Infra-red lamps or blanket for fretboard removal ?

[Murray MacLeod]

I have a few guitars which require to have the fretboards replaced.

As I see it there are two options ... either a heating blanket, or a side by side array of infra-red lamps.

Purely on a hunch basis, I tend to favor the infra-red set-up as it could be adapted for bridge removal as well, and I just think it might be more effective for getting through to the glue than a blanket would. I imagine that fretboard size blankets are available ... must check the Stewmac catalog and see what they have.

Any opinions regarding these options would be much appreciated, TIA.

[Barry Daniels]

I have a 2" by 18" blanket from Omega that works on fretboards very well.

[Paul Breen]

Murry, I make heating cauls from Aluminum scrap I get at a local machine shop.

I stole the idea from the one sold in the StewMac catalog. Cuts easily enough in my band saw and be cleaned up with my 1" belt/ disc sander and mill files. I made the grooves for fret clearance on my table saw with a high speed steel blade that is for cutting soft Aluminum. It should be used with a lubricant but I didn't on this one because I didn't want the mess, so I had a bit of a problem with the Aluminum balling up and sticking to the blade. It's also a little spooky pushing the Aluminum through the saw. I might forgo the grooves on the next one I make or make them another way.

It is dead flat, I did not try and duplicate the fingerboard radius and it still works quite well. The Aluminum is 3/4" thick, really holds the heat and radiates it well enough to get the job done without without necessarily touching the wood everywhere. This one was for a Martin scale length and the fret grooves are extra wide.

I keep scrap Aluminum on hand and make heaters for bridge removal, bridge plate removal and any other heater cauls I might need. Way cheaper than electric blankets and won't burn out. They some times get re-purposed as clamping cauls too.

[Bob Hammond]

The regulation of the heat, and the carefully directed application of heat to the fretboard only, is what is desirable if not essential.

I would be very hesitant to use infrared lamps without careful shielding of the body and other surfaces.

Barry has offered the best answer, I think, with the 2"x18" heating blanket.

That said, in another current thread, you can see an electric caul that I dubbed the 'hotwand', that I made from a hair-straightening appliance. In conjunction with the hotwand,I also used a 6"x3" stainless steel Incra T-rule in a unconventional manner, as a blade to separate the fretboard from the neck. It took time to free up the fretboard, but it worked for me. The fretboard had been glued with hot hide glue.

[Murray MacLeod]

Paul, that sounds like an excellent idea for bridgeplate removal, although it would surely require some contouring to make it effective for bridge removal ? I too have masses of aluminum, up to 1/2" thickness, but could easily rivet two shaped pieces together to make a flat 1" thick heatsink for bridgeplate removal . For fretboard removal however I think the blanket may be a better idea ... I would want to heat the board in one fell swoop.

Barry, I have had a look at the Omega UK website and the 2" x 18" blanket is in stock, but only the 2.5 Watt//sq/in model. Seems to me that it might be a bit underpowered for fretboard removal purposes. Is your blanket more highly powered than that ? 5 or 10 watts per sq/in are the other options.

I thought the 5 watt one might be the way to go and that the 10 watt might be a bit fierce for the purpose ... unfortunately they will have to order in either of these from the States , they aren't in stock, although the 2.5 watt model is. I haven't ascertained the price yet for the 5 and 10 watt models, but the 2.5 is £39 GBP all in. Presumably the others will be more expensive.

If I did go the infra red route, Bob, rest assured that I would indeed make sure that only the fretboard caught the rays . Your hotwand is very ingenious btw.

[Mark Swanson]

Using shaped aluminum pieces for removal and heating of glue joints works great, for all kinds of glue joints. If you get some heat cartridges, you can find them on eBay, and use a simple router speed control from Harbor Freight to regulate their heat, you can attach them to the aluminum pieces and clamp them where you need them. I have a bunch of them and use them for bridges, bracing, where ever you can clamp a piece of aluminum and attach a small cartridge. Puts the heat right where you want it, and only where you want it. Paul's example would work great with a heat cartridge on there.

[Murray MacLeod]

Mark, the cartridge heaters are a great idea, and I can see applications in the future . For fretboard removal however ( and that is entire fretboard removal, not just loosening the tongue) I cannot help thinking that a blanket is probably a more suitable and ergonomic option.

[Barry Daniels]

I don't remember if my blanket is 2.5 watts or what. Sorry.

[Paul Breen]

Yes, I made my bridge heater curved using a rather low tech method. I blocked the Aluminum on either end and beat a curve into it with a large peen hammer. A small block heats the bridge ears one at a time. I don't bother trying to heat the entire bridge evenly but concentrate on one end, then the other.

Bridges don't generally come off flat and using heated Aluminum stock works great for that too. I get the bulk of the glue mess cleaned off first, then wet the bridge in a few applications with a water soaked rag. I heat the Aluminum to 300 to 350 and clamp the whetted bridge onto the heated stock and leave it to fully cool.

[Murray MacLeod]

Ingenious stuff indeed, Paul.

I have however decided to go down the heating blanket route ... LMI sell a tapered blanket which is an exact fit for a standard tapered fretboard, and that will undoubtedly be the best tool for my particular application . It's a bit of a pain having to buy a temperature controller as well, but it will always come in useful if and when I get other blankets.... as well as side bending blankets for guitars and mandolins, , they sell blankets for bridge removal and bridgeplate removal.
https://www.lmii.com/products/tools-ser ... g-blankets

[Mark Swanson]

The blankets are great! But really, have a look at that Harbor Freight Router Speed control for heat control for the blankets. They work perfectly. For the cartridges, too. And soldering irons.
A few years back, Guitarmaker magazine had an article in there about building a very nice blanket controller. It has a thermostat type regulator, with a temperature dial just like an oven has, it works great.

[David Farmer]

I've used both.
The bridge photo has the heat blanket held in contact w/ silicone rubber. It's handy stuff. Tolerates heat and glue won't stick to it. I like being able to see the finish as I'm heating and keep heating as I slide a tool under instead of stopping the heat and worrying about getting it off before the heat dissipates.
That said, a heat lamp and cardboard shield accommodates any shape and are supper fast/cheap to set up.

[Bob Hammond]

David F, hmm, do I see aluminum-coated cardboard that is meant for HVAC use, that has heat and fire resistance? Is that the stuff at the orangebox store?

[David Farmer]

Yes. That aluminum tape is the stuff available at any hardware store. Keeps the lamp from scorching the cardboard. If you overlap the tape past the cardboard onto the fingerboard or bridge just a bit, it makes sure no light get's to the top. You can pretty much set a bridge on fire before bubbling the finish.

[Paul Breen]

If you have ever experimented with trying to heat reflective things with Infra Red lamps, you will wait a long time. The Infra Red light is reflected and won't heat unless the light is absorbed. I just use White paper most of the time as a heat shield with Infra Red, works almost as well as a reflective surface. Black absorbs all of the light and will get hot very quickly. At the other end, White reflects all colors in the spectrum but not quite as effectively as a mirror (shiny) surface.

I use this to my advantage for heating, and keep hot, my rig for injecting hot hide glue. It all sits on a Black laminated panel, which gets hot with the Infra Red, warming the shiny parts that the Infra Red won't.

[Bob Hammond]

Paul, i didn't mean aluminum duct tape. There is an aluminized cardboard sheet material that has documented fire/heat resistance, and it might be cheaper and easier than using the duct tape.. I can't recall the name of the stuff at the moment, but when I swing by the store I'll look it up.

[David Farmer]

Sounds interesting. what section of the store is it in? Do let us know if you get there first.

[Bob Hammond]

David, the name of the product is Thermopan. It is an aluminized cardboard that is 24" x 48" x ~1/8" , termed as a joist liner in the HVAC department. It has a Class I fire rating, with a flame spread index = 5, and a smoke development index = 10, in accordance with ASTM standard E-84. See here:

http://thermopan.com/thermo-pan

The cost is $12tat Lowes

[David Farmer]

Thanks Bob.
If I ever try it I'll post. I have to use up my roll of Aluminum tape first as it does the job just fine. Still, if it cuts cleanly, it might be nice to just grab a piece and go.

[Greg Martin]

Never tried infra red lamps do they work?
Ive only pulled one fret board,thnkfully
I planned ahead a got the lmi fb blanket,it had been on back order for 2 weeks,when i got it excitment faded fast, hated it.sold it later on ebay. i ended up using a goodwill steam iron a couple very thin knives and aluminum foil to keep from scorching the maple board. I put it on cotton and in about ten minutes the fret board glue started to soften.
Sometimes the lo hi way works out.