical nasty stuff was safe? Currently banned in most western countries but probably still being used in developing ones instead. Big business has too much money tied up in these things to simply roll over and bow to environmentalist or government pressure. Same thing was said about Asbestos too and look where we are today.

Best to be sensible and take precautions rather than unnecessary risks.

CA certainly gives off some nasty vapours, been caught out once, and I was only glueing a small job but that was enough. Now use in a well ventilated space and I reckon eye protection and a P2 mask for sure. Got plenty at work.....

I've never suffered any reaction to CA vapours. Maybe we get a slightly different formulation? Wouldn't think so but you never know.

Didn't have a reaction, but the brief burning sensation up the nose is enough of a warning shot. I work in Emergency Response on a large industrial site, and I would look a bit silly if I was brought down by something like this.....
Remember, "a truely wise man does not play leapfrog with a unicorn".

Having a Cert IV in OH & S has not stopped me taking calculated risks at home whilst nobody is watching or recording what is going on and I rarely suit up in all the protective gear. Rubber gloves, yes as a minimum when handling stains & finish, wear glasses most of the time but often take them off for close up work and it was the vapours coming off CA glue that affected me with or without glasses on through initially mild watering, then stinging, all in a well ventilated area. Obviously some people may react differently to another when exposed to chemicals and this little container of stuff comes with the following printed on the label "Warning: Eye and respiratory irritant. Bonds to skin in seconds." It was this stuff that I used.....
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