sanding a defretted fingerboard - is it necessary?

[alyctes]

I'm defretting a bass, and I'm wondering if I need to sand down the fingerboard before I put veneer in the fret slots. Is it normal to need to sand the board down before filling the slots? The board is rosewood.

Thanks

[Grangur]

Not that I've ever defretted a neck; but, why would you sand it before filling the slots?

All I would do is clean off any catchy bits, but you should be wanting all the slot edges to stay sharp. The sanding would be after the veneer is in place.

[Norris]

I'd certainly fit the veneer first. You'll need to sand those anyway - and I'd glue some sandpaper to a flat beam to do so

[moonbass]

Yep, sand after filling the fret slots, and my strong advice would be get the sanding done professionally. I did it myself and it worked ok, but intonation was tricky and would get some rattles. Then one day the repair chap at the old Bass Centre in Wapping popped it on his machine and, boom, it was like a different instrument. I'd also think carefully about how you're going to file the nut, as this is another bugger to do at home (although I did it with a Stanley knife in my youth, and it still works ok!)

[alyctes]

Thanks, folks. I've not done it before, and it's not been clear from the descriptions I've found.

I intend to do this:
- make myself a sanding block by taping sandpaper to the board and using it to shape the block.
- glue the veneer and cut it back [u]carefully[/u] with a razor blade, paying attention to the grain of the veneer while doing it.
- sand, using the block, if necessary and as little as possible.
- save the dust to fill the places where the board has splintered.

Filing the nut I am reasonably happy with. I have files which will work.

[Norris]

I'd be tempted to use a cabinet scraper to take down the veneer gradually. They are pretty cheap. Failing that, run the shaft of a screwdriver down a Stanley knife blade at 90 degrees to "turn a hook" and use that. It allows the removal of very little wood at a time, with a lot of control. Plenty of videos on YouTube about the use of cabinet scrapers (and they are lovely to use too)

[alyctes]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1474835130' post='3140963']
I'd be tempted to use a cabinet scraper to take down the veneer gradually. They are pretty cheap. Failing that, run the shaft of a screwdriver down a Stanley knife blade at 90 degrees to "turn a hook" and use that. It allows the removal of very little wood at a time, with a lot of control. Plenty of videos on YouTube about the use of cabinet scrapers (and they are lovely to use too)
[/quote]

Excellent idea. Thank you.

[3below]

Just another perspective, gained from refretting a defretted bass (go figure, it was an Artcore bass, cheap as chips project to learn how to refret a bound neck). Once you have defretted you may well have chips and / or tearout with the slots. Obtain some PTFE sheet (same thickness as slots) and cut to sit in the slots (scissors or Stanley knife). Use some rosewood (or whatever the board material is) to make some sawdust. Compact the sawdust into the divots against the PTFE and then drop CA glue onto the sawdust. I use a magnifying glass which helps with this. Repeat this for all the divots and chips. Allow the glue to harden and then sand. Clean the sanding dust out of slots and then carry on with veneer inserts. My take is that this method will give clean, 'sharp' slot edges against the veneer. The CA and sawdust will hide some surprising damage. This is just a technique I found on the internet.

[Twincam]

Another tip. I find marking the board with chalk with a tight crosshatching pattern really helps to properly get a flat board once leveling so you see were any high low spots are.

[3below]

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1474926480' post='3141625']
Another tip. I find marking the board with chalk with a tight crosshatching pattern really helps to properly get a flat board once leveling so you see were any high low spots are.
[/quote]

Thank you . This tip will be used on my 'compact short scale build' soon, since the board radiusing and surfacing is approaching.

Edited for punctuation. Txt, Email and SocMed are rendering me illiterate.....

Edited September 26, 2016 by 3below

[rushbo]

I defretted an old Squier Jazz and filled the slots with epoxy. I masked the neck to avoid any unnecessary cleaning/sanding - a little sanding of the board and then used boat varnish (I think...) to add a tough, glassy finish. Worked a treat and sounded lovely. A bit Lo-Tech, but then again, so am I.