Raised sharkfins...

[Magou]

Hi there,
Please can anyone help?
I have a problem with a few raised sharkfin inlays on my Fusion Pro. The gap is enough to get a finger nail under and is on the pointed high E side.
A few fret ends are also raised, but I have researched some previous posts and believe I should be able to resolve this.
Just a bit stumped with the Inlays, as concerned if I lift any higher to allow some glue in they may snap?

Any help will be much appreciated.

[sully]

Hi there,
Please can anyone help?
I have a problem with a few raised sharkfin inlays on my Fusion Pro. The gap is enough to get a finger nail under and is on the pointed high E side.
A few fret ends are also raised, but I have researched some previous posts and believe I should be able to resolve this.
Just a bit stumped with the Inlays, as concerned if I lift any higher to allow some glue in they may snap?

Any help will be much appreciated.

So the points on a few of them are raised enough that you can get under them? wow. What you'll need to fix it:

Paste wax
Q-tips
Single edge razor blade
Paper towel
Water-thin super glue (can get at hobby shops)
Super glue accelerator (not necessary, but helpful)
Fine nozzle tip for water thin glue (this will allow the glue to be dispensed in a very small amount)
Masking tape
0000 grade Steel wool
Dowel (or something that you can use to hold the inlay in place as the glue dries)
Naptha

Preparation:
Clean the area with some Naptha. This will remove dirt, grease, etc from the area to be worked on.

Swirl a Q-tip in the paste wax and apply it to the fretboard around the area that has the raised inlay that you want to get back into place. This will create a surface that the glue cannot adhere to, and the glue will run off (to be dabbed away by the paper towel). Tape off the larger perimeter of the area, further protecting the area. You don't need a lot of wax, just enough to make a layer on the fretboard. You may want to put some wax on the end of the dowel as well, in case the glue gets messy.

Now that you've got the area protected, put the fine glue tip onto the glue bottle. You'll most likely find that tilting the bottle should be enough to get the glue to flow into the tip. If not, gently squeeze the bottle (away from the area you're working on) to get it to flow down the nozzle. Once you've got some glue into the tip, you'll just tilt the bottle and let gravity pull the glue down the nozzle. If you can, get the end of the nozzle underneath the inlay. Don't try to lift it up, as the inlay is very thin, brittle, and easy to break. If you can't get it underneath the actual inlay tip, drop some glue right onto the area surrounding the tip of the inlay and the glue should wick into the inlay's routed area. You won't need a ton of glue in there, but enough to get under the raised area. Get your dowel (or whatever you're going to use to hold the inlay into place) and gently push the inlay back into its place.

As you're holding the inlay into place, wipe away the excess glue with the paper towel, and then apply some of the glue accelerator onto the glued area. With the accelerator, you're better off taking the pump nozzle off of the bottle, and just dab a drop from the straw that feeds the nozzle. This way, you're not spraying accelerator all over the place. A few drops will do the job and get the glue cured.

Once you've got that done, wipe the wax off, grab the razor blade, and gently, but firmly scrape whatever excess glue is there. Once flat, buff away the razor scratches with the steel wool. Go with the wood grain - steel wool will scratch ebony. Oil up the area if needed, and you're done.

This process should also be used when reseating the raised frets.

Sully

[Matt_B]

Trust in Sully for he is wise.

[Magou]

Hi Sully,
Wow... A truly wonderful answer to my question. I could not have asked for more - True Gent!

Thanks a million!!