How To Repair Guitar Neck Binding
Fretboard binding is very similar to guitar trunk bounden except information technology is on the side of the fretboard instead of the trunk. Fretboard bounden gives the guitar fretboard clean lines and makes the guitar expect swell. Most of the time bound fretboards crave no attention at all, merely what happens when something incorrect happens? In this article, we'll talk nigh what fretboard binding is and how to repair it when it comes loose.
Acoustic guitar fretboard binding is basically the aforementioned equally the binding around the guitar'south torso. Fretboard bounden is a sparse strip of cloth that is glued around the outside of the fretboard. It is almost often made out of plastic, but it can be made out various forest, plastics, and celluloid. Fretboard binding serves no structural purpose similar the trunk binding does. The only reason for having binding around the fretboard is to look practiced. Binding around the outside of the fretboard covers the ends of the frets. Binding also frames the fretboard nicely. Bound fretboards often feature abalone or purling inlays effectually the outside of the fretboard for decoration like the moving-picture show above.
How to fix Loose Fretboard Binding.
Contents
- one How to prepare Loose Fretboard Binding.
- 1.1 What causes Loose Fretboard Binding.
- 1.two Remove the Frets.
- i.3 Evaluate the Loose Binding.
- 1.four Removing Loose Bounden.
- 1.4.1 Score the edges of the Binding.
- 1.4.2 Remove the Bounden.
- 1.five Clean the Binding Aqueduct.
- 1.6 Glue and tape the Binding.
- one.7 Scrape the Bounden.
- one.8 Spray the Finish.
- one.9 Replace the Frets.
- 1.10 Related manufactures:
What causes Loose Fretboard Binding.
Fretboard binding tin have many of the same problems that body binding has. It tin pause, crack, deteriorate, and compress. The most common cause of loose or croaky binding is normally a combination of things. The most obvious causes are abuse and poor conditions. Since the binding on the edge of the fretboard is exposed, information technology is fairly easy to bump or drop your guitar and harm the bounden.
Loose fretboard binding also occurs in stale out guitars just like with body binding. The guitar wood shrinks when it dries out. The binding is forced to follow the contour of the shrinking guitar wood because it is glued to the guitar. Normally, this isn't that big of a trouble, but fretboard binding also has to contest with the frets. The metal frets that are inlayed in the fretboard are not forced into the shape of the guitar wood. The frets do non expand and contract nearly as much as the guitar wood does. So when the guitar wood shrinks, the frets remain the same size. The frets, then, stick out either side of the fretboard. On an unbound fretboard this commonly would not be a large deal. You lot would but have to file down the edges of the frets and get back to playing. A leap fretboard is quite a unlike story. The binding is glued to the outside of the fretboard. When the frets stick out of the shrunken fretboard, they push the bounden away from the fretboard causing the binding to come up loose.
Frets and loose fretboard binding can be a hassle if yous don't know what yous are doing. Here are some practical steps to repairing loose fretboard binding on your acoustic guitar.
Remove the Frets.
In most cases, it will exist impossible to repair the loose fretboard binding without removing some or all of the frets. If the binding is just loose on the outset ii frets, you lot might only have to remove a few frets. If you are completely removing the fretboard binding, you may need to remove the all of the frets. I know this sounds like a lot of work, just it may need to exist done. For more information nigh how to remove frets, encounter the fret removal page. Note: you probably will not have to remove whatever frets if your binding has nubs on it.
Evaluate the Loose Binding.
With any guitar repair, information technology is important to sit downward evaluate how bad the guitar is broken earlier you jump in and try to fix it. With an acoustic guitar binding upshot, y'all will accept to look at non only how loose the binding is, but where information technology is loose. If the binding is loose close to the body or needs to be completely removed, you may have to remove the neck. If you are going to try to repair the binding on the fretboard tongue without removing the neck, be extremely careful not to gouge or scratch the cease on the height of the guitar. More than probable than not, you will be better off removing the neck entirely if the binding is around the tongue needs to be replaced or reset. If this is the case, you may want to bank check with a local luthier before you jump into this project. With that beingness said, permit'southward have a look at a "normal" binding repair.
Removing Loose Binding.
In order to re-mucilage the binding in identify, yous may accept to remove the binding and clean the bounden channel.
Score the edges of the Bounden.
Before you go pulling the binding off the edges of the fretboard, information technology is important to score the lacquer. If you pull the binding off without scoring the lacquer, you volition crevice and pull the finish off with the bounden. Scoring the stop will assistance prevent the finish from cracking. Simply, score the edges of the binding with a razor bract or X-acto pocketknife. You want to make a cut into the stop of the guitar on the edges of the binding. Essentially, you volition be cutting the end, so the terminate on the binding and the stop on the neck are separated.
Remove the Binding.
VERY carefully take a putty pocketknife and wedge it in betwixt the bounden and the fretboard. Wiggle it back and along and work you style beyond the fretboard. Watch for tears in the finish and become slowly. This is a time consuming repair if you want to practice it properly.
Clean the Bounden Channel.
To clean the bounden channel, simply have a small file or razor bract and file or scrape away the mucilage that is left in the channel after the binding is removed.
Mucilage and tape the Binding.
Now that the binding channel is properly cleaned, you can glue it in place. If you are gluing plastic binding, I would employ Satellite City Super glue. Do NOT employ acetone based glues, every bit they tin cause issues with clean up and the cease on the binding. If y'all are gluing forest binding, I would use Tite-bond. Yous tin read more about glue types on the glue page. Drop a line of glue in the aqueduct. Do not get carried away. It does non take a ton of glue and y'all don't want a huge mess on your hands after the binding is glued on. Once you lot take the mucilage in the aqueduct, carefully printing the binding against the fretboard and tape it in identify with painter's tape. Make sure to research what tape you are using and what kind of finish your guitar has. The adhesive on the tape can ruin your guitar's finish. After the binding is glued in place and secured with some record, let the glue dry for an hr or so.
Scrape the Binding.
Now that the glue is dried, you can peel the tape off. Be careful peeling the tape considering you do non want the finish to come off with the record. After all the tape is off the cervix, you tin take a razor blade and scrape the excess glue off the binding. If you lot replaced the binding with a new piece of binding, yous volition also need to scrape or file down the binding itself until information technology sits flush in the aqueduct. Make sure you lot are careful when y'all scrape the binding. Y'all do non desire to scrape whatever of the terminate off of the neck of the guitar. Now your fretboard is starting to await good!
Spray the Finish.
Now that the binding is glued in place, cleaned, and scraped affluent with the torso, you tin tape off the body and the fretboard of the guitar to protect information technology from overspray. Y'all might demand to spray a tint of xanthous or some colour on the bounden to make it match the original binding. I would spray ii or 3 light coats of articulate lacquer, sand the finish, and spray 2 or three more coats of clear before you lot spray the color. After the color is sprayed, you lot can spray a few more articulate coats of cease and remove the tape. In one case the record is removed from the cervix, you will notice that the border of the binding volition have a sharp where the lacquer has built upwardly on the edge of the bounden and the tape. Only, file the top edges of the binding toward the middle of the fretboard to become rid of the sharp lacquered edge. Finally, you can wet sand and polish the new finish. You may not have to spray a lacquer finish on your neck. Many guitars have an oil stop on their necks. In this case, y'all volition not need to spray the finish at all. After you have applied your finish of choice, your neck should look good as new.
Replace the Frets.
Now that the binding is glued back on and the neck is finished, all yous have to do is supplant the frets. This should be a adequately easy chore if y'all did not damage any of the frets when you were pulling them out. For more than information about refretting a guitar, see the how to refret an electric guitar folio.
Afterwards install your frets, your guitar will be ready to play and will expect only like new.
Related articles:
- How to remove guitar frets
- How to cease an electric guitar
- How to fret an electric guitar
- What gum should I use to mucilage in fretboard binding
- How to set up acoustic guitar binding around the body
Source: https://www.guitarrepairbench.com/acoustic-guitar-repairs/fretboard-binding/
Posted by: johnsonhoullich.blogspot.com
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