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I did this recently on a couple of Yamahas and one of them had a bound fretboard. It worked real well. I had to keep the gun right on the fretboard so the heat wouldn't affect the top or the binding. I was considering buying a heating iron but decided to try this. I'm glad I did, saved a lot of dough. Does anyone else do this?

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

An old household iron works for me. I have a heat gun but it is not ideal for that application. An iron will sit on top of the frets and transfers the heat into the fretboard. Whereas a heat gun can get the top surface of the fretboard overly hot which may be an issue. You can pickup a used iron pretty cheap.

I tried an iron but they're no good on radiused fretboards. plus there's a lot of overhang with an iron. I felt much safer with the heat gun nose sitting right on the fretboard and only heating what I want. I would slide it back and forth and check the board with my fingers every so often. It really worked great on two guitars so far.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

+1.

As a maker who never does repairs I'd like to say I've never had to do this... but... When it has happened, I use small clothes iron. Biggest issue is how the heat reacts to the fretboard if you have any sort of chemicals on it. Also need a sharp ended spatula with rounded sides so you can swing it back and forth without destroying your finish on the top. If I'm worried, I use a small piece of thin sheet metal (like a SM Radius gauge) to slide under the spatula so it's not touching the surface of the top while I'm working it to separate the fretboard.

I have always used a 250 watt infrared heat lamp. White cardboard shields it from overheating binding or the top finish.

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John

I've used a small travel iron to warm the fretboard for pulling frets and loosening the fingerboard extension, but prefer to heat the palette knife and slip it in from the sound hole end. Either way is a bit fiddly and you have to be careful to not mar the finish.
The travel iron is nice and compact and will run on 110v or 220v.

White cardboard keeps the finish cool? I'll have to try that. I don't really have an issue with the heat gun though.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Me too. I've tried the iron on the board and a heat gun but I prefer the IR heat lamp with the white cardboard shields. Sometimes it's useful to heat the tool for braces but I don't need to do it for fretboards.

I guess whatever method you use, if you can get the fretboard off without messing up the fretboard and the top then you're doing great

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

To remove a fretboard: Remember those old style radiant bathroom heaters? Chrome reflector, elliptical shape, a couple of bars, all up about two feet long? The old fashioned version of one of these. Rig a couple of supports for the heater, aiming down onto the fretboard, a few inches off. Protect the guitar top, swab the fretboard with linseed oil, apply heat from one bar in about 5 minute bursts and then stop and let the heat "soak in". The oil acts as a heat transfer medium and also prevents the fretboard from drying out too much. Always stop heating if the oil starts bubbling. Heat until the glue releases or softens enough to re-clamp with a bit of relief. Wipe off the oil as soon as convenient.

To release just parts: Cover the bits you don't want to heat with card or wood wrapped in aluminium foil.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

I've only done this once but I used the heating blanket from my side bender. Worked like a charm and very quickly. The board was epoxied on with Bob Smith's. I did worry about damaging the blanket by overheating because so much of it overhangs the board. Luckily that didn't happen.

+1 on the travel iron. Just the right width. The one I "borrowed" from my wife is pink.

Got this tip from another repair guy in southern Ontario — a “sealing iron”, as used by model airplane builders. Perfect size and heat range, easy to store.:
https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/cspages/towerhob_09-05640.php


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That's what we do too and we never, never, never leave the bench when the heat lamp is plugged in. It works great. It's also how Martin suggests doing this and they made a video explaining it. They keep the lamp maybe 6" away which is OK if you have all day and you are paid by the hour.... We lay it right on the frets or hover just above less than an inch.

We use thick cardboard shields covered in foil with the more reflective side out and we also tape the edges so there are no gaps with HVAC reflective tape. Never bubbled a finish yet and it works great. It's also how we remove bridges.

PS: We remove the shield at intervals and check for that spongy, gooey give feel that we want when the glue is softened enough. We also reheat when the pallet knives encounter resistance and more heat is required.

I have used a heat gun a few times to remove bridges and other parts, using what Hesh mentions, "thick cardboard shields covered in foil with the more reflective side out" to shield nearby areas. It has worked OK but I'm thinking that an iron or heat lamp--as recommended by most people in this thread--would be easier to control, hence safer for surrounding finished areas. I think I have a high-wattage incandescent floodlamp in the light-bulb box. Those floodlights waste energy by giving off lots of heat, so I've replaced them with LED's, but I might test it and see if it works as a heat lamp for this purpose.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

A heat lamp works best, IMO.


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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I’ve used an iron, also a small halogen lamp was the perfect size.
Saw it used in Robbie O’Brien’s neck reset video with Michael Bashkin.
Aluminum foil covered cardboard heat shields as others have mentioned.

I/ve used heat lamp. heat gun hair dryer, and an old 60/s clothes iron. The iron works well on low heat, I have a slew of spatulas picked up at yard sales and thinned down on a belt sander. A dab of alcohol on the spatula helps to break up the HHG glue joints on FB. Titebond 1 is very messy and I try to remove it with glue gone. from woodcraft, Vinegar left on the fb is also effective at removing old glue

Thanks all. I think I'll try the heat lamp and cardboard on future projects.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!