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I have read all I can find on how to steam off a dovetail neck, and most of the sites say to use a cappichino (sp?) machine. Is there anything else that will work for this?

I'm just curious as to what you use to generate the steam and how you get that steam down into the neck joint??

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Reguards,

Ken H

Frets.com Frank Ford has a very clear tutorial

this is one of those "DUHHH" moments.....

I didnt even think of a pressure cooker... I have one of those !

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Reguards,

Ken H

The advantage of an espresso machine is that you can control the amount of steam via a dial valve. With a pressure cooker, you get what you get unless you install some sort of valve into it.
Espresso machines can be had very cheap at yard sales. They were one of those fads from several years back that folks bought and never used. Now you can pick them up for $5.

as mentioned the old pressure cooker was the standard tool of choice, cheap and readily available. but the need for a separate hot plate and the rather cumbersome nature of the arrangemnt sent many to yard sales looking for espresso machines when they became wide spread 10 or 15 years ago.

you will need a long drill, sometimes referred to as an aircraft drill, to ensure your hole extends into the cavity between the dovetail tenon and the mortice. a word of caution: keep your mind on the job and don't drill a hole all the way through the neck block. i won't be coy; yeah, i did it!!! fortunately it was on a beater i was using to learn the technique back when i was a young tyro. i think they now refer to those times as the pleistocene era of the quaternary period....

the old goat stomach ... no... err... ball... yes ball inflation needle was the standard implement for getting the steam into the joint, and would still work. however the long needle that stew-mac sells allows for better control of where the steam is going and is a significant improvement.

ensure you use reinforced hose, and a container to collect excess moisture in the hose and prevent it entering the joint is useful as well. i just use an erlenmeyer lab flask, but anything will do. it also helps to glue it to a piece of ply or similar to keep it stable and prevent the hose tipping it over when you are moving it around.

also keep a bowl of cold water and a good supply of rags handy to wipe up the steam which escapes and cool down the finish to prevent blushing.

as soon as the neck is out wipe out the mortice, scrape any softened glue out of the mortice and off the tenon. much easier to remove it while it's soft.

i would suggest making a work sheet listing the things you need on hand and a step by step procedure. on your first one it is easy to get out of sequence and make a mistake, or not have what you need to hand.

I can't add much to whats been said.Here are some pics

Neck Removal Jig


Steamer Outer

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

OMG, is that a cut fretboard extension a la 1973??!! I cringe when I think of the ones I cut in those days.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

oh, well, since someone else pointed it out: this does fall into the category of techniques which were once considered to be acceptable but today are severely frowned upon.

when i first started it was common to see this done, but the only sort of circumstance i know of which justifies doing it these days is the large amounts if epoxy or other glues which one can find in the dovetail joints of some imports. the neck won't loosen because you can't get the steam into the joint so the fbe must be removed to have access to dig the glue out and work the joint loose.

for some reason none of the pictures at frets.com are working here... is it just me or is it the site?

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

Lately I found at a yard sale one of those air pump that is used to open wine bottles. It has a long needle that is just about right for that steam needle.