Tradition seems to stick to you
Just like krazy glue.
Before gluing the fingerboard back to the neck, the width of the end of the neck needed some filing and sanding to get a snug fit into the neck block.
It was finally time to prepare for reassembling the fingerboard to the neck. With the neck sitting in the body, I taped the fingerboard to the neck in three places, and used a bar clamp in the sound hole. Then came a final check of the center line alignment and the neck scale length, comparing the measurements from the head stock end of the fretboard to the 12th fret and from the 12th fret to the bridge.
Satisfied, I removed the neck and added a piece of tape to mark the fretboard and neck alignment at the dovetail end.
Before detaching the fingerboard and applying the glue, I taped and clamped a metal ruler to the head stock to provide a mechanical stop. Then I did a dry run without glue, to figure out how I would use clamps to secure the assembly as well as to make sure that the fretboard would end up as planned while using the mechanical stop.
It was finally time to prepare for reassembling the fingerboard to the neck. With the neck sitting in the body, I taped the fingerboard to the neck in three places, and used a bar clamp in the sound hole. Then came a final check of the center line alignment and the neck scale length, comparing the measurements from the head stock end of the fretboard to the 12th fret and from the 12th fret to the bridge.
Satisfied, I removed the neck and added a piece of tape to mark the fretboard and neck alignment at the dovetail end.
Before detaching the fingerboard and applying the glue, I taped and clamped a metal ruler to the head stock to provide a mechanical stop. Then I did a dry run without glue, to figure out how I would use clamps to secure the assembly as well as to make sure that the fretboard would end up as planned while using the mechanical stop.
Feeling confident I had this one figured out, I removed the clamps, applied hide glue to the neck side of the joint, and started putting the clamps back on from the headstock end. While attaching the third clamp, I could feel that the edges of the binding and the neck were getting out of alignment. Releasing the second clamp, I reversed it to the bass side of the neck, and continued with the staggered clamping pattern. It worked, and made it much easier to get my hands inbetween adjacent clamps for tightening.
After wiping down the squeeze-out glue, I removed the ruler from the head stock and set the assembly aside to dry. Then I moved on to the acetone bowl repairs.
A popsicle stick worked well for scooping the partially dissolved binding strip out of the jar. The excess acetone evaporates slowly, so it has a good, long working time. Like applying nail polish, it can be tricky to get a smooth, even coat, but its always possible to do it over again.
Slowly building up and working the area with a few applications of material, I used a well-worn piece of sandpaper held firmly against the repair to apply a similar texture to the patch.
I had enough material left to do some reconstruction to the edges of the dovetail opening.
Having had my fill of glue on my hands and fumes from home made black nail polish for the evening, it was time to call it a night.
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