Greg's Second Build - STA-1 Ash #234

The GAS kicked in and the postman delivered a very nice looking STA-1 with blemish free Ash body and Rosewood fretboard.

I decided to spend a bit of money on this one to find out a bit more about the technology and upgrades you blokes talk about.

I have plan in mind. The inspiration came from me playing Hank Marvin / The Shadows stuff as I can't sing so the guitar has to do it. You can guess RED but not Hank red. I am going dark wine red (stain with TruOil) again with black fittings all round. If anyone in WA sees Hank please tell him he is welcome to try it out - 'hihi'. It will have a whammy bar.

The upgrades are as follows:
Black upgrade, Electrics upgrade - PB stuff, Tonerider TRS3 Classic Blues,
Grover Rotomatics upgrade, Babicz FCH Strat Tremolo

Attachment 27349

Should look good with the colour scheme you have in mind.

Finally, after 18 months, I have managed to get back to my STA-1. Have had all sorts and minor issues, nothing to serious, hail damage to the house, a couple of trips to NT and Arnhem Land, and lot of guitar practice trying to justify another guitar. One interesting one was pulling up a small section of rotted flooring for a new carpet. I pulled a big section and got a face full of dust which must have been full of microbes, fungus spores etc. Guess what? No mask and I came down with a sort of asthma attack that evening. Took the doc about 4 monthe to sort it out. Motto -Always where a mask. I now have plenty in the garage. Anyway enough of my minor irritations, back to the important stuff.

I have competed the following tasks:

1. Fitted the neck. The fretboard would not fit into its socket. So I had to sand it very carefully to ensure it stayed straight in the slot.
I mentioned it to Adam who was pleased about the tight fit because he had been talking to the manufacture about some loose fitting ones.

2. Cut the shape in the head. Tried to come up with a custom shape but failed. So I went for the standard Stat shape.

Attachment 33684

3. Sanding 120,180,240 grits. Sure makes it easy not having to worry about a veneer like the LP1-MQ.
Attachment 33682

4. Grain filled with Timbermate. After the first coat was sanded off there was still a lot of TimberMate in the grain. I applied a second coat to ensure a good fill. I think I will need to take it off with 180 grit to get a lot more timber colout and then finish it off again with 240 grit. Let me know if this is not a standard practise.

The photo is taken after the first sand off. Second coat is currently drying.
Attachment 33683

Another Question: When do you drill the screw holes for the scratch plate , fittings etc? I intended to drill the screw holes after finishing the staining. ( Dark Wine Red ColourTone and TruOil). I was looking at some photos on PitBull and it appeared that on some builds the screw holes were drilled early in the process. I can understand it for paint jobs but I thnk the holes would be a nuisance in my build where there is so much sanding.

Hi Greg. Welcome back!

Quote:

---

I think I will need to take it off with 180 grit to get a lot more timber colout and then finish it off again with 240 grit. Let me know if this is not a standard practise.

---

I wouldn't go below 240. 180 will just make more work by leaving swirls behind as well as pulling out the grain filler you've just put in!
Yes, 240 may take longer to get down to the bare timber between the grain, but it will leave a much smoother surface and leave the grain filler in place.

Grain filling ash can regularly require 3 (or 4) applications. Basically, it takes what it takes if you're goal is glass-like finish.

Are you thinning the Timbermate? My first time I didn't thin it quite enough, and that stuff sets like a rock, so it took a lot of sanding.
Eventually I worked out that thinning it a little more and doing extra applications was actually easier than sanding off a thick layer of grain filler.

Quote:

---

When do you drill the screw holes for the scratch plate , fittings etc? I intended to drill the screw holes after finishing the staining.

---

With staining or painting I drill all my holes beforehand. Stain is surprisingly superficial, in that it doesn't seep in as deeply into the timber as you might think. Drilling after staining can still result in tear-out, and drilling after clear coating can result in chipping.
With grain filling, I would do it afterward, but before staining. I have done it prior to grain filling and plugged the holes with tiny bits of paper towel to minimise the filler setting up in the holes, whilst effective, it can get a bit fiddly.

Another thing I do with all my holes, is put a slight countersink (bevelled edge) on them to prevent a "lip" of finish building up around the inside edge of the hole. This is more helpful when spraying, but can be beneficial even with a hand-applied finish like Tru Oil.

Thanks for your reply McReed

I will take your advice and do 4 applications of TimberMate and sand it off with 240 grit. I water the TimberMate down to a honey like consistency and rub it in with a rag. Leave for 24 hours to hopefully prevent and shrinkage.

I like your suggestion to drill before staining. It does give a bit more wriggle room and not worry about scratching surface when siring the components. My last guitar, the LP, was already drilled, so wasn't and issue. All good experience. I also like the countersunk idea.

Thanks again

Greg

Just a word of caution if you plan on doing any wet sanding as pre-drilled holes can easily absorb water and swell the timber hence why I always drill last when attaching all the hardware.

Cheers, Waz

Hi Waz
Good to see all the regular names still about.

I knew I would get some counter arguments. hihi.

I can't stand the thought of wet sanding with water on wood. I did two wet sands on the LP with turpentine, The hole problem would still be applicable. I guess. I was super careful because of the quilted veneer.

I did have a thought of drilling after finishing but using the drill in reverse for the first touch on the finish to reduce risk of chipping.

I will have to give this careful consideration.

Regards

Greg

Quote:

---

Just a word of caution if you plan on doing any wet sanding as pre-drilled holes can easily absorb water and swell the timber hence why I always drill last when attaching all the hardware.

---

A valid point.

However I avoid the swelling issue by rubbing a small amount of bee's wax into the holes before I start the wet sanding process.
It doesn't require much and the small amount that may smear around the outside of hole will wipe off with bit of rag dampened with metho.

Once the wet sanding and polishing is done, the wax can be extracted with a toothpick. Any residual wax inside the hole makes a great lubricant when the screws go in.

Call for quick help.

Should I stain and eventually true-oil the fretboard slot/socket? I have been looking at lots of pictures and there does not seem to be a rule. The STA-a is screw on fretboard. I know to leave the slot clean on a glue on.

Greg

Quick catchup

I have sanded, filled the grain with black Timbermate and sanded again and again >>>>>

Next job was to find a colour. I wanted a dark red to go with black fittings. After many trials with Colour Tone Red Mahogany, Cherry Red , Black and Blue(makes purple - not quite what I had in mind.), I decided to go with raw Red Mahogany. There are a couple of nice examples on the web. So I am hoping for the best.

I have now given the body three coast of 1:15 stain to metho. And so far I am happy. First coat of Tru-Oil tomorrow.

Of course after the first coat that elusive glue spot appeared. I had been looking for glue spots for days while sanding and then two rubs with metho to raise the grain. Anyway I was able to quickly remove most of the glue with Goo Off and then used a piece of sharpened fine wir and magnifying glass to scratch out the little bit of grain that remained. Turned out successfully with just two small bits of grain scratched out that will fill with the 30 coasts of Tru-Oil.

The spot in the right-hand corner of the photo is after the first coat and after the Goo Off and has now disappeared.

My photos after the last coat of stain are pretty crappy so I will have to try again after a few coats of Tru-Oil

Attachment 33799
Greg

Quote:

---

Should I stain and eventually true-oil the fretboard slot/socket? I have been looking at lots of pictures and there does not seem to be a rule. The STA-a is screw on fretboard. I know to leave the slot clean on a glue on.

---

First, nice colour & grain on that body! Glad you managed to get the glue spot out too.

re: neck pocket - If I'm staining/dyeing a screw-fixed (bolt-on) body I'll get at least a little bit on the inside edges of the neck pocket, but have done the entire pocket as well. It doesn't hurt anything IMO.

When I'm spraying, I also get some in there (both base & clear coat). The mounting stick covers most of the bottom of the pocket, but the sides are still slightly exposed. When it comes time to fit the neck, I can always sand the finish coats back if it's a bit too snug.

With hand-applied finish like Tru Oil, you can do the same. I like having the finish coat sort of roll over the edge from the top as I think it makes for a stronger contiguous bond that way and less chance of chipping or flaking. There's absolutely no science to that, just theory and speculation on my part.

Also, when finishing a (bolt-on) neck, I finish the whole thing heel and all. Again, that's what I do and I'm sure others may disagree. But if you've ever removed the neck from a factory-made guitar, chances are it had a finished heel.

Hi McCreed

Thanks for your reply.
I did do one layer of stain in the pocket on the first pass for the same reason you suggested. I was worried that I might be able to see an unfinished bit through any small gaps. I did totally finish the heel on my LP which has a crew in fretboard.

I guess the thinking could be that finish might absorb some vibration connections between the Fretboard and body. No one could tell from my playing anyway. hihi

Greg

Stain is fine, though most people (and guitar companies) will mask up the pocket from the start and so only have about 1mm of stain and finish round the edges. You do need the finish to roll over the edges or as McCreed says, you are likely to catch the edge of the finish (if it's only right up to the edge rather than over it) and chip it.

If you do finish the inside of the pocket, then the more finish you put on, the smaller the pocket dimension becomes. You'll be finishing the neck itself, so the heel will also be getting slightly bigger. If the neck pocket was a tight fit before finishing, then it's easy to overdo it and have the neck then too big to fit in the pocket. It's happened to builders here before.

Whilst it's easy to sand the finish on the heel of the neck flat, it's a lot harder to do a similar thing within the confines on the neck pocket. So you may then leave what was a flat surface as bumpy, possibly alter the neck angle and make poor neck to pocket contact.

On the other hand, if the pocket fit is slightly loose, then finishing inside the pocket can provide a tighter fit. But a very loose fit will be better solved by strips of veneer rather than a big build-up of finish. So, just be aware of the options and do what's best for what you've got.

Quote:

---

If the neck pocket was a tight fit before finishing, then it's easy to overdo it and have the neck then too big to fit in the pocket.

---

I am of the opinion that if a neck heel needs to be pushed hard into the pocket, it's too tight. If the fit is that tight, it will cause other problems later on, both during the build and after it's finished. The neck heel should almost literally "drop in" to the pocket with little to no resistance.
If I have an unfinished body that has a tight pocket, I sand it until I get the fit "right" before I do anything. Especially before applying any finish. I want to create enough space to accommodate that and more.

If it's too tight, it can make proper neck/string alignment hard to achieve AND if it's too tight the risk of cracking the finish around the pocket (especially the little bit nearest the lower cut-away on a strat) is increased by neck movement either by adjustment or natural environmental conditions (shrinking/expanding with humidity levels).

The myth which has been perpetuated about a tighter neck pocket creating better "sonic transference" and "more sustain" is rubbish.
I will clarify that I am ONLY talking about bolt-on necks here.

I'm not saying that the best possible mating of the surfaces of each component shouldn't be considered, but it is not the be all and end all to a great sounding electric guitar. How many great sounding vintage strats & teles have had an old business card jammed under the heel as a shim?

Quote:

---

Whilst it's easy to sand the finish on the heel of the neck flat, it's a lot harder to do a similar thing within the confines on the neck pocket.

---

I don't find this to be difficult at all. I have small hardwood blocks that are cut true and square just for this purpose.
By using the sides of the pocket as a guide, I can sand the bottom perfectly perpendicular to the side, and vice versa sanding the sides using the bottom to maintain a right angle to the side. I take my time and check regularly with a machinist square.

Thanks Simon. Good to hear from you again.

Hey McCreed I just noticed why you were pleased with my red colour. I just noticed your icon and the red Tele. What dye and colour is that. Go the Reds. hihi

Greg

PS I have decided to take the compromise decision and just do the edges.
G

Thanks Greg.
That tele was done with a combination or ColorTone Cherry Red and U-Beaut Red (both water-based dyes).
It was a PBG TLA-1 kit with Ash body.

The reason I used two different dyes was the ColorTone I bought was just too small an amount and when diluted (to recommended ratio) it was just too pale (more pink than red). I used the remainder of the CT neat and it wasn't enough to cover the whole thing so I switched to the U-Beaut and the end result is what you see now.

Here's a better pic of that guitar: (glamour shot :cool:)

Attachment 33818

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GregLane

Call for quick help.

Should I stain and eventually true-oil the fretboard slot/socket? I have been looking at lots of pictures and there does not seem to be a rule. The STA-a is screw on fretboard. I know to leave the slot clean on a glue on.

Greg

---

Hi Greg, not sure what you mean but if on the body, no, you do not put any finish inside where the neck joins body. As for neck heel, Yes, it does need to be finished and if using Tru Oil it shouldn't build up much of a thickness. I have done 5 bolt-on necks this way using TO and all worked out fine.

Cheers, Waz

Run out of Tru Oil after 38 coats and awaiting new supply.

Attachment 34058
Attachment 34059

It is 3 weeks since my last report and I have been tru-oiling and sanding for 38 coats and reckon I will need maybe another 10.

I sanded the guitar down to 340 grit and then did two wet wipes with meth to lift the grain (I don't like water with wood). I noticed the black v grain lifted surprisingly high so sanded smooth again. Then another wet coat of metho and up the black grain came again but nowhere near as high so sanded smooth again.

Then I applied three coats of black Timbermate, sanding with 340 between coats.

Then the first coat of ColorTone Mahogany Red mixed in metho 15:1. I noticed the black grain liftted a little but expected that it could be filled with the planned 30 coats of Tru-oil (needed 30 on the LP). Two more coats of stain and grain looked great but the large v shaped grains lifted further. But too late now. Expected that they would fill with the tru-oil

Away I went with the Tru-0il. Three good coats and the first sand off with a dry Scothbrite Grey. The ScotchBrite is 600-800 grit but I have found it much gentler on the finish than 1200 wet and dry. From the third coat it did a light sand with Scotchbrite between each coat. After about each 10 coats I found I needed the 1200 wet with turps for an extra flat smooth off.

The smaller grain was not filling as quickly as I expected even after the Timbermate. I think maybe next time I will sand the Timbermate with 600 to leave it smoother. Others might like to comment on this idea. I have noticed there is a bit of a different view on the forum about much bite you need to leave for the finish.

The valleys between the raised big v gain were not filling. So after 18 coats I decided to just pour the Tru-Oil into the valleys to fill them. Had to do that three times but now I had an almost glass finish. By the time I got to 30 coats all the valleys were nicely filled

The small grain had almost filled after the 38 coats.

I don’t have 38 layers of tru-oil on the high spots, only in the grain because I have had to sand down quite heavily to get closer to the low grain.

My next issue is that during my finishing process I put the scratch plate on for a look. I thought ‘I can’t cover all that beautiful grain with a big Tele scratchplate’ so I have decided to cut off the lower horn and shape the plate with a curve from near the switch to the lower screw near the neck.

I really don’t think I need the router for such a short cut. I was thinking of shaping the plate with drum sander on the drill press and then filing and sanding the bevel. I would appreciate any advice on this idea. I will do some testing shortly.

Greg, that's looking outstanding!
I like the simplicity of your G logo too. It's understated yet elegant. Is it engraved, then filled with something?

re: Sanding the Timbermate with 600, I see where your thinking is with the finer grain, but not sure it would achieve what you trying to. I guess it's worth a try. I think 400 is the lightest I've ever gone.

However, how much did you thin the the timber mate when you applied it?
My feeling is that too "dry" a mix will make it harder to fill the finer bits of grain, and too wet it won't have the proper adhesive properties and lift out easily with sanding.

Another observation I've made is sometimes it takes more than 3 applications. I know a glass-smooth natural finish looks great, but grain-filling is my least favourite part of the process.

re: your pickguard, I did a similar, but more conservative thing on mine (see earlier photo).

For doing custom pickguard shapes or mods, I rough it out with a medium hobby saw (saw blade fits in my Excel hobby knife handle) fine tune it with my drum sander (in drill press) and do my bevelling by scraping with a Stanley Knife blade. I do a combination of holding the blade in hand as well as in my DIY binding scraper tool.
Last I clean up any tool marks with a flat jeweller's file and 1200 sandpaper. I've even gone so far as to polish the bevel with Micro-Gloss polish.

It's time consuming, but way cheaper than ordering a custom guard, and I find it quite therapeutic...
and you get exactly what you want!

Hi McCreed

Thanks for the info on the pickguard cutting. I will be taking it slow an easy.

The guitar is actually redder and blacker than the photo. The flash turned it brown/orange. Try again when finished.

The G for Grandpa, Grumpy , Guitar , etc hihi
It is nothing so clever as a filled engraving. It is just a laser printed transfer well covered with Tru-Oil.

I agree the Tru-Oil may have been a bit dry. I purchased a large bottle with the kit and took over a year to start using it. In fact I added a little bit of turps to what I had left for the last 10 or so coats and it was better to apply. It will be interesting to see how the new bottle feels when it arrives on Thursday.

I did have about 1/3 of a bottle left from the LP which was couple of years old. It was quite good still. Lived upside down in the refrigerator for two years.

I finish with two coats of 50/50 Tru-Oil and turps. Really shines. I have never polished the LP and it is still great.

Finally after 50 coats of Tru-Oil (one large bottle) and patience. As mentioned above the deep black V grain took some filling but it is now glass-smooth.

Now resting it for a couple of weeks while I cut and rewire the scratch pad.
Attachment 34186
Attachment 34187

I don't know how to get bigger photos but I have found you can double click them to enlarge.

You can get the photos bigger if you host them elsewhere and link directly.

All the TO applications were worth it in the end. That's looking great! Really flat and shiny.

If you haven't, it's worth putting some TO on the inside of the body routs to help seal the wood against humidity changes. You may plan to put shielding foil on the pickup and control cavities, which will do a similar job, but you won't put that on the trem rout.

Thanks Simon for your usual constructive suggestions. I had not noticed other constructors TO the body routes until a quite recent video I found where a guy casually wiped in a body route while he has doing the body. He did not say anything about it. Made me think about it for a second and then forgot. I agree with the logic so I am going to do it immediately.

I guess two coats would be sufficient.

Wow, that colour is amazing!
Great job Greg!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GregLane

I guess two coats would be sufficient.

---

That should be fine. You don't need much.

I did not want to cover the timber grain on the bottom horn of the ST with plastic. So the plastic bottom horn on the scratch plate got the chop. I reshaped the scratch plate and had to get the 45 degree bevel on the cut. I was a bit frightened to try the router so went for the conservative slow sand off. Worked out fine with the drill press plate tilted to 45 degrees.
Attachment 34284


I have another question.
The scratch plate that came with the ST was white and I upgraded it to black. I now notice that the original white plate was totally shielded on the underside. The black one, which I am going to use, is only shielded under the knobs and switch, there is no shielding around the pickups.
Is it best to have the whole underside of the pickguard shielded?

It is, but only really benefits you if you've shielded the cavities as well.

Thanks Simon
I had intended shield the cavities.
Have to find some more copper sheet

Copper tape is the easiest thing to find. As long as it's got a conductive adhesive, any sort will do. Also marketed as slug repellent tape, which can be found in Bunnings (if open) or Amazon or eBay. 30mm wide is pretty standard. You just need to overlap strips for larger areas. You can use a small spoon to 'burnish' it and get rid of most of the creases.

Worth checking with a multimeter if the existing shielding sheet under the controls has an insulated back to it. If so, you'll need to cover it over with new copper tape so that the 'guard shielding is grounded via the pots. I've taped up to the existing sheet before, only to find that it wasn't being grounded because of plastic on the back of the factory-fitted shielding.

Good work Greg!
When you shield the cavities, be sure to run the shielding tape out of them and onto the top of the body a wee bit so there is continuity from the pickguard shielding to the cavity shielding. You can do it in just a few places or all the way around the top of the routes.

On the strat below, I ran the tape right under some of the pickguard screw holes (on body and pickguard) so when I put the screw in, it makes a solid contact between the two.

Attachment 34285

Finished the copper shielding today and attached the fretboard while I wait for some black pickup covers.
When I was oiling the fretboard I noticed a fine crack in one fret as per the photo.

I would appreciate some advice how to fill the crack. I was considering just dropping in some super glue.

I don't think the fretboard is rosewood. I seems a bit darker and softer than rosewood. The original advertisement for this SR1-Ash body read as follows:
- Maple neck ("C" Profile) and Rosewood Fretboard
- *Blackwood (Engineered Rosewood) Fretboard for international orders.

I think maybe I have scored the engineered stuff from Adam in error. I am aware of the international rosewood issues.
Attachment 34533

I have just done search on PB on Blackwood and from the results I got make me think I was lucky to get away with just a small crack.
Does anyone know anything about the stuff, how it wears how it plays?

Hi Greg.
Sorry to hear about the crack. I'm so glad the CITES reg's were reversed fairly quickly. I have no experience with the engineered stuff, but like you have read some no-so-great comments about it.
Despite being worked on already, it might be worth talking to Adam if the kit was supposed to be real rosewood for domestic sales. He's a very reasonable dude!

As far as a fix, I agree CA is the way to go. This would be a perfect job for Stew-Mac's tinted CA, but probably cost prohibitive atm with exchange rates in the toilet.

You can do it with clear and it will probably come up reasonably unnoticeable.
I would wick a bit of thin in it first, let it dry then do a sort of drop fill with a medium viscosity.
Run enough medium CA along the crack that it sits proud above the fretboard. Leave to dry, then scrape it flat with a fresh safety razor blade, followed by sanding with a light grit paper 600, then 1200 and buff with steel wool of synthetic pad. Once the the fretboard is conditioned, sanded area should disappear.

I'd use very thin CA and first fill up the crack and once that's filled and level, then rub it all over the board. You could get some black CA for the crack, but I've found that it's rather translucent, so not that much better than clear.

I've got a neck with the original (terrible) engineered Blackwood and had to do that, just to fill the cracks and help keep it all together. I then scraped the board back level with a sharp box-cutter knife blade and it's now a lot smoother and more robust. You need the thin CA (or extra thin if you can get it - I used Glue Boost stuff which doesn't fume) so taht it wicks into the board. Normal medium CA will tend to just sit on top.

I can't believe it is that long since by my last post.
Since then I have done 50 coats of Tru-oil and lost of levelling and sanding off. The Ash took a long time to fill.
The last two coats were a 50/50 mix of TruOil and turps. Gives a nice shine. Then a final polish with the last 3 microfibre pads.

Then I must have been waiting a month for a few bits I had to get shipped through virus infected Aus. The black pickup covers from the standard Pitbull Black upgrade did not fit the Tonerider AC2s. And I decided to fit roller trees because of the roller Babicz bridge.

Then I wired it all up and went to the guitar room. Sounded great on the neck pickup. Sounded great on the bridge pickup, Middle pick up - dead.

Had to pull the pickguard off again meaning unstringing the Grover lockers. Two locker did not unlock and just broke the strings in the hole. I was unimpressed and thought the lockers were rough on the strings.

Then I spent two hours with the multimeter on the wiring and could not find a problem. Suddenly a little birdy must have whispered on my ear "SHORT to the copper foil". Sure enough there was a couple of little scratches on the foil where the switch is located. It is one of those switches with the 6 soldering tabs sticking out a the top. One was touching the copper. 3 layers of gaffer tape on the copper and another new set of strings for the hungry Grovers and then tried again.

All worked perfectly.

Later I was sitting and drooling over my latest creation when I noticed the knobs were sitting far too high above the pickguard. I had put Bourne minis on not realizing that they are long shafted. I then spent some hours on the internet trying to find a solution. I noticed that the Bourne specification sheet said that the pots had two sets of nuts an washers. Just like the good old days when we used the inner nut to set the knobs height. I hadn't noticed the additional nuts "but they must be there".

So the pickguard had to come off again. Errr! What about the hungry Grovers? Well I did have my last set of strings ready.
This time no strings broke. But there are are no additional nuts on the pots either. I had a mental image of somebody at Bourne screwing two sets of nuts and washers on each pot in the factory and then somebody in the guitar parts industry busily taking one set off again.

Then I tried to locate some nuts on the internet. 10mm, 9.5 mm, 3/8" and what about the thread. I was getting very frustrated by this time. I gave up and went to Bunnings and bought 10mm washers and hoped they would not short the pots.

Put it all together and finally I am happy.
The guitar intonated well.
I am very happy with the finish and tone. Where do I learn to dive bomb?

The photos have been added to the June guitar of the month
Attachment 34995 Attachment 34998
Attachment 34996 Attachment 34997

50 coats! It looks quite striking with the grain and scratch plate. Nice.

Very nice Greg!
You've got to be happy with that. I like the way you customised the pickguard.

btw, you kept referring the "finger board", I'm pretty sure you meant pickguard.
At least I hope you didn't repeatedly remove the fingerboard. That would be a lot of work!

Whoops Thanks mcCreed. I’ll fix it up

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simon Barden

I'd use very thin CA and first fill up the crack and once that's filled and level, then rub it all over the board. You could get some black CA for the crack, but I've found that it's rather translucent, so not that much better than clear.

I've got a neck with the original (terrible) engineered Blackwood and had to do that, just to fill the cracks and help keep it all together. I then scraped the board back level with a sharp box-cutter knife blade and it's now a lot smoother and more robust. You need the thin CA (or extra thin if you can get it - I used Glue Boost stuff which doesn't fume) so taht it wicks into the board. Normal medium CA will tend to just sit on top.

---

This scraping, was that before or after the glue sets? Of course, if it was before then it's too late for me. But I did smooth the CA during application using the folded printer paper applicator.